National Incident-Based Reporting System, Essay Example

(1) Describe NIBRS and list two of its advantages. (30 points)

NIBRS is an incident-based reporting approach by which law enforcement agencies in the United States put into record the data that they collect pertaining to criminal cases that occur under their posts. To make the reporting easier, each criminal offence is categorized depending on its gravity and the effect it leaves the victims. Through this approach, the county officers are able to note how crime rate in their area is developing through time and what specific problems should be given specific attention to every turn of each quarter. This could allow the chance for the officers to strongly affect the way the society is protected from high rating crimes that are happening in the community. In the long run, such accurate reporting system could result to better options of dealing with social chaos thus lessening incidents of crime through effective monitoring imposed as referenced from the condition of data that are recorded through NIBRS operation.

From this point, it could be realized how administrators and law enforcers are able to scale their capacity of regulating the situation in the community that they are serving. Relatively, through considering such reports, they are able to manifest a strong sense of control on how matters are supposed to be managed through mandating the proper use of their resources dedicated to creating a more peacefully defined community.

(2) What does the textbook say is “the great advantage” of the NIBRS data? (30 points)

The great advantage of utilizing NIBRS data is its accuracy and specificity when it comes to noting what specific crimes are evidently occurring in a particular community. When such records are kept and are updated in a regular manner, the law enforcers are given the option to make amends on the possible shortcomings that they have especially in terms of addressing the needs of their people relating to safety and security. Being alert and well-informed about the situation in their community assumes the condition by which the reputation of the law enforcers could be further improved through time.

(3) List two disadvantages. (30 points)

The disadvantages do include lack of training on the part of the ones keeping the record. To be able to make sure that the notes placed within the record book are accurate and specific, there needs to be a training for those who are to handle the said duty. At times, this is overlooked hence serving more as disadvantage than an advantage to the effectiveness of utilizing the NIBRS approach to data keeping.

Another disadvantage is the bulk of reports kept in papers. This is the reason why IT-defined NIBRS operation is further suggested to be implemented. Making such bold move however would mean high investments on the part of the administrators, and again retraining of the personnel who are to be assigned to handle the task at hand.