NCS-X: Florida NIBRS Implementation Plan

The National Crime Statistics Exchange (NCS-X) is an effort to expand the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) into a nationally representative system of incident-based crime statistics. BJS and the FBI are implementing NCS-X with the support of other Department of Justice agencies, including the Office for Victims of Crime. The goal of NCS-X is to enroll a sample of 400 scientifically selected law enforcement agencies to submit data to NIBRS; when these 400 new NIBRS-reporting agencies are combined with the more than 6,300 agencies that reported to NIBRS as of 2013, the nation will have a nationally representative system of incident-based crime statistics drawn from the operational data systems of local police departments. These incident-based data will draw upon the attributes and circumstances of criminal incidents and allow for more detailed and transparent descriptions of crime in communities.

The current mechanism by which local law enforcement (LE) agencies report data to the FBI’s NIBRS, in general, is for local LE agencies to submit data to their state UCR reporting program, and then for the state UCR program to report those data to the FBI. While the FBI does accept NIBRS data directly from a small number of law enforcement agencies, the highly preferred route of reporting is through the state UCR program.

Funding from 2015 National Crime Statistics Exchange (NCS-X) Implementation Assistance Program will help states to develop a comprehensive plan to expand their current capacity to report incident-based crime data to the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) or if the state has no NIBRS reporting, to plan how the state will create a state NIBRS program. The plan to transition local agencies to NIBRS reporting requires enhancing the “state pipeline” in order to ensure that each state’s Uniform Crime Reporting program is capable of receiving and processing local incident-based crime data.

FDLE will use funds from this solicitation to procure a team of contractors with the necessary expertise and skills to develop a clear and detailed plan for the requirements of a state system that could regularly receive and process Florida’s version of the NIBRS data (to be called FIBRS). Currently, Florida is a Summary only state with no NIBRS reporting capability at all. The grant activities will produce a blueprint for standing up a NIBRS certified crime-reporting program at the state level.

This will include a cost-benefit analysis, a feasibility study, and a needs assessment, each of which are necessary for any legislative budget requests that would be required for state funding (in full or in part) for implementing and maintaining an incident-based reporting system in Florida. Technical, staffing, and system requirements for implementation will be detailed along with a proposed implementation schedule and a plan for demonstrating success of the new system. This will also include an assessment of the current status of the local and state LEAs within Florida systems and their ability to potentially submit NIBRS data.

Note: This project contains a research and/or development component, as defined in applicable law. (CA/NCF)

The National Crime Statistics Exchange (NCS-X) is an effort to expand the FBIs National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) into a nationally representative system of incident-based crime statistics. BJS and the FBI are implementing NCS-X with the support of other Department of Justice agencies, including the Office for Victims of Crime. The goal of NCS-X is to enroll a sample of 400 scientifically selected law enforcement agencies to submit data to NIBRS; when these 400 new NIBRS-reporting agencies are combined with the more than 6,300 agencies that reported to NIBRS as of 2013, the nation will have a nationally representative system of incident-based crime statistics drawn from the operational data systems of local police departments. These incident-based data will draw upon the attributes and circumstances of criminal incidents and allow for more detailed and transparent descriptions of crime in communities. The current mechanism by which local law enforcement (LE) agencies report data to the FBIs NIBRS, in general, is for local LE agencies to submit data to their state UCR reporting program, and then for the state UCR program to report those data to the FBI. While the FBI does accept NIBRS data directly from a small number of law enforcement agencies, the highly preferred route of reporting is through the state UCR program. Funding from 2015 National Crime Statistics Exchange (NCS-X) Implementation Assistance Program will help states to develop a comprehensive plan to expand their current capacity to report incident-based crime data to the FBIs National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) or if the state has no NIBRS reporting, to plan how the state will create a state NIBRS program. The plan to transition local agencies to NIBRS reporting requires enhancing the state pipeline in order to ensure that each states Uniform Crime Reporting program is capable of receiving and processing local incident-based crime data. FDLE will use funds from this solicitation to procure a team of contractors with the necessary expertise and skills to develop a clear and detailed plan for the requirements of a state system that could regularly receive and process Floridas version of the NIBRS data (to be called FIBRS). Currently, Florida is a Summary only state with no NIBRS reporting capability at all. The grant activities will produce a blueprint for standing up a NIBRS certified crime-reporting program at the state level. This will include a cost-benefit analysis, a feasibility study, and a needs assessment, each of which are necessary for any legislative budget requests that would be required for state funding (in full or in part) for implementing and maintaining an incident-based reporting system in Florida. Technical, staffing, and system requirements for implementation will be detailed along with a proposed implementation schedule and a plan for demonstrating success of the new system. This will also include an assessment of the current status of the local and state LEAs within Florida systems and their ability to potentially submit NIBRS data. Note: This project contains a research and/or development component, as defined in applicable law. (CA/NCF)