Are you ready to make the NIBRS switch by 2021?
Making the switch to the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. NIBRS is meant to create a more comprehensive data collection and standardize crime data reporting.
But first, what is NIBRS?
NIBRS is a data collection method, part of the Universal Crime Reporting (UCR) program. Previously, law enforcement agencies used the Summary Reporting System (SRS) data collection method of UCR.
As an attempt to standardize crime data, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has asked all law enforcement agencies to make the switch from the SRS to exclusively NIBRS data collection by January 1, 2021.
Agencies that neglect the transition could risk losing government funding.
How is NIBRS different?
NIBRS has always been a part of the UCR program, which consists of four data collections methods: NIBRS, SRS, the Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) Program, and the Hate Crime Statistics Program.
Unlike UCR’s traditional SRS, NIBRS digs deeper, providing circumstances and context for crimes. NIBRS captures detailed information like incident of individual crime as well as separate offenses within the same incident. For example, victim information, known offenders, relationships between victims and offenders, arrestees, property involved in crimes, location, time of day, and when incident is cleared.
The change to exclusive NIBRS is due to the necessity to create standards in law enforcement and quantify crime.
When used effectively, NIBRS identifies when and where a crime takes place, what form it takes, and the perpetrators. NIBRS reporting will help law enforcement and communities better define things they need to fight crime, and use available resources appropriately.
NIBRS makes law enforcement records management more efficient.
NIBRS can:
Provide greater specificity in reporting offenses
Collect detailed information
Help give context to specific crime problems
Provide analytic flexibility
According to the FBI website, only 43 percent of U.S. law enforcement agencies currently submit data via NIBRS.
The national transition to NIBRS will further support the mission of the FBI’s UCR program to generate reliable information for use in law enforcement administration, operation, and management.
Wondering how to make the switch?
The first step is to make sure your records management software is NIBRS compliant. If not, are they planning to become NIBRS compliant before the transition takes place?
Throughout the last twenty years, In-System Systems has responded to law enforcement agency needs. As a result, we implemented NIBRS reporting over ten years ago. Since then, In-Synch RMS has consistently provided NIBRS compliant state and federal reporting for law enforcement agencies throughout the United States.
In-Synch Systems specializes in the development and deployment of records management systems technology for local, regional, and state law enforcement agencies. The In-Synch RMS offers in-depth reporting and investigative tools, allowing agencies to effectively solve crimes, increase public visibility, and reduce time (and cost) associated with paper reporting and storage. In-Synch RMS enables you to work in fixed and mobile environments, even without a network connection.
For more information about In-Synch RMS, contact us today!
