January 8, 2018

DPD Announces Upcoming Transition to NIBRS Reporting System

In 2015, the Criminal Justice Information Services Division Advisory Policy Board (APB) approved the recommendation to move from the traditional Summary Reporting System and replace it with the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) by January 1, 2021. The Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program’s transition from summary to incident-based data will establish NIBRS as the national standard for crime reporting.

The Dallas Police Department is proud to announce their upcoming transition to NIBRS reporting in early 2018. 

Once NIBRS certified, the Dallas Police Department will be the largest agency in the state of Texas submitting NIBRS data.

Using the NIBRS data, the Dallas Police Department can identify patterns and trends and have a more comprehensive overview of crime statistics within the city.  This new way of data collection will serve a two-fold purpose.  First, NIBRS reporting will help the Dallas Police Department prevent crime and have more informed conversations with the community on crime reduction.  Secondly, NIBRS reporting will allow the Dallas Police Department to present a more transparent overview of crime and social issues within the city.  Overall, NIBRS reporting will have a cumulative effect on combating crime issues as well as solving quality of life issues.

The Dallas Police Department will continue to provide summary reporting.  This aspect of crime reporting will not be going away.  The Dallas Police Department plans to run both methods of reporting for side by side comparisons for at least one year.

What the NIBRS transition means to the Dallas Police Department:

• More comprehensive data collection
• More transparent crime reporting
• More accessibility to crime data
• Crime data modernization

The Dallas Police Department will have a more precise knowledge of where crimes take place, what form it takes, and characteristics of victims and perpetrators so it can better define the resources it needs to fight crime.   This transition will also allow the identification of common crime trends among similar jurisdictions allowing agencies to work together to develop proactive strategies for addressing issues.

What the NIBRS transition means to the citizens of Dallas:

• More accountability to the citizens of the status of public safety within the city
• More accountability to the citizens of the most efficient and effective use of city resources
• More transparency to the citizens with crime reporting

The transparency in crime reporting that NIBRS offers will allow the community and the citizens more seats at the table when voicing their needs, concerns and expectations to the city leaders.  Accountability and service are the driving factors that facilitate the need for this transition.

What to expect during the NIBRS transition phase:

• There will be a small black-out period during the transition process
• There will be a slight delay in processing report requests
• The dates for the black-out period will be announced when we approach the end stages of the preparation period

*Please note:  Our public police data portal will not be updated during the black-out period while the department is upgrading the system.  No new information will be available during this black-out time.  Upon going live, the information of incidents that occurred during the black-out period will be made available to the public portal as well as information going forward.

What’s next:

• The Dallas Police Department will send updates on the progress of the transition as it moves closer to the changeover date. This will include the anticipated length of the black-out period referenced above.
• A “Save the Date” notice will be forthcoming in the near future for our media release on the NIBRS transition
• The Dallas Police Department will have officers in the community getting more information to the citizens as we move forward with this transition

How you can help:

The Dallas Police Department has created a NIBRS “Question and Answer” email link:

DPDNIBRSQA@dallascityhall.com

Once a week, the Dallas Police Department will post the frequently asked questions and answers on the Department’s website, which is DALLASPOLICE.NET, so that the community can have hands on involvement during this very important transition.  Also, please feel free to email us any suggestions as our core goal is to be of service to the citizens of Dallas.

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