Police Departments Refuse to Give Crime Data to the FBI

(InformingNews.com) – Each quarter the FBI releases national crime statistic trends. But for 2021, the agency isn’t going to publish anything. They haven’t received the required information from local and state law enforcement to put together a report on trends for the whole year.

The Uniform Crime Report uses crime details gathered through the National Incident-Based Reporting System. Law enforcement agencies are under no obligation to use the system or report information. The FBI will only compile and release crime trends in the report if at least 60% of agencies participate. Only about half of all departments reported violent crime data in 2021.

The FBI didn’t explain why agencies around the country failed to turn in data. Speculation is the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic could have played a role. Understaffing issues have been plaguing law enforcement across the nation. However, there is no concrete explanation for the lack of participation.

The missing trend data is concerning because policymakers often use the information to develop laws and assess crime in the country. While the Bureau of Justice Statistics releases the National Crime Victimization Survey, which provides similar information, some say there is too much time between compiling data and publishing the report to make it useful.

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