DOI: 10.3886/icpsr36398
title: Uniform Crime Reporting Program Data: National Incident-Based Reporting System, 2014
title: Archival Version

description: The National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) is a
part of the Uniform Crime Reporting Program (UCR), administered by the
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). In the late 1970s, the law
enforcement community called for a thorough evaluative study of the
UCR with the objective of recommending an expanded and enhanced UCR
program to meet law enforcement needs into the 21st century. The FBI
fully concurred with the need for an updated program to meet
contemporary needs and provided its support, formulating a
comprehensive redesign effort. Following a multiyear study, a
"Blueprint for the Future of the Uniform Crime Reporting Program" was
developed. Using the "Blueprint," and in consultation with local and
state law enforcement executives, the FBI formulated new guidelines
for the Uniform Crime Reports. The National Incident-Based Reporting
System (NIBRS) was implemented to meet these guidelines. NIBRS data
are archived at ICPSR as 11 separate data files per year, which may be
merged by using linkage variables. Prior to 2013 the data were archived and distributed as 13 separate data files, including three separate batch header record files. In 2013 the FBI combined the three batch header files into one file. Consequently, ICPSR instituted new file numbering for the 2013 data. NIBRS data focus on a variety of
aspects of a crime incident. Part 2 (formerly Part 4), Administrative Segment, offers
data on the incident itself (date and time). Each crime incident is
delineated by one administrative segment record. Also provided are
Part 3 (formerly Part 5), Offense Segment (offense type, location, weapon use, and bias
motivation), Part 4 (formerly Part 6), Property Segment (type of property loss, property
description, property value, drug type and quantity), Part 5 (formerly Part 7), Victim
Segment (age, sex, race, ethnicity, and injuries), Part 6 (formerly Part 8), Offender
Segment (age, sex, and race), and Part 7 (formerly Part 9), Arrestee Segment (arrest
date, age, sex, race, and weapon use). The Batch Header Segment (Part 1, formerly Parts
1-3) separates and identifies individual police agencies by
Originating Agency Identifier (ORI). Batch Header information, which
is contained on three records for each ORI, includes agency name,
geographic location, and population of the area. Part 8 (formerly Part 10), Group B
Arrest Report Segment, includes arrestee data for Group B crimes.
Window Segments files (Parts 9-11, formerly Parts 11-13) pertain to incidents for which the
complete Group A Incident Report was not submitted to the FBI. In
general, a Window Segment record will be generated if the incident
occurred prior to January 1 of the previous year or if the incident
occurred prior to when the agency started NIBRS reporting. As with the
UCR, participation in NIBRS is voluntary on the part of law
enforcement agencies. The data are not a representative sample of
crime in the United States.
description: Datasets: 
DS0: Study-Level Files
DS1: Batch Header Segment
DS2: Administrative Segment
DS3: Offense Segment
DS4: Property Segment
DS5: Victim Segment
DS6: Offender Segment
DS7: Arrestee Segment
DS8: Group B Arrest Report Segment
DS9: Window Exceptionally Cleared Segment
DS10: Window Recovered Property Segment
DS11: Window Arrestee Segment
description: Law enforcement agencies in the United States
participating in the National Incident-Based Reporting System. Smallest Geographic Unit: city
description: Starting with the 2012 data, some offense, location, bias motivation, race, and ethnicity codes have been added or modified to include recent Advisory Policy Board (APB) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) policy mandates to the UCR Program related to Human Trafficking, Hate Crime, and Race and Ethnicity information.At the recommendation of the CJIS APB and with the approval of the FBI Director, the FBI UCR Program initiated the collection of rape data under a revised definition
and removed the term "forcible" from the offense name in 2013. The changes bring uniformity to the offense in both the Summary Reporting System (SRS) and the NIBRS by capturing data (1) without regard to gender, (2) including penetration of any bodily orifice by any object or body part, and (3) including offenses where physical force is not involved. As a result of this decision, the program renamed the NIBRS sex offenses - Forcible Rape to Rape, Forcible Sodomy to Sodomy, and Forcible Fondling to Fondling.Prior to the 2013 data, the Batch Header information was released as three segments. Due to the NIBRS data rapidly growing in size, the FBI has removed the B1, B2, and B3 sections. All information in these sections is now contained in a single batch header segment.