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Uniform Crime Reports

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Uniform Crime Reporting
Active1929 - present
CountryUnited States
AgencyFederal Bureau of Investigation
TypeCrime statistics program
RoleCollection and publishing
Part ofCriminal Justice Information Services Division
AbbreviationUCR
Website
Official website

The Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program compiles official data on crime in the United States, published by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). UCR is "a nationwide, cooperative statistical effort of nearly 18,000 city, university and college, county, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement agencies voluntarily reporting data on crimes brought to their attention".[1]

Crime statistics are compiled from UCR data and published annually by the FBI in the Crime in the United States series. The FBI does not collect the data itself. Rather, law enforcement agencies across the United States provide the data to the FBI, which then compiles the Reports.

The Uniform Crime Reporting program began in 1929, and since then has become an important source of crime information for law enforcement, policymakers, scholars, and the media.

History

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Formation by the IACP & SSRC and Initial Reports (1927-1930)

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The UCR Program was based upon work by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and the Social Science Research Council (SSRC)[2] throughout the 1920s to create a uniform national set of crime statistics, reliable for analysis. In 1927, the IACP created the Committee on Uniform Crime Reporting to determine statistics for national comparisons. The committee concluded that eight index crimes were fundamental to comparing crime rates across geographic locations: murder and non-negligent manslaughter, negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft. (From 1930 to 1957, negligent manslaughter was included as an index crime.[3] In 1979, arson would be added as an index crime by a congressional directive.)

The early program was managed by the IACP and published through a monthly report.[3] The first report in January 1930 reported data from 400 cities throughout 43 states, covering more than 20 million individuals, approximately twenty percent of the total U.S. population at the time.[4]

Transition to Oversight by the FBI (1930)

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The intention of the IACP in developing the UCR program was always to have its management transferred to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).[4] Through IACP lobbying, on June 11, 1930 the United States Congress passed legislation enacting 28 U.S.C. § 534, which granted the office of the Attorney General the ability to "acquire, collect, classify, and preserve identification, criminal identification, crime, and other records" and the ability to appoint officials to oversee this duty, including the subordinate members of the Bureau of Investigation. The Attorney General, in turn, designated the FBI to serve as the national clearinghouse for the data collected, and the FBI assumed responsibility for managing the UCR Program in September 1930. In the July 1930 issue of the crime report the IACP announced the FBI's takeover of the program. While the IACP discontinued oversight of the program, they continued to advise the FBI on how to better the UCR.

Since 1935, the FBI served as a data clearinghouse, organizing, collecting, and disseminating information voluntarily submitted by local, state, federal and tribal law enforcement agencies. The UCR remained the primary tool for collection and analysis of data for the next half century.

Development of NIBRS (1980s-present)

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Throughout the 1980s, a series of National UCR Conferences were with members from the IACP, Department of Justice, including the FBI, and newly formed Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). The purpose was to determine necessary system revisions and then implement them. The result of these conferences was the release of a Blueprint for the Future of the Uniform Crime Reporting Program[5] release in May 1985, detailing the necessary revisions. The key recommendations made by the report were 1) a move to requesting data on each individual offense rather than monthly totals, 2) a move to requesting more detailed data about crime incidents including more specific data used to classify offenses and information like the victim and offender's demographic characteristics, their relationship, and the location of the crime, and 3) quality assurance measures like routine audits, minimum reporting-system standards, increased feedback to and from local agencies, and strengthening of state-level UCR Programs.

These recommendations were implemented in the form of the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). The FBI began accepting data in the new NIBRS format in January, 1989.[6] For many years, the FBI collected UCR data in both the NIBRS and traditional Summary Reporting System (SRS) formats. In 2015, in consultation with the their law enforcement partners and the Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Advisory Policy Board, the FBI announced that it would be retiring the SRS format.[7] As of January 1, 2021, the SRS has been discontinued and been fully replaced by (NIBRS).[8]

Coverage

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In 2003, FBI UCR data were compiled from more than 16,000 agencies, representing 93 percent of the population[9] in 46 states and the District of Columbia.[10] While nationally reporting is not mandated, many states have instituted laws requiring law enforcement within those states to provide UCR data.

