Scenario

Uniform Crime Report (UCR)

Performance Task Assignment #1

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SCENARIO

TASK

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CRJ 105 – Crime and Criminal Behavior

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Scenario In June of 2016 you begin your first week as an intern at the Happy Town Police Department. As an intern, you develop a good rapport with Police Chief Rodney Hurt.

On the second week of your internship you begin to ask questions (of the police officers you have been working with at the department) concerning the Uniform Crime Rate. You tell them you are taking a class at Strayer University and are interested in gaining a better understanding of statistics and the application of statistics to law enforcement.

The following day you are greeted by Sergeant Gunn. She provides you with Part I crime data over the past five years that were submitted to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the Uniform Crime Report. The Part I information provided to you by Sergeant Gunn is a compilation of crime data drawn from four areas: Happy Town, Frown Town, Smooth Town, and Cool Town.

After a review of the crime trends, you are alarmed at the rate of crime reported in these four towns. You are now curious to dig a little deeper and make some comparisons across the data provided to you.

CRJ 105 – Crime and Criminal Behavior

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Task Your task is to write a report for the Chief of Police Rodney Hurt. He will use the report for his news conference in regard to the public’s concern for the increase in crime over the past five years. In the report, you will include the following:

1. A definition and description of the Uniform Crime Report.

2. A description of the data-gathering strategy for your report and a rationale for why you

chose this technique

3. A discussion of the crime trends comparing Happy Town, Frown Town, Smooth Town,

and Cool Town over the past five years.

Your report should clearly describe all the details necessary for the Chief’s news conference. Your answers will be judged not only on the accuracy of the information you provide, but also on how thoroughly the information is covered, how effectively the report is organized, and how well your writing reflects the conventions of standard written English. While your personal values and experiences are important, please answer all the questions in this task solely on the basis of the information provided in the Document Library. (The Document Library is included in this assignment document.)

Formatting Requirements:

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

● Be four pages typed, double-spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one- inch margins on all sides. All the information you need is in the Document Library.

● Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, your name, professor’s name, course title, and date. The cover page is not included in the required assignment page length.

Self-Assessment Checklist:

Use this to check your work before you submit your assignment:

 My paper defines and describes the Uniform Crime Report.  My paper describes a data-gathering strategy and explains why I used this strategy.  My paper discusses the crime trends comparing Happy Town, Frown Town, Smooth

Town, and Cool Town over the past five years.

CRJ 105 – Crime and Criminal Behavior

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Rubric Grading for this assignment will be based on the quality of your responses, logic/organization of the report, and language and writing skills, using the following rubric.

Points: 150 Assignment 1: UCR Performance Task

Criteria Unacceptable Below 70% F

Fair 70-79% C

Proficient 80-89% B

Exemplary 90-100% A

1. Define and describe the UCR report. Weight: 25%

Does not define and describe the UCR report.

Partially defines and describes the UCR report but could use more supporting details.

Satisfactorily defines and describes the UCR report.

Thoroughly defines and describes the UCR report.

2.Describe a data- gathering strategy and provide a rationale for why you chose that strategy. Weight: 25%

Does not select or incompletely describes a data-gathering strategy. Does not provide a rationale for why you chose that technique.

Partially describes a data-gathering strategy and provides a rationale for why you chose that technique. The description of the strategy and rationale need further development and supporting details.

Satisfactorily describes a data- gathering strategy and provides a rationale for why you chose that technique. Some additional supporting details would improve this section.

Thoroughly describes a data- gathering strategy and provides a well- supported rationale for why you chose that technique.

3. Discuss the crime trends comparing Happy Town, Frown Town, Smooth Town, and Cool Town over the past five years. Weight: 25%

Does not submit or incompletely discusses the crime trends comparing Happy Town, Frown Town, Smooth Town, and Cool Town over the past five years.

Partially discusses the crime trends comparing Happy Town, Frown Town, Smooth Town, and Cool Town over the past five years. Some of the trends were discussed, but this section would be improved by addressing more of the trends.

Satisfactorily discusses the crime trends comparing Happy Town, Frown Town, Smooth Town, and Cool Town over the past five years. Most of the trends were addressed with supporting details, but not all of them.

Thoroughly discusses the crime trends comparing Happy Town, Frown Town, Smooth Town, and Cool Town over the past five years. All the major trends were addressed and well-supported.

4. Clarity, writing mechanics, and formatting requirements. Weight: 25%

More than 6 errors present.

5-6 errors present. 3-4 errors present. 0-2 errors present.

