Crime
in the U.S.
Leslie
K. Penny
Research
Assignment #1.1
Chancellor
University
Crime
in the U.S.
The Uniform Crime report offers a "periodic
nationwide assessment of reported crimes" throughout the US (Uniform Crime Reporting Program Resource Guide,
2010). With the information the UCR provides as well
as the FBI website, one can answer the following questions: when the UCR is
made available for public view each year, how the report is used and how data
is collected; how much arson and murders occurred in the city of Cleveland in
the most recent report; out of Cleveland
and Columbus, which city had the most motor vehicle thefts; was Cleveland's
homicide rate up or down over the previous year and, lastly, a comparison of
the figures acquired with the total arson's, motor vehicle thefts, and homicides
nationally; what states have higher crime statistics than Ohio.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the UCR
has several different publications that are released throughout the year, such
as Hate Crime Statistics(released May
2012), Crime in the United States (released
Sept. 2012), and Law Enforcement Officers
Killed and Assaulted (released Oct. 2012) (UCR Publication Schedule). But the Preliminary
Annual Uniform Crime Report from January to December of 2011 was released
on June of 2012 and the release of the Preliminary
Semiannual Uniform Crime Report from January to June of 2012, is December
2012 (UCR Publication Schedule). However, that information is not available so
the most recent UCR is the 2010 version.
The UCR is used to supply crime data that would aid law
enforcement agencies in tracking the variations in local, state and national
crime rates. According to Shane Hall, an
eHow contributor, Criminologists as well
as other researchers, the media and the public use the information in the UCR
for many purposes such as enabling officials to monitor changes in the crime rates over periods of time, to
study crime rates across regions and to conduct research. Data is collected through a combined effort
on the part of the City, County, State, Tribal, and Federal Law Enforcement
agencies to put forward a nationwide analysis of crime (Data Quality Guidelines). The site referenced above also provides
procedures the SCMU use for data quality such as checking data for
"logical consistency, for reasonableness, ensures adherence to sound estimation
methodologies, ensure adherence to monetary submission to standards for stolen
and recovered property, and ensure that other statistical edit functions are
processed within established parameter" (Data Quality Guidelines). There are also auditors who conduct sporadic
reviews of UCR crime data collected and reported by the Program's data
contributors as well as training to make certain the uniformity in reporting
the nation's crime data and special studies conducted (Data Quality Guidelines) .
According to the latest edition of the UCR, the 2010
edition, the city of Cleveland had 378 cases of arson and 81 cases of murder
and non-negligent manslaughter (Crime in the United States, 2010). Cleveland's homicide rate was down compared
to the previous year of 86 in 2009 (Crime in the United States, 2009). The city with more vehicle thefts was
Columbus with 403, while Cleveland had 378 vehicle thefts (Crime in the United States, 2010).
The following is a list of states that have a higher
crime statistic than Ohio in reference to homicides: Pennsylvania, Texas, New
York, Michigan, Louisiana, Illinois, Georgia, Florida and California. When it comes to motor vehicle thefts, the
following states had a higher total than Ohio: Florida, Georgia, Texas,
Arizona, California, Washington, Illinois and Michigan. According to the FBI website, "The FBI does
not include estimates for arson's because the degree of reporting arson offenses
varies from agency to agency" (Arson, 2010). One could go through each city in each state
adding up all the arson stats individually, however, it would be a timely
endeavor.
To conclude, the resources researched, especially the FBI
website, offered the answers needed to comply with this assignment. In doing so, the opportunity presented itself
to see what all the UCR provides, who uses this information, how the
information is collected, who collects it and a more in-depth look of arson,
murder, and vehicle theft in all the states.
This writer has the opportunity to move all over the United States,
using this website to get an idea of the crime rate for each potential state is
very interesting and eye opening.
Works Cited
Arson.
(2010). Retrieved 09 07, 2012, from The FBI: Federal Bureau of Investigation: http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/crime-in-the-u.s.-2010/property-crime/arsonmain
Crime in the United
States. (2009). Retrieved 09 07, 2012,
from Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Investigation:
http://www2.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2009/data/table_08_oh.html
Crime in the United
States. (2010). Retrieved 09 07, 2012,
from The FBI: Federal Bureau of Investigation:
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/crime-in-the-u.s.-2010/tables/table-8/10tbl08oh.xls
Data Quality Guidelines. (n.d.). Retrieved 09 07, 2012, from The FBI: Federal
Bureau of Investigation:
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/data_quality_guidelines
Hall, S. (n.d.). What
is the Uniform Crime Report? Retrieved 09 07, 2012, from eHow: Discover
the expert in you:
http://www.ehow.com/about_6516240_uniform-crime-report_.html
UCR Publication
Schedule. (n.d.). Retrieved 09 07, 2012,
from The FBI: Federal Bureau of Investigation:
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/publication-schedule
Uniform Crime
Reporting Program Resource Guide.
(2010). Retrieved 09 07, 2012, from NACJD: National Archive of Criminal
Justice Data:
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/content/NACJD/guides/ucr.html
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