Understanding NIBRS: The Victim Segment

Welcome back to another month of NIBRS Explained. So far we’ve started our journey through the data you are collecting for your submission. This month we will be going over the Victim Segment. You may also hear this referred to as the Level 4 segment, and it is appropriately marked with a 4. The Level 4 – Victim Segment provides information about the victim(s) involved in the incident. Up to 10 victims can be collected in this segment for each Incident Submission. You will also see from the data collected in this segment how the data you are submitting for NIBRS can also be used to help determine your Hate Crime, as well as other statistics, without the need for additional submissions.

As always, each line in this segment begins with the segment length, followed by the segment level, which is 4 here. Then we have the Segment Action Type which tells it which action to take for this particular Victim (D for Delete, I for Insert, Etc.). This is followed by the month and year if submission as well as the city indicator. All of this standard information appears at the front of each line of the segment. Here the segment length also helps us easily see if the line contains any LEOKA data required by this submission. In addition to this header type data the following data digs deeper into the Victim information submitted.

Data Elements of the Victim 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 23-Victim Sequence Number

This data element assigns a unique number to each victim within the incident. Furthermore, this number acts as a reference to identify this victim throughout the submission of the incident. This way we have a way to refer back to a specific victim elsewhere in the file.

• Data Element 24-Victim Connected to UCR Offense Code

This data element connects a victim with up to ten Group A offenses. Remember, only report offenses directly related to the victim.

• Data Element 25-Type of Victim

This data element reports the type of victim represented in this segment. The FBI provides nine victim types, but not all apply to all offenses. For example, the "Law Enforcement Officer" victim type only applies to "Murder & Nonnegligent Manslaughter", "Aggravated Assault", "Simple Assault", and "Intimidation".

• Data Element 25A-Type of Officer Activity/Circumstance

This data element indicates the type of activity the officer was engaged in when killed or assaulted in the line of duty. The victim type element must be “Law Enforcement Officer" to use this data element.

• Data Element 25B-Officer Assignment Type

This data element reports the type of assignment the officer was on when killed or assaulted in the line of duty. The victim type element must be “Law Enforcement Officer" to use this data element.

• Data Element 25C-Officer–ORI Other Jurisdiction

This data element is ONLY used to report the ORI of an officer that is from outside the reporting agency's jurisdiction. For officers within the jurisdiction, this data element is unnecessary.

• Data Element 26-Age of Victim

Use this data element to report the victim's age. Age is only reported when the victim type is either an "Individual" or a "Law Enforcement Officer". Remember, age can be reported as none or as a range when age is not obtainable.

• Data Element 27-Sex of Victim

Use this data element to report the victim's sex. Sex is only reported when the victim type is either an "Individual" or a "Law Enforcement Officer". Remember, sex can be reported as none if it can’t be determined.

• Data Element 28-Race of Victim

Use this data element to report the victim's race. Race is only reported when the victim type is either an "Individual" or a "Law Enforcement Officer". Remember, race can be reported as none if it can’t be determined.

• Data Element 29-Ethnicity of Victim

Use this data element to report the victim's ethnicity. Ethnicity is only reported when the victim type is either an "Individual" or a "Law Enforcement Officer". Remember, ethnicity can be reported as none if it can’t be determined.

• Data Element 30-Resident Status of Victim

Use this data element to indicate if the victim was a resident of the reporting agency’s jurisdiction.

• Data Element 31-Aggravated Assault/Homicide Circumstances

This data element describes the circumstances pertaining to homicide and aggravated assault offenses.

• Data Element 32-Additional Justifiable Homicide Circumstances

This data element describes the circumstances pertaining to justifiable homicides.

• Data Element 33-Type Injury

This data element describes the type of injury the victim received for applicable offenses. Indicating the type of injury is only necessary with "Individual" or "Law Enforcement Officer" victim types. The FBI permits the reporting of up to five injury types per victim. Helpful hint, the list of injuries doesn't have gunshot, so to indicate a gunshot, use the injury types of "severe laceration" and "possible internal injuries."

• Data Element 34-Offender Number to be Related

This data element identifies the offender(s) who committed offenses associated with this victim. Offenders, like victims, are provided a unique sequence number. This sequence number is used in this data element to reference applicable offenders. Remember, even the offender sequence number of "00" (offender unknown) still gets reported in this data element. The FBI provides space to report up to ten total offenders.

• Data Element 35-Relationship of Victim to Offender

This data element reports the relationship between the victim and each offender who committed applicable offenses. Applicable offenses are crimes against a person or against property. The FBI provides a list of relationships and a two-character code to report the relationship. Remember, if the offender number in relation is "00," (00 = offender unknown) don't submit a relationship code.

An Example of a Victim Segment Line from a PA Submission File:

01414I062023 KY1130100230000006 00113C I42 FWNR 01SE

Now we’ve covered the information you are submitting in your Level 4 / Victim Segment. Hopefully this makes it a little easier to understand the way your data is organized. Now when you get an error back about an issue with your Victim Segment you have a little better knowledge of how to handle it. Next month we will be back with another segment and more knowledge for you to take with you on your NIBRS journey.