SpotCrime - The Public's Crime Map

Should you use year old economic data to determine the current economic stability or the unemployment rate? Would you wait a year after receiving medical information to make a decision on how to proceed with a potentially life threatening procedure? Do sports teams only look at statistics at the end of the season? No. So, why do we happily wait a year for access and the ability to analyze crime rates with UCR (Unifrom Crime Reporting) and NIBRS (National Incident Based Reporting System) reporting? Although well intentioned, it is our belief that UCR and NIBRS should not be data communities ask for and utilize when trying to figure how to assess crime in their neighborhood.  *Please note we are not arguing for cessation of UCR and NIBRS. If these reports have been around for so long, then they must be useful. Right? UCR and NIBRS Fall Short Timeliness: One of the problems with UCR and NIBRS reporting from the community perspective is timeliness. The reports are only

When it comes to reporting on crime data to the FBI, most police departments use one of two ways of reporting - UCR or NIBRS . UCR (Uniform Crime Reports) , established in 1929 by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, is a nationwide program that law enforcement agencies across the country voluntarily report data on crimes that occur in their jurisdiction to the FBI. The program was created with the objective to generate reliable, comparable information for law enforcement administration, operations, and management. Each month, the participating agency reports the number of known index crimes, number of crime cases cleared, and crimes reported to the police in their jurisdiction to the FBI.  There are Part I and Part II crimes reported as well as two crime categories - Crimes Against Persons and Crimes Against Property. Yearly reports are published by the FBI on their website. Part I crimes, also known as Index crimes collectively, are split into two categories - vio