SHR.SupportingStatement.B (Submitted)

B. Statistical Methods

1. Universe and Respondent Selection

The potential respondent universe for SHR includes all LEAs throughout the nation eligible to submit crime statistics via SRS and which experienced a homicide within their jurisdiction. In 2019, the total number of LEAs eligible to submit data to the FBI UCR Program was 18,667. However, only 16,554 agencies submitted data. Of those, nearly half (8,054) reported 1-12 months of crime statistics via SRS. The remaining 1,400 LEAs eligible to submit data under SRS did not report any data to the FBI UCR Program. The table below shows the number of LEAs eligible to submit data via SRS and the number of months submitted.

Number of Agencies by Number of Months of Data Submitted, 2019
Number of Months	Number of Agencies
0 months	1,400
1 month	68
2 months	54
3 months	54
4 months	78
5 months	102
6 months	140
7 months	175
8 months	336
9 months	172
10 months	240
11 months	844
12 months	5,791
Total	9,454

Of the 8,054 agencies voluntarily reporting SRS data to the FBI UCR Program in 2019, nearly 72 percent (5,791) submitted 12 months of information. The remaining participating agencies (2,263) submitted 1-11 months of data.

LEAs consist of federal, state, local, and tribal agencies serving all population group sizes having diverse attributes. The areas served include various characteristics which may impact crime, such as population density and degree of urbanization; various compositions of population, particularly youth concentration; population movement with respect to residents’ mobility, commuting patterns, and transient factors; diverse economic conditions including median income, poverty level, and job availability; areas with different modes of transportation and highway systems; various cultural factors and educational, recreational, and religious characteristics; family conditions with respect to divorce and family cohesiveness; climate; effective strength of law enforcement; policies of other components of the criminal justice system; citizens’ attitudes toward crime; and crime reporting practices of the citizenry. The table below shows the number of participating NIBRS agencies and population covered by population group size.

Number of Agencies and Population Covered by Group Size, 2019
	Population Group	Number of Agencies	Population Covered
Cities	Group I (250,000 inhabitants and more)	47	39,362,500
	Group II (100,000 to 249,999 inhabitants)	123	18,083,567
	Group III (50,000 to 99,999 inhabitants)	283	19,745,765
	Group IV (25,000 to 49,999 inhabitants)	477	16,452,455
	Group V (10,000 to 24,999 inhabitants)	946	15,108,191
	Group VI (Less than 10,000 inhabitants)1,2	4,177	12,045,764
Counties	Group VIII (Nonmetropolitan County)2	916	9,019,470
	Group IX (Metropolitan County)2	1,085	41,865,773
	Total	8,054	171,683,485
1 Includes universities and colleges to which no population is attributed. 2 Includes state police to which no population is attributed.

2. Procedures for Collecting Information

Since police records are run by calendar month, the law enforcement community requests the collection of forms on a monthly basis. Most SHR data are submitted to the FBI UCR Program by the state UCR program participants on a monthly basis. Upon approval, agencies can submit their data at intervals that minimize the burden to them. Some agencies submit their data quarterly, semiannually, or annually. Occasionally, situations arise when special circumstances may cause an agency to request an extension which the FBI UCR Program has the authority to grant.

The FBI UCR Program has established various time frames and deadlines for acquiring the monthly data. The FBI prefers to receive the monthly submissions by the seventh day of each month. Annual deadlines are designated in order to assess receipt of monthly submissions.

As the SHR form is intended to collect all reported supplementary homicide incident data from LEAs throughout the nation, sampling methodologies are not used. Past SHR datasets do not include national or subnational estimates because the FBI UCR Program does not have the imputation procedures defined for SHR data.

The UCR Technical Refresh manages the acquisition, development, and integration of new and improved data collection systems which will have an impact on federal, state, local, and tribal LEAs participating in the FBI UCR Program. The UCR Technical Refresh aims to improve the accuracy and timeliness of the crime data collection and delivery process. In addition, the project will provide enhanced data management tools for greater efficiency in data collection, processing, and maintenance of crime data. This project will provide automated processes, tailored reports on an as-needed basis, and streamline publication processes which will give users more timely access to the data.

Although the FBI makes an effort through its editing procedures, training practices, and correspondence to ensure the reliability of the data received, the receipt of accurate statistics hedges on adherence to the established standards of reporting at the agency level. The FBI relies on the integrity of the data from contributors and results obtained from Quality Assurance Reviews conducted by the CJIS Audit Unit staff. The results of the audits are not used to adjust crime data, but to educate reporting agencies on compliance with FBI UCR Program guidelines.

3. Methods to Maximize Response

Of the 9,454 LEAs eligible to report via SRS and provide SHR data, 61.3 percent submitted 12 months of data to the FBI UCR Program and 23.9 percent reported 1-11 months of information in 2019. The remaining 14.8 percent of those eligible LEAs did not submit any data. SHR data are available within NIBRS and similar response rates are expected by those agencies currently reporting under SRS as they transition to NIBRS. The FBI UCR Program actively liaisons with national LEAs to encourage participation in UCR data collections.

One mission of the FBI UCR Program is to acquire SHR data, establish collection guidelines, and publish the data. The FBI UCR Program staff have a strong understanding of contextual challenges agencies face in reporting valid and reliable data and regularly work to overcome no-response issues when such challenges occur. Through frequent liaisons with state UCR programs and individual LEAs, the FBI UCR Program staff assist agencies with maximizing response rates and strive to collect 12 months of data from all LEAs. To encourage data reporting, lists of missing reports are sent to state UCR programs and individual LEAS semiannually, after which follow-up contact is made to those agencies to further encourage the submission of missing data.

4. Testing of Procedures

The FBI has conducted this information collection since 1940 with high rates of response and expects the trend to continue or improve as SRS LEAs transition to NIBRS. The FBI UCR Program receives guidance for implementing or making changes to a data collection from the CJIS Advisory Policy Board (APB). The FBI CJIS advisory process was developed to obtain user community advice and guidance on the development and operation of all CJIS Division programs. The philosophy underlying the advisory process is one of shared management, i.e., the FBI; federal, state, local, and tribal data providers; and system users share responsibility for the operation and management of all systems administered by the FBI to benefit the criminal justice community.

Liaison with the International Association of Chiefs of Police, National Sheriffs’ Association, and CJIS APB has been effective in the effort to collect SHR data and to design a collection form which provides meaningful information to all those concerned. There have not been any changes to the current SHR form which need to be tested. No comments or problems have been reported by the CJIS APB or the Association of State UCR Programs, which conduct meetings frequently throughout each year.

The FBI UCR Program collects data on the offense of negligent manslaughter, but currently does not publish the information because it is not a Part I crime. However, in 2019, the FBI began collecting vehicular negligent manslaughter data in NIBRS. The statistics will be published in the 2019 edition of NIBRS which will be released in December 2020. All justifiable homicide data will be captured under the National Use-of-Force Data Collection.

5. Contacts for Statistical Aspects and Data Collection

Trudy L. Ford

Global Law Enforcement Support Section (GLESS) Chief

tlford@fbi.gov

304-625-3690

Michael J. McKeown

GLESS Assistant Section Chief

mjmckeown@fbi.gov 

304-625-2966 
 
Amy C. Blasher 

Crime Statistics Management Unit (CSMU) Chief 

acblasher@fbi.gov 

304-625-4840 

 

Cynthia Barnett-Ryan 

Statistician, CSMU 

cbarnett-ryan@fbi.gov 

304-625-3576 

 

Malissa C. Vavra

Statistician, CSMU

mcvavra@fbi.gov

304-625-3010

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