LIBRS
Louisiana Incident Based Reporting System
Introduction
The Louisiana Incident Based Reporting System (LIBRS for short) is modeled after the National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS) program. Louisiana Incorporated the LIBRS program in 1998. LIBRS is a statistical records system not a historical one. LIBRS collects and report crime data via way of a LIBRS compatible Records Management System (RMS). Data can be received from participating local and state law enforcement agencies. LIBRS was created by the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement in partnership with the Louisiana Sheriffs’ Association.
Agencies choosing to report crime data by means of LIBRS will be collecting detailed data regarding individual crime incidents and arrests and submit them in separate reports using prescribed data values to describe each incident and arrest. Once the data is submitted through a FTP site it will be ran through a validation check in the LIBRS system recording the crime stats sanctioned by the Louisiana Legislature and then another validation check recording the crime stats for Federal authorized laws the FBI wants to record. If the LIBRS system finds errors, an error file is generated with the incidents with errors and the agency must correct the errors and resubmit the incidents with the next month’s submission (Your RMS will automatically re-submit the corrected incidents). If no errors are found in the LIBRS file it is automatically sent up to the NIBRS system. If no errors are found in the LIBRS error check the file is forwarded to the NIBRS system if errors are found an error file if produced and the errors send back for correction to be resubmitted in the next month’s submission (Your RMS will automatically resubmit the corrected incidents). If no errors are found then the incidents are recorded in the NIBRS incident Database.
Benefits
LIBRS reporting has several benefits over UCR (Summary) reporting due to the facts it pulls from each incident. LIBRS allows for all reportable offenses within an incident to be identified, not just those provided by the hierarchy rule and not just the limited offenses collected in Summary. In LIBRS incidents are group by Group A and Group B. LIBRS collects data on each single incident and arrest within 22 offenses categories made up of 46 specific crimes called Group A offenses. There are 11 Group B offense categories, for which only arrest data is reported.
It is a vital instrument in the war against crime in the capability to identify with precision when and where crime takes place, what form it takes and the characteristics of its victims and perpetrators. Law Enforcement when furnished with such information can make their case to acquire the resources it needs to combat crime. This will allow Law Enforcement the capability of producing more detailed, accurate, and meaningful data than those produced by the traditional UCR Program.
FREQUENTLY ASKED LIBRS QUESTIONS
NOTE: These answers will be most helpful to Agencies using LEMIS 2000 software. GENERAL FAQS VICTIM VICTIM/SUSPECT RELATIONSHIP PROPERTY ———————————————————————————————————————————- What is Incident-Base Reporting? What is the difference between UCR and NIBRS? Throughout its first 60 years of operation, the UCR Program remained virtually unchanged in terms of the data collected and disseminated – data primarily aggregated in summary format. As time progressed, a broad utility evolved for UCR data, and law enforcement expanded its capabilities to supply crime information. In the late 1970s, the law enforcement community called for a thorough evaluative study of UCR with the objective of recommending an expanded and enhanced UCR Program to meet law enforcement needs into the 21st century. 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, new guidelines for Uniform Crime Reports were formulated. The National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) was implemented to meet these guidelines. NIBRS offers law enforcement more comprehensive data than ever before available for management, training, planning, and research. The implementation of NIBRS will be at a pace commensurate with the resources, abilities, and limitations of the contributing law enforcement agencies. While NIBRS is being fully implemented, the traditional Summary UCR reporting format is still being used extensively. (source National Archive of Criminal Justice Data) Which is the better system for my agency: NIBRS or Summary UCR? In the Summary UCR reporting system, the “Hierarchy Rule” governs multiple offense reporting. If more than one crime was committed by the same person or group of persons and the time and space intervals separating the crimes were insignificant, then the crime highest in the hierarchy is the only offense reported. Agencies do not use the Hierarchy Rule in NIBRS. If more than one crime was committed by the same person or group of persons and the time and space intervals were insignificant, all of the crimes are reported as offenses within the same incident. Summary UCR has two crime categories: Crimes Against Persons (e.g., murder, rape, and aggravated assault) and Crimes Against Property (e.g., robbery, burglary, and larceny-theft). In the NIBRS, a third crime category was added, Crimes Against Society, to represent society’s prohibitions against certain types of activities (e.g., drug or narcotic offenses). Finally, NIBRS collects more comprehensive data about drug offenses than does Summary UCR. (source Federal Bureau of Investigation) How will my agency benefit from LIBRS?
What is the difference between NIBRS and LIBRS? LIBRS is a critical element as part of a larger effort to improve criminal justice records at the local level where it serves to both standardize the information collected at point of incident and point of arrest, and to create standards for the electronic transfer of law enforcement data statewide. It is through its role in the improvement of criminal justice records at the local level that LIBRS provides the basis for the state level Criminal History Improvement Program. There are currently several Record Management Systems (RMS) available commercially that are certified to submit LIBRS data, and many Louisiana agencies are already collecting data necessary for reporting to LIBRS using these packages. However, since there are some agencies that do not have law enforcement RMS software, LCLE and the Louisiana Sheriff’s Association have developed fully-supported software (LEMIS-IBR) available to all Louisiana law enforcement agencies at no cost. (source Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Criminal Justice) What are the differences in LEMIS and LIBRS? LIBRS is a statewide system that accepts criminal justice data from individual law enforcement agencies from around Louisiana, and stores that data in a central database administered by the Louisiana Sheriffs’ Association and the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Criminal Justice. LIBRS uses the database to create reports required by the FBI, thereby saving participating agencies the time and expense of computing these reports. Is special software needed in order to submit data to LIBRS? Does each victim need to be connected to an Offense? What do need to do if the offense is a crime against Society? When does a victim/suspect relationship need to be entered? Do all Offenses that are crimes against Property need to have a completed Property screen? |
Cheryl Mcpipe LIBRS Supevisor Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement 225-342-1809-Phone 225-342-1824-Fax Email: Cheryl.Mcpipe@lcle.la.gov |
Danny Jackson System Analyst Louisiana Sheriff Association 225-383-8342-Phone 225-336-0343-Fax Email: Danny@lsa.org |
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