If you witnessed or experienced a crime, the first step is to get to safety. Call 911 and try to stay calm and provide the dispatcher with as much information about the incident as possible. Including the victim, perpetrator(s), and what happened can help police respond quickly and prevent the destruction of evidence.
A well-written narrative is a critical part of the case, but writing reports can also be time consuming and frustrating for understaffed agencies. Using the right tools can help officers spend less time writing and more on what they do best: fighting crime.
The majority of law enforcement agencies in New York State use the Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) system to collect and report data about crime in their jurisdictions. The UCR program has been collecting and publishing national crime statistics since 1930. In 2020, the UCR program is transitioning from its traditional Summary Reporting System (SRS) to the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS).
NIBRS includes all offenses in Group A. Crimes in Group A are those that affect the welfare of others or the safety of society. These include murder, robbery, arson, burglary, and larceny/theft.
Under the new reporting standard, law enforcement agencies are asked to submit an incident report for every crime in Group A regardless of whether or not an arrest was made. This will enable DCJS to publish accurate and complete crime analyses on eJusticeNY each month. In addition, agencies are working diligently to improve the timeliness of their NIBRS submissions so that crime trends can be more accurately reported to the public.