Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Common Reporting Errors

Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Common Reporting Errors Sharon K. Huffman Crime Statistics Management Unit (CSMU) Federal Bureau of Investigation CJIS Division 304 625-3626 Sharon.huffman@ic.fbi.gov

CJIS Division – Division 1 CJIS Division 1000 Custer Hollow Road Clarksburg, WV 26306 FBI Headquarters Washington, D.C.

Definition of Error • An error is any data that the FBI UCR’s computer finds and rejects during the processing of a submission. Errors keep UCR data from being copied to the master file, therefore, whenever reports such as Return A record cards are run, data with errors are missing.

NIBRS Error Data Set (EDS) • Your EDS is sent to you electronically after each submission • All errors must be fixed and resubmitted • Incidents with unresolved errors do not write to the UCR master file • crime counts are not accurate for publication • the number of offenses housed by the FBI do not match those that the state has on file

The Four Most Common NIBRS Errors • ERROR 72 - Recovered property must also be submitted as stolen • ERROR 656 - This arrestee exceeded the number of offenders on the group ‘a’ incident • ERROR 351 – Zero property value is not allowed • ERROR 558 – For exceptional clearances at least one offender must have all known values

Error Number 72 Recovered property must first be reported stolen Your agency cannot report recovered property that was stolen from another jurisdiction.

Error Number 656 This arrestee exceeded the number of offenders on the group “A” incident report If the number of offenders was unknown, or not reported accurately when the incident was originally reported, the incident needs to be adjusted and resubmitted.

Error Number 351 Zero property values are not allowed for most stolen property Use $1 for unknown property values Zero values must be entered for stolen credit cards and debit cards Zero values are optional for ‘other’ property

Error Number 558 At least one offender must have all known values When an incident is cleared exceptionally (data element 4 contains an a through e), one offender must have all known values

NIBRS Tech Specs

SRS Homicide Errors • The number of homicides on the Return A does not match the number of victims on the Supplementary Homicide Report • The Supplementary Homicide Report contains incorrect situation and/or circumstance codes

SRS Homicide Errors • The relationship of offender to victim is reported instead of the victim to offender • Deaths due to traffic accidents are reported as manslaughter by negligence

SRS Supplement to Return A Errors • The number of offenses on the Supplement to the Return A and actual offenses on the Return A do not match • The grand total on the first and second sections of the Supplement do not match

SRS Tech Specs

SRS Supplement to Return A errors • The larceny theft breakdowns on the Property Stolen by Classification section of the Supplement do not equal Please try to provide dollar values for property stolen. On-line resources can help you to find dollar amounts for some items. Kelly Blue Book can be used to find values for motor vehicles.

SRS LEOKA Report Errors • The LEOKA report is missing information – most often the personal injury section • The number of officers assaulted under type of assignment and type of weapon don’t match

SRS Hate Crime Report Errors • If the victim type is anything other than individual (building, school, church,) do not use the individual count, just the total victim types. In a flat file these three spaces should be blanks, not zeroes.

SRS Cargo Theft Report Errors • What cargo theft is – Four men wearing ski masks conducted an armed robbery at a trucking facility. Two men held the guards at gunpoint while the other two men drove off a truck filled with cargo. • What cargo theft is not – During the delivery of a refrigerator for installation in an individual’s home, the driver was carjacked while stopped at a traffic light. This is a robbery, not a cargo theft.

SRS Human Trafficking Report Errors • New initiative • Not enough data yet to determine what the common errors are

Questions? • Alicia Wetzel – 304 625-3513 • Pamela Fidler – 304 625-2968 • Sharon Huffman – 304 625-3626 • Your State POC At The FBI

UCR Program Contacts

Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Common Reporting Errors