Emails, Stephen Fischer, chief, Multimedia Productions, Criminal Justice Information Services Division, FBI, Aug. 2 and 16, 2017
8:12 a.m.
Aug. 2, 2017
It is important for users of UCR data to remember that the FBI’s primary objective is to generate a reliable set of crime statistics for use in law enforcement administration, operation, and management, as the data has become a social indicator for monitoring and evaluating policies as well as regulating staffing levels. Additionally, the American public relies on these data sets for information on the fluctuations in the level of crime from year to year, and criminologists, sociologists, legislators, city planners, the media, and other students of criminal justice use them for a variety of research and planning purposes. The FBI provides alphabetical tabulations of states, metropolitan statistical areas, cities, metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties, colleges and universities, and state, tribal, and other agencies. Since crime is a sociological phenomenon influenced by a variety of factors, the FBI discourages ranking the agencies and using the data as a measurement of law enforcement effectiveness.
Steve Fischer
FBI Spokesman
Stephen G. Fischer Jr.
Chief - Multimedia Productions
FBI - CJIS Division
From: Selby, Gardner (CMG-Austin)
Sent: Tuesday, August 15, 2017 5:08 PM
To: Fischer, Stephen G. (CJIS) (FBI)
Subject: Fresh query
Thanks.
From the FBI, I pulled down MSA crime-rate figures for 2015 and wanted to double-check that the crime rates listed are for the MSAs and not each region’s largest city alone.
?
g.
8:08 a.m.
Aug. 16, 2017
Correct, the rates are for the MSA, not the largest agency.
Stephen G. Fischer Jr.
Chief - Multimedia Productions
FBI - CJIS Division
From: Selby, Gardner (CMG-Austin) <>
Sent: Wednesday, August 16, 2017 11:09 AM
To: Fischer, Stephen G. (CJIS) (FBI)
Subject: RE: Fresh query
Thanks. I just left a phone message because the methodology elaboration posted here isn’t explicit about the rates speaking to the MSAs. Also, I tried to compute the violent crime rate for the Beaumont MSA by way of example and, drawing from the chart data, couldn’t reach the figure presented.
g.
11:21 a.m.
I'm not the one to speak to as I know just enough about UCR to be dangerous. I'll ask my UCR sensei, Loretta Simmons, to give you a call.
Stephen G. Fischer Jr.
Chief - Multimedia Productions
FBI - CJIS Division
12:43 p.m.
See below.............Loretta asked me to send this to you first to see if it will help.
Stephen G. Fischer Jr.
Chief - Multimedia Productions
FBI - CJIS Division
...
Table 6 |
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Crime in the United States | |||||||||||
by Metropolitan Statistical Area, 2015 |
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Metropolitan Statistical Area | Counties/principal cities | Population | Violent crime | Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter | Rape1 | Robbery | Aggravated assault | Property crime | Burglary | Larceny- theft | Motor vehicle theft |
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX M.S.A. | 406,743 | ||||||||||
Includes Hardin, Jefferson, Newton, and Orange Counties | |||||||||||
City of Beaumont | 117,635 | 1,088 | 16 | 92 | 298 | 682 | 4,840 | 1,295 | 3,308 | 237 | |
City of Port Arthur | 54,557 | 328 | 5 | 27 | 85 | 211 | 2,434 | 794 | 1,518 | 122 | |
Total area actually reporting | 99.9% | 2,123 | 28 | 173 | 492 | 1,430 | 11,449 | 3,185 | 7,579 | 685 | |
Estimated total | 100.0% | 2,124 | 28 | 173 | 492 | 1,431 | 11,462 | 3,187 | 7,589 | 686 | |
Rate per 100,000 inhabitants | 522.2 | 6.9 | 42.5 | 121.0 | 351.8 | 2,818.0 | 783.5 | 1,865.8 | 168.7 | ||
Individuals using FBI UCR Program tabulations are cautioned against drawing conclusions by making direct comparisons between cities. Comparisons lead to simplistic and/or incomplete analyses that often create misleading perceptions adversely affecting communities and their residents. Valid assessments are possible only with careful study and analysis of the range of unique conditions affecting each local law enforcement jurisdiction. It is important to remember that crime is a social problem and, therefore, a concern of the entire community. The efforts of law enforcement are limited to factors within its control.
Crime rates are indicators of reported crime activity standardized by population. They are more refined indicators for comparative purposes than are volume figures. A crime rate, defined as the number of offenses per 100,000 population, is derived by first dividing a jurisdiction’s population by 100,000 and then dividing the number of offenses by the resulting figure.
MSA Population - 406743
Violent Crime – 2124
Divide 406743 by 100000 = 4.06743
Divide 2124 by 4.06743 = 522.197063
Violent Crime rate is 522.2 per 100,000 inhabitants