Divisions

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The UCR Program consists of four parts:

The FBI publishes annual data from these collections in Crime in the United States, Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted, and Hate Crime Statistics.

Data collection

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Each month, law enforcement agencies report the number of known index crimes in their jurisdiction to the FBI. This mainly includes crimes reported to the police by the general public, but may also include crimes that police officers discover, and known through other sources. Law enforcement agencies also report the number of crime cases cleared.

UCR crime categories

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FBI Crime Clock – 2014
Violent and Property Crime Indexes per 100,000 population, 2004 Uniform Crime Report

Categories in the Summary Reporting System

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The UCR program's traditional Summary Reporting System (the SRS) was in use from 1930 to 2020. As of January 1, 2021, the SRS has been discontinued and been fully replaced by the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). In the SRS, criminal offenses were divided into two major groups: Part I offenses and Part II offenses.

Part I Offenses (Offenses Known)

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In Part I, the UCR indexed reported incidents of major crimes, referred to as "index crimes," which were reported to the FBI via a document named "Return A – Monthly Return of Offenses Known to the Police." Agencies were asked to report each month the total number of index crimes reported to them (or that they otherwise came to know about) regardless of whether an arrest was made.

Crimes were included in the index based on their relative seriousness, their tendency to be reported more reliably than other crime types, and that reports for them are generally taken directly by the police and not a separate agency which aggregates the data and does not necessarily contribute to the UCR. The index crimes were broken into two categories: violent and property crimes. Murder and non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault were classified as violent crimes and used to create an overall "violent crime index" while burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson were classified as property crimes and used to create an overall "property crime index."

Arson was not initially included as one of the Part I index crimes. It was added in 1979 by a congressional directive.

From 1930 to 1957, negligent manslaughter was included in UCR reporting as one of the violent index crimes.[3] As of 1958 annual report, it was no longer included in reporting about the index crimes, although the FBI continued to request information about the total number of negligent homicide offenses known to law enforcement agencies as part of Return A until 1985.[5] So, from 1958 to 1985, negligent manslaughter was a Part I offense but not an index crime.

Part II Offenses (Arrests Made)

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In Part II, the following categories were tracked: simple assault, curfew offenses and loitering, embezzlement, forgery and counterfeiting, disorderly conduct, driving under the influence, drug offenses, fraud, gambling, liquor offenses, offenses against the family, prostitution, public drunkenness, runaways, sex offenses, stolen property, vandalism, vagrancy, and weapons offenses. Agencies were asked to report each month the total number of arrests made for all Part I and Part II offenses.

Property Reports

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Two property reports were also included in addition to the "Return A." The first was the Property Stolen by Classification report. This report detailed the number of actual crimes of each type in the "Return A" and the monetary value of property stolen in conjunction with that crime. Some offenses were reported in greater detail on this report than on the "Return A." For example, on the "Report A," burglaries were divided into three categories: Forcible Entry, Unlawful Entry – No Force, and Attempted Forcible Entry. On the Property Stolen by Classification report, burglaries were divided into six categories based on location, type (method and success of entry), and the time of the offense. Offenses were counted in residences with offense times of 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Unknown Time and Non-residences with the same three time groupings.

The second property report was the Property Stolen by Type (of Property) and Value report. The monetary value of both stolen and recovered property were totaled and classified as one of eleven property types:

The FBI began recording arson rates, as part of the UCR, in 1979. This report details arsons of the following property types:

  • Single Occupancy Residential (houses, townhouses, duplexes, etc.)
  • Other Residential (apartments, tenements, flats, hotels, motels, dormitories, etc.)
  • Storage (barns, garages, warehouses, etc.)
  • Industrial/Manufacturing
  • Other Commercial (stores, restaurants, offices, etc.)
  • Community/Public (churches, jails, schools, colleges, hospitals, etc.)
  • All Other Structures (out buildings, monuments, buildings under construction, etc.)
  • Motor Vehicles (automobiles, trucks, buses, motorcycles, etc.)
  • Other Mobile Property (trailers, recreational vehicles, airplanes, boats, etc.)
  • Other (crops, timber, fences, signs, etc.)

