Stealing tires or copper wires? How the national incident-based reporting system changed how the Arlington, Texas, Police Department addresses larceny-thefts

ABSTRACT

When the Arlington, Texas, Police Department (APD) began using the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), its understanding of local crime trends and the factors driving them was transformed. NIBRS has allowed APD to better identify the precise offences driving changes in more aggregated offence categories and to respond to crime more effectively. With larceny-theft as an example, we describe APD’s NIBRS transition, how it altered crime control strategy , and how it impacted APD’s responses to crime. This description serves as an example to the field of the value of NIBRS for developing effective crime prevention strategies and tactics. We also analyse APD’s NIBRS data for the years 2017 and 2018 to demonstrate other possible uses of these data that would allow law enforcement agencies to better understand the factors driving crime in their jurisdiction. We explain how this understanding can lead to more targeted and effective policing strategies and tactics.

KEYWORDS:

• Larceny-theft
• law enforcement
• crime response
• National Incident-Based Reporting System
• problem-oriented policing

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Other UCR datasets contain additional information on crimes, arrests, and LEAs in the U.S. (Kaplan, 2021).

2. See, Strom and Smith (2017) for a deeper discussion of the differences between SRS and NIBRS.

3. See, also Roberts (2009) and Lantz (forthcoming), which add to this work.

4. In the case that several different offences occur in the same crime incident, the hierarchy rule specifies which offence LEAs are to record in SRS (Uniform Crime Reporting Program (UCR), 2004). Because five offence types are higher on the hierarchy rule than larceny-theft, all larceny-thefts that occur in multiple-offence crime incidents involving either a homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, and/or burglary are missing from SRS.

5. Geographic coordinates are not recorded in NIBRS and were recorded separately in both APD’s old and new RMSs.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jason Rash

Jason Rash is a Special Investigations Lieutenant with the Arlington, TX Police Department, where he has served more than 18 years. Previous positions held with APD include Robbery Detective, Defensive Tactics Coordinator, Robbery Sergeant, and Tactical Team member. Mr. Rash is recognized by APD as a subject matter expert in arrest, search, and seizure, and has provided expert testimony in use of force investigations. Mr. Rash has served as a criminal justice adjunct professor with the University of Texas at Arlington and is a current adjunct professor of criminal justice with Tarleton State University. Mr. Rash lives in North Texas with his wife of 28 years, educator Angela Rash.

Thomas Scott

Thomas Scott is a social scientist in the Policing Research Program at RTI International. As part of the NCS-X Implementation Project, Mr. Scott assesses the quality of NIBRS data and disseminates findings from NIBRS. Mr. Scott has conducted research on police investigations, gun markets, and crime and has published this work in Criminology & Public Policy, Police Quarterly, RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences, and Police Practice & Research.

Patina Clements

Patina Clements is the Crime Analysis Unit Supervisor for the Arlington, TX Police Department, leading a team of analysts in data driven strategies to address crime issues. Ms. Clements has over 18 years of experience in the field of crime analysis. Ms. Clements holds a master’s degree in public administration and is a member of the Texas Law Enforcement Analysts Network and the International Association of Crime Analysts.

Kevin Strom

Kevin J. Strom is a center director at RTI International, where he leads the Center for Policing Research and Investigative Science. Dr. Strom has conducted research across a range of topics in criminology with a focus on policing and forensic science, including work aimed at increasing efficiencies and outcomes in forensic evidence processing. Dr. Strom currently directs the NCS-X Implementation Project, working with BJS and the FBI to assist state and local agencies successfully transition to NIBRS. He also leads BJA’s Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) project, working with state and local jurisdictions across the country in their sexual assault reform efforts. Dr. Strom serves on the research advisory committees for the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and the Police Executive Research Forum. Dr. Strom received his doctoral degree from the University of Maryland—College Park.