TAMPA, Fla. (CSU) — It often comes down to calculating the data when it comes to determining how safe a city or area is. While it may appear simple to just count the number of murders or robberies, there is a system in place to arrange such information.
Florida law enforcement agencies may face some issues as a result of a system overhaul that has cost about $33 million so far. Other law enforcement agencies in the United States must also spend to modernizing their systems and pay attention to more than just numbers. The cost of cleaner, more detailed crime statistics in Florida is now 32 million dollars and rising.
The level of detail in the reporting is at the heart of it. The FBI is in charge of the Uniform Crime Reporting system. The Summary Reporting System provides quarterly crime statistics. However, they are lacking in information and complexity. If someone is killed during a robbery in SRS, the statistics simply state that they were killed.
Now, law enforcement agencies are beginning to migrate to a new FBI system known as NIBRS, or the National Incident-Based Reporting System, in which monthly reports include all crimes committed during an incident, not just the most serious.
According to the FDLE, the previous method organized crime data into seven categories. There are 66 categories in the NIBRS, as well as various subcategories.
However, implementing that system may provide some technological and budgetary challenges, according to Phillip Suber, Chief of the FDLE’s Criminal Justice Analytics Bureau.
“They are confronted with a variety of financial and technological barriers. So, while we recognize the challenges, we are optimistic and pleased with the change so far,” Suber added.
According to a representative for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the state has granted $1.1 million in state-funded grants to 14 agencies, with more money on the way.
The reporting of data for these crime statistics is voluntary, which means that agencies must opt-in to the programs. While some Florida agencies continue to use UCR, others have begun to move to NIBRS.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is attempting to adapt to the new national system and has developed a state-level counterpart. The Florida Incident-Based Reporting System (FIBRS) is the name of the system.
Until now, the shift has been gradual, with only a few Florida agencies adopting the new system at a time. The Tampa Police Department is transitioning to a newer, more thorough software right now.
According to a TPD representative, the department is unable to pull numbers that suit the UCR system as a result of the shift. Therefore data will be delayed for the time being.
“TPD can get raw first-quarter results that aren’t NIBRS or UCR compliant. According to TPD, “when NIBRS data get up and running, they will be different than what we tell you.”
Although the state version is still being developed, officials from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said they are still taking normal data while in their “test environment.” The final step is for the FDLE’s FIBRS to be certified by NIBRS. Once the state has received federal certification, it will be allowed to use both old and new data, ensuring that there will be no reporting gaps.
“We’ve been working with our local law enforcement partners to make sure they’re aware of the change and how it affects them so they can start reporting it as soon as possible,” Suber said. “We recognize that making this change has many challenges, particularly for local authorities.”
More information on criminals, their victims, and the “totality of the offense that happened” during each occurrence will be available in the FIBRS reporting system in the future.
According to Suber, the FDLE is still accepting data the old way until municipal law enforcement agencies convert to the new reporting system. The data, he said, will benefit law enforcement in improving their policing techniques as well as training.
Data regarding the use of force by Florida’s law enforcement agencies is contained in FIBRS. The first module of FIBRS was released on September 1, 2020, and it was designed to collect data on the use of force in particular. After then, the program was expanded to incorporate UCR data, hate crimes, cargo theft, human trafficking, and law enforcement personnel.
With the exception of the usage of force data, data input remains voluntary. Beginning July 1, 2022, a statute approved in the 2021 Florida legislative session mandates the use of force statistics to be provided to the FDLE.
FIBRS, according to the FDLE, isn’t meant to take the place of annual data submissions that summarize crime across the state. FDLE presently receives data on the use of force from 95 police agencies, 30 sheriff’s offices, and three statewide law enforcement agencies. Approximately half of all state law enforcement agencies are already voluntarily sharing use of force data, according to the state.
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