Created to improve the quantity and quality of crime data collected by law enforcement, the FBI UCR Program’s National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) captures more detailed information for each single crime occurrence than the traditional Summary Reporting System (SRS). When used to its full potential at the agency level, the NIBRS identifies with precision when and where crime takes place, what form it takes, and the characteristics of its victims and perpetrators. As more law enforcement agencies (LEAs) submit their crime data via the NIBRS, they—along with legislators, municipal planners and administrators, academicians, researchers, and the general public—will be better able to assess the scope of the nation’s crime problem.