Categories in the National Incident-Based Reporting System

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Under NIBRS, offenses are classified as Group A or Group B offenses. Additionally, offenses can fall into one of three categories: crimes against persons, crimes against property, or crimes against society. These two systems overlap such that Group A offenses can be against persons, property, or society and Group B offenses can also be against persons, property, or society.

Group A (Offenses Known)

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Offense Category Offense Crime Type Reported By
Homicide Murder/Non-Negligent Manslaughter Persons All Agencies
Homicide Negligent Manslaughter Persons All Agencies
Homicide Justifiable Homicide Not a Crime All Agencies
Assault Aggravated Assault Persons All Agencies
Assault Simple Assault Persons All Agencies
Assault Intimidation Persons All Agencies
Sex Offenses Rape Persons All Agencies
Sex Offenses Sodomy1 Persons Federal and Tribal Only
Sex Offenses Sexual Assault with An Object1 Persons Federal and Tribal Only
Sex Offenses Fondling Persons All Agencies
Sex Offenses Incest Persons All Agencies
Sex Offenses Statutory Rape Persons All Agencies
Sex Offenses Failure to Register as a Sex Offender Society All Agencies
Human Trafficking Commercial Sex Acts Persons All Agencies
Human Trafficking Involuntary Servitude Persons All Agencies
Kidnapping/Abduction Kidnapping/Abduction Persons All Agencies
Robbery Robbery Property All Agencies
Burglary/B&E Burglary/B&E Property All Agencies
Larceny/Theft Pocket Picking Property All Agencies
Larceny/Theft Purse Snatching Property All Agencies
Larceny/Theft Shoplifting Property All Agencies
Larceny/Theft Theft from Building Property All Agencies
Larceny/Theft Theft from Coin-Operated Machine or Device Property All Agencies
Larceny/Theft Theft from Motor Vehicle Property All Agencies
Larceny/Theft Theft of Motor Vehicle Parts or Accessories Property All Agencies
Larceny/Theft All Other Larceny Property All Agencies
Motor Vehicle Theft Motor Vehicle Theft Property All Agencies
Arson Arson Property All Agencies
Bribery Bribery Property All Agencies
Counterfeiting/Forgery Counterfeiting/Forgery Property All Agencies
Destruction/Damage/Vandalism of Property Destruction/Damage/Vandalism of Property Property All Agencies
Embezzlement Embezzlement Property All Agencies
Extortion/Blackmail Extortion/Blackmail Property All Agencies
Stolen Property Offenses Stolen Property Offenses Property All Agencies
Fraud False Pretenses/Swindle/Confidence Games Property All Agencies
Fraud Credit Card/Automatic Teller Machine Fraud Property All Agencies
Fraud Impersonation Property All Agencies
Fraud Welfare Fraud Property All Agencies
Fraud Wire Fraud Property All Agencies
Fraud Identity Theft Property All Agencies
Fraud Hacking/Computer Invasion Property All Agencies
Fraud Money Laundering Society All Agencies
Animal Cruelty Animal Cruelty Society All Agencies
Commerce Violations Import Violations Society Federal and Tribal Only
Commerce Violations Export Violations Society Federal and Tribal Only
Commerce Violations Federal Liquor Offenses Society Federal and Tribal Only
Commerce Violations Federal Tobacco Offenses Society Federal and Tribal Only
Commerce Violations Wildlife Trafficking Society Federal and Tribal Only
Drug/Narcotic Violations Drug/Narcotic Violations Society All Agencies
Drug/Narcotic Violations Drug/Narcotic Equip. Violations Society All Agencies
Espionage Espionage Society All Agencies
Fugitive Offenses Harboring Escapee/Concealing from Arrest Society Federal and Tribal Only
Fugitive Offenses Flight to Avoid Prosecution Society Federal and Tribal Only
Fugitive Offenses Flight to Avoid Deportation Society Federal and Tribal Only
Gambling Offenses Betting/Wagering Society All Agencies
Gambling Offenses Operating/Promoting/Assisting Gambling Society All Agencies
Gambling Offenses Gambling Equip. Violations Society All Agencies
Gambling Offenses Sports Tampering Society All Agencies
Immigration Violations Illegal Entry into the United States Society Federal and Tribal Only
Immigration Violations False Citizenship Society Federal and Tribal Only
Immigration Violations Smuggling Aliens Society Federal and Tribal Only
Immigration Violations Re-entry after Deportation Society Federal and Tribal Only
Pornography/Obscene Material Pornography/Obscene Material Society All Agencies
Prostitution Offenses Prostitution Society All Agencies
Prostitution Offenses Assisting or Promoting Prostitution Society All Agencies
Prostitution Offenses Purchasing Prostitution Society All Agencies
Treason Treason Society All Agencies
Weapon Law Violations Weapon Law Violations Society All Agencies
Weapon Law Violations Violation of National Firearm Act of 1934 Society Federal and Tribal Only
Weapon Law Violations Weapons of Mass Destruction Society Federal and Tribal Only
Weapon Law Violations Explosives Society Federal and Tribal Only

