A crime report serves as the catalyst for the initiation of investigations within the criminal justice system. It initiates an array of investigative steps that set the wheels of justice in motion, underscoring its pivotal role in establishing a symbiotic relationship between law enforcement and communities. This section elucidates the crime reporting process, its societal implications and procedures for ensuring a robust, open exchange of information.
While most people abide by the law, some crimes fascinate the public because they challenge our sense of morality or because they give us an insight into what it might be like to break the law. As such, news organizations have to be judicious in selecting the crimes that they report, aiming for stories that are new, unusual, interesting and significant.
Most police departments nationwide use the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program to collect statistical data on offenses committed and arrests made by law enforcement agencies. The program was renamed the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) in 2021.
In addition to tallying the number of crimes reported, the program provides data on the type of crime, the victim and the suspect. Agencies also submit details about crimes that fall under the categories of hate crimes and gang-related violence. These reports include information on victims’ race and ethnicity and the descriptions of any suspects who were not arrested. In addition, these reports contain statistics on the number of homicides and shooting incidents. In many states, the NIBRS data collection system is supplemented with additional information for homicide and shooting incidents, including the date of the incident and the suspect’s name, age, race and sex.
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