Killeen Police Transitions to NIBRS Crime Reporting System

In accordance with federal and state guidelines, and to improve the quality of crime data collected, the Killeen Police Department recently completed the transition from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program to the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS).  KPD also follows Texas Incident-Based Reporting System (TIBRS) guidelines for Texas-specific data collection on family violence, sexual assault, hate crime, campus crime, and drug seizures.

As a NIBRS-compliant and certified police department, we will now collect incident and arrest data on 24 offense categories made up of 52 specific crimes, as well as arrest information on 10 lesser offenses.

NIBRS allows agencies to report up to 10 offenses per incident, whereas UCR followed the Hierarchy Rule, which allowed agencies to submit only the most violent or serious offense per incident. Because of the increased specificity and more detailed reporting requirements, it can initially appear as if the City of Killeen is experiencing higher levels of crime.  However, more detailed crime statistics will allow the department to not only conduct more informed policing, but also develop better crime prevention strategies for victim populations or specific locations.

For more information on NIBRS and what the department will be reporting, go to https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/ucr/nibrs.  For more information on TIBRS, and to see the list of NIBRS-certified agencies in Texas, go to https://www.dps.texas.gov/ucr/indexnibrs.htm.

Commander Ronnie Supak
Killeen Police Department