1 Federal and tribal law enforcement agencies report sodomy and sexual assault with an object separately from rape. Other law enforcement agencies report offenses of this type under the offense label of rape.

Advisory groups

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The Criminal Justice Information Systems Committees of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and the National Sheriffs' Association (NSA) serve in an advisory capacity to the UCR Program and encourage local police departments and sheriff's departments to participate fully in the program.

In 1988, a Data Providers' Advisory Policy Board was established to provide input for UCR matters. The Board operated until 1993 when it combined with the National Crime Information Center Advisory Policy Board to form a single Advisory Policy Board (APB) to address all issues regarding the FBI's criminal justice information services. In addition, the Association of State UCR Programs (ASUCRP) focuses on UCR issues within individual state law enforcement associations and promotes interest in the UCR Program. These organizations foster widespread and responsible use of UCR statistics and assist data contributors when needed.

Limitations

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The UCR itself warns that it reflects crime reports by police, not later adjudication.[11] Because reporting quality, arrest likelihood, officers per capita, and funding vary by jurisdiction, the data should not be used to compare crime rates or frequencies between reporting agencies.[11]

Comparing arrests, reports and unknown violent crime

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Summary of the Uniform Crime Reporting Program". fbi.gov. 1987-09-30. Retrieved 2012-12-30.
  2. ^ Lawrence Rosen, "The Creation of the Uniform Crime Report", Social Science History 19:2 (Summer 1995):215–238.
  3. ^ a b c United States Department of Justice; Federal Bureau of Investigation (2003-06-19). "Uniform Crime Reports [United States], 1930-1959". Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ a b Crime in the United States 2000. (PDF). Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Justice. Washington, D.C.. Retrieved on 30 March 2008. Archived on 14 April 2010.
  5. ^ a b U.S. Department of Justice; Bureau of Justice Statistics; Federal Bureau of Investigation (1985). Blueprint for the Future of the Uniform Crime Reporting Program: Final Report of the UCR Study (PDF).
  6. ^ U.S. Department of Justice; Federal Bureau of Investigation (August 5, 1990). Crime in the United States: Uniform Crime Reports, 1989 (PDF).{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  7. ^ Christman, Michael A.; Piquero, Alexis R. (2022-10-05). "New and Better Crime Data for the Nation". U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
  8. ^ Federal Bureau of Investigation. "National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)". Retrieved September 17, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ Frequently Asked Questions. Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Justice. Washington, D.C.. Uniform Crime Reports. Retrieved on 2008-03-30.
  10. ^ UCR and NIBRS Participation Archived 2006-04-25 at the Wayback Machine. U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics. Washington, D.C. Retrieved on 2008-03-30.
  11. ^ a b Uniform Crime Reporting Program. UCR Statistics: Their Proper Use (Report). Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Further reading

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