Ways to Improve the Uniform Crime Reports (UCR)
Every year, the FBI consolidates information about arrests throughout the nation and publishes its findings as the Uniform Crime Reports (UCR). Law enforcement agencies in the U.S. voluntarily submit their arrest data to the FBI on the following crimes: murder and non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft and arson. These offenses are more serious and are more easily reported than other crimes. The UCR helps criminologists map criminal trends throughout the years. Even though the UCR is an invaluable tool for law enforcement agencies, the Uniform Crime Reports do have limitations that can be improved upon.
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Remove the Hierarchy Rule
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Several offenses often take place at the same time. For example, if a woman is raped and murdered during a burglary, the homicide is reported and not the other two crimes. The rule is that only one crime can be reported, the most serious one, for each arrest. Reporting all offenses can help improve the UCR by giving data law enforcement agents a better idea of the criminal trends. Doing away with the hierarchy rule can also allow police to see what combinations of crimes occur more frequently.
Mandate Reporting
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According to the FBI's website, almost 17,000 law enforcement groups partake in the voluntary reporting of arrest data. There are several thousand more boroughs who do not report. Though the current reports give a clear picture of criminal trends, it is not exact. Requiring all law agencies to report data can help bridge the gap.
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Allow Anonymous Reporting of Crimes
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Often, victims will not report a crime. They either were partaking in the act, and did not want to get caught, or they were a victim of a crime that inflicts a psychological pain and fear, such as rape. Because of this, certain crimes can go under-reported, and law agencies may believe an area is safer than it really is. Allowing for anonymous reporting, whether through a hotline or the Internet, may help officials collect more reliable data.
Prevent Overlapping Jurisdictions
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Sometimes, a crime can involve two or more jurisdictions, or maybe the jurisdiction overlaps another one. When this happens, a crime may be reported more than once. A rule should be set so that only one of the agencies reports the arrest.
Narrow the Age Brackets
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The UCR reports arrests based on race, age and other identifying factors. However, it uses a broad age-range when reporting. For example, an age range may include 18 to 25 year olds. Criminal statistics show that 18 year olds are more likely to commit crime than a 25 year old. It would be unfair to assume that the 25 year olds commit as much crime as the younger people in the range. Narrowing the gap would reflect this age range more realistically.
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