Understanding NIBRS: The Property Segment

The next segment we will dive into in our NIBRS journey is the Property Segment. Coming in 3rd it's also called the Level 3 Segment. As you may have guessed by the name it provides information about the type, value, and (for drugs and narcotics seized in drug cases) quantity of property involved in the incident.

Data Elements of the Property Segment

The following data elements make up the Property Segment:

• Data Element 1 – ORI

  • The FBI provides nine characters to submit your agency's NCIC provided ORI number. Since an ORI uniquely identifies your agency within NIBRS it is highly recommended to verify its accuracy before you begin submitting. For most agencies the ORI is a setting in your RMS.

• Data Element 2 – Incident Number

  • The incident number uniquely identifies a Group A incident report in NIBRS. An incident number is also referred to as a case number. Incident numbers must be unique for each incident and may only contain numbers, capital letters, or a hyphen. Except for a hyphen, special and blank characters are not permitted within an incident number.

• Data Element 14-Type Property Loss/Etc.

  • Use this data element to submit the type of property loss within the case. The FBI provides eight different property losses to choose from (ex: stolen, recovered, counterfeit, etc). Agencies should report separate property information for each type of loss in the incident when the case has the following offenses: Kidnapping/Abduction, Crimes Against Property, Drug/Narcotic Offenses, and Gambling Offenses. The type of loss to select depends on the offense and whether that offense is marked attempted/completed. With completed offenses, the FBI expects specific losses that change depending on the offense. On the other hand, with attempted offenses, you will only ever use the "NONE" or "UNKNOWN" loss codes. Be careful with the loss codes of "STOLEN" and "RECOVERED" because whether they get reported is contingent on the jurisdiction of the offense. Only property stolen within your jurisdiction gets reported. With recovered property, only the jurisdiction that reported the property stolen reports it as recovered.

• Data Element 15-Property Description

  • This data element identifies the type of property associated with the loss codes described above. Each loss code reported in the case can have up to ten different property descriptions. When selecting a property description, give extra time to choose the most applicable choice considering the circumstances surrounding the offense and the use of the property during that offense.

• Data Element 16-Value of Property

  • Use this data element to report the total whole-dollar loss value. A loss value is sent for each applicable loss code/property description combination in the case. Remember, some property descriptions require a zero value (ex: nonnegotiable instruments), and at other times a value might not be known. If a property value can't be determined, use a value of one dollar to indicate the value is unknown. With a dollar equaling unknown, it is best to use a value of two dollars as the lowest known reportable value for any property item.

• Data Element 17-Date Recovered

  • This data element reports the recovery date for the property. Remember, only the agency which reports the property stolen should report the recovery.

• Data Element 18-Number of Stolen Motor Vehicles

  • This data element reports the total number of vehicles stolen as part of a motor vehicle theft (NIBRS Code 240). The NIBRS code 240 is the only applicable offense for this data element. All other offenses do not apply to the count in this data element.

• Data Element 19-Number of Recovered Motor Vehicles

  • This data element reports the total number of vehicles recovered as a part of a motor vehicle theft (NIBRS Code 240). The NIBRS code 240 is the only applicable offense for this data element. All other offenses do not apply to the count in this data element.

• Data Element 20-Suspected Drug Type

  • The FBI provides this data element to report up to three types of drugs seized in a drug possession case. Only use this data element when the property is linked to an offense of drug possession, NIBRS code 35A. In addition to the type of offense, this data element is also conditional on the property loss code used. In most cases, the loss code to use is "SEIZED" but the loss code of "NONE" can also be used. Agencies would use "NONE" if the offender flushed the drugs down a toilet, swallowed them, or the agency used them as part of an undercover investigation. If the case has more than three types of drugs, the LEA must report a type of "X=Over 3 Drug Types" for the third drug. This will indicate to the FBI that the case contained more than three types of drugs. In this scenario, it is important to report the two most important drugs in the first and second slots for reportable drugs in the case. The last item of caution with this data element is when the drugs are sent to a laboratory for analysis and no response has been received. In this scenario, a drug type of "U=Unknown Drug" must be sent until results from the laboratory are received.

• Data Element 21-Estimated Drug Quantity

  • This data element reports the quantity of drugs/narcotics seized in a drug possession case. Only use this data element when the FBI loss code is "SEIZED" and the offense is drug possession, NIBRS code 35A. If the substance gets sent to a laboratory for analysis, a quantity of one is reported initially, but the confirmed quantity is later reported once the response arrives. Lastly, if the case contains more than three types of drugs, report a blank quantity for the third drug with the suspected type of "X".

• Data Element 22-Type Drug Measurement

  • This data element reports the type of measurement used to quantify the drugs/narcotics seized in a drug case. Only use this data element when the FBI loss code is "SEIZED" and the offense is drug possession, NIBRS code 35A. Remember, if the substance gets sent to a laboratory for analysis and a response has not been received, the "XX = Not Reported" value must be used until an official measurement is provided. Lastly, if the case contains more than three types of drugs, report a blank measurement for the third drug with the suspected type of "X".