Santa Monica Police Department Announces Transition to the National Incident Based Reporting System [NIBRS]
July 18, 2024 1:07 PM
by Erika Aklufi
Santa Monica, CA – In 2015, the Criminal Justice Information
Services Division Advisory Policy Board (APB) approved the recommendation to
move from the traditional Summary Reporting System (SRS), also known as Uniform
Crime Reporting (UCR), used to track crimes within an area, to the National
Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS).
Following our acquisition and implementation of an updated
Computer-Aided Dispatch System (CAD) and a Records Management System (RMS), the
Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) has now switched over from the SRS to
NIBRS. With this new system, the SMPD will be able to collect more detailed
crime data. Using the NIBRS data, SMPD will have the ability to
identify patterns and trends while also providing a more comprehensive overview
of crime statistics within the city. Our goal remains the same: increase the
availability of information internally and externally and facilitate informed
conversations with the community regarding crime prevention and social issues.
Overall, NIBRS reporting will have a cumulative positive impact on our
department’s ability to identify crime patterns and better address quality of
life concerns.
We will run both the SRS and NIBRS methods of reporting for side-by-side
comparisons for at least one year.
The Benefits of NIBRS:
·
NIBRS provides greater specificity in
reporting offenses. Unlike SRS, NIBRS takes into account all of the offenses
within an incident. It also looks at
many more offenses than the traditional SRS does.
·
NIBRS collects more detailed
information, including incident date and time, whether reported offenses
were attempted or completed, expanded victim types, relationships of victims to
offenders and offenses, demographic details, location data, property
descriptions, drug types and quantities, the offender’s suspected use of drugs
or alcohol, the involvement of gang activity, and whether a computer was used
in the commission of the crime.
·
NIBRS can provide context to specific
crime problems such as drug/narcotics and sex offenses, as well as issues
like animal cruelty, identity theft, and computer hacking.
·
NIBRS provides greater analytic
flexibility. Through NIBRS, data users can see many more facets of
crime, as well as relationships and connections among these facets, than SRS
provides.
https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/more-fbi-services-and-information/ucr/nibrs
What the NIBRS transition means to the
Santa Monica Police Department:
·
More comprehensive data collection
·
More transparent crime reporting
·
More accessibility to crime data
·
Crime data modernization
By implementing NIBRS data collection, the Santa Monica Police
Department will gain increased insight into where crimes take place, what form
it takes, and characteristics of victims and perpetrators. This information can be used to smartly
deploy the resources we have and advocate for resources we need to address
crime. This transition will also facilitate identifying common
crime trends among similar jurisdictions, increasing opportunities for working
with other agencies to develop proactive strategies for addressing issues. Additionally, the increased clarity in crime
reporting that NIBRS offers will allow our community more access and
information when voicing their needs, concerns, and expectations to city
leaders.
Implementing NIBRS is a complex undertaking that may create some
temporary black outs and delays in reporting.
We ask for our community’s understanding as we work through the process,
knowing that the result will be a huge benefit to all in the long run. Future communications will include when the full transition will
be complete along with how these changes will continue to positively impact the
community we serve.
Authored By
Erika Aklufi
Lieutenant