CRJ 105 – Crime and Criminal Behavior

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Document Library

HAPPY TOWN POLICE DEPARTMENT CRIME STATISTICS

2010 – 2015

Year Population1

Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter

Forcible rape Robbery

Aggravated assault Burglary

Larceny- theft

Motor vehicle theft

2015 125,336 7 12 56 86 18 214 21

2014 132,426 7 12 53 83 19 205 22

2013 140,326 6 8 49 82 17 198 18

2012 161,331 5 4 50 80 18 201 20

2011 173,111 4 3 48 75 14 161 21

2010 168,010 0 2 36 72 10 162 17

CRJ 105 – Crime and Criminal Behavior

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FROWN TOWN POLICE DEPARTMENT CRIME STATISTICS

2010 – 2015

Year Population1

Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter

Forcible rape Robbery

Aggravated assault Burglary

Larceny- theft

Motor vehicle theft

2015 111,002 0 2 26 53 14 126 18

2014 110,830 0 2 34 65 15 143 22

2013 110,750 2 1 26 61 17 141 18

2012 110,350 2 2 23 57 18 142 20

2011 110,111 0 1 19 55 14 139 21

2010 108,350 0 2 8 53 10 140 17

CRJ 105 – Crime and Criminal Behavior

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SMOOTH TOWN POLICE DEPARTMENT CRIME STATISTICS

2010 – 2015

Year Population1

Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter

Forcible rape Robbery

Aggravated assault Burglary

Larceny- theft

Motor vehicle theft

2015 156,336 5 5 10 80 18 161 18

2014 148,426 4 4 8 75 19 167 17

2013 147,326 3 4 7 78 17 163 18

2012 145,331 5 3 9 77 18 162 20

2011 145,111 4 3 7 75 14 161 21

2010 120,010 0 5 8 78 10 162 17

CRJ 105 – Crime and Criminal Behavior

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COOL TOWN POLICE DEPARTMENT

CRIME STATISTICS 2010 – 2015

Year Population1

Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter

Forcible rape Robbery

Aggravated assault Burglary

Larceny- theft

Motor vehicle theft

2015 175,336 0 2 26 53 14 126 18

2014 165,486 0 2 34 65 15 143 22

2013 154,126 2 1 26 61 17 141 18

2012 143,231 2 2 23 57 18 142 20

2011 133,119 0 1 19 55 14 139 21

2010 128,010 0 2 8 53 10 140 17

CRJ 105 – Crime and Criminal Behavior

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Happy Town Tribune Monday, March 12, 2016 Blackboard support 1-877-642-2999

Major crimes in Happy Town go up in 2015

By Tamara Fearless, Special to the Happy Town Tribune March 5, 2016

Happy Town, GA. — Happy Town had a five percent increase in major crimes reported in 2015, due to an increase in thefts, according to recently released statistics. In crimes categorized as Part 1 offenses – such as murder, criminal sexual assault, aggravated assault and battery, burglary, theft and arson – theft and arson were the only categories that increased. There were 214 thefts reported in 2015, compared with 167 the year before. One arson was reported in 2014. “Crime goes in cycles”, Police Chief Rodney Hurt stated at yesterday’s news conference.

Uniform Crime Reporting By Tamara Fearless, Special to the Happy Town Tribune

March 5, 2016

The Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program has been the

starting place for law enforcement executives, students of

criminal justice, researchers, members of the media, and

the public at large seeking information on crime in the

nation. The program was conceived in 1929 by the

International Association of Chiefs of Police to meet the

need for reliable uniform crime statistics for the nation. In

1930, the FBI was tasked with collecting, publishing, and

archiving those statistics.

Today, four annual publications, Crime in the United States,

National Incident-Based Reporting System, Law

Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted, and Hate Crime

Statistics are produced from data received from over

18,000 city, university/college, county, state, tribal, and

federal law enforcement agencies voluntarily participating

in the program. The crime data are submitted either

through a state UCR Program or directly to the FBI’s UCR

Program.

In addition to these reports, information is available on the

Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA)

Program and the Hate Crime Statistics Program, as well as

the traditional Summary Reporting System (SRS) and the

National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS).

https://ucr.fbi.gov/

Shoplifting a Problem at the Socks for Feet

By Tamara Fearless, Special to the Happy Town Tribune March 5, 2016

Happy Town, GA. — Three people were arrested Friday after police say a shoplifting incident led officers to drugs and a stolen gun. Happy Town Police say two men stole three dozen pairs of socks from Socks for Feet and were stopped in the parking lot. A third suspect was found in a vehicle outside the store.

According to a release, investigators found a substantial amount of crack cocaine and marijuana in the suspects’ possession.

Officials later searched a vehicle and hotel room connected with the suspects and found a stolen handgun and more marijuana, according to a release. They also found an unregistered handgun during the search.

The suspects were arrested on charges of theft of property, possession with intent to deliver cocaine, possession with intent to deliver marijuana, felon in possession of a firearm and felony firearms. They will be identified pending formal arraignment.

Police Chiefs Son Arrested Again

Happy Town, GA. — The son of Happy Town’s Police Chief has found himself on the wrong side of the law again after being charged with multiple charges on Tuesday. Online arrest records show 24-year-old Bubba Hurt, the son of Chief Rodney Hurt, was arrested at the Socks for Feet. It is his second arrest in less than a year. Last July, Hurt turned himself into authorities after he was accused of leaving a bar without paying his tab. Police said the charges stemmed from a dispute over a bill at the Ugly Monkey Party bar on West Prison Street.

CRJ 105 – Crime and Criminal Behavior

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Frown Town Times

Monday, March 12, 2016 Blackboard support 1-877-642-2999

Police: Crime down 17 percent in Frown Town

By Mangum Force, Special to the Times

March 4, 2016

Frown Town, GA. — Frown Town police are reporting a 17 percent drop in the village’s annual crime rate – a change authorities attribute to criminal investigations, arrests and community involvement. “We really rely on the business community and the citizens to help us fight crime,” said Frown Town’s Police Chief Kirby Berretta, who has led the department since 2004. “The more eyes and ears you have out there, the safer the community will be.” Chief Berretta’s statement came while addressing students at Strayer University. Chief Berretta stated “it gives our town something to smile about.”

Sources of Crime Statistics By Mangum Force, Special to the Times

March 4, 2016

How much crime is there? An examination of the UCR and its relationship to sources of data on crime and criminals is useful. An examination of the Uniform Crime Report and its relationship to other sources such as the National Incident- Based Reporting System (NIBRS) are extremely useful for understanding crime and criminals. It is unclear whether an accurate estimate of the amount of crime committed is possible, for several reasons. For one, not all crimes that are committed are discovered. In addition, some crimes may be known only to the perpetrators, in which case the victim is unaware of loss. Perhaps there is no identifiable victim, as in the case of a gambling violation. The further a source of statistics is from the “crimes committed” category, the less useful it is as a measure of the extent of crime. Not all crimes that are discovered are reported to the police; similarly, not all reported crimes are recorded by police. https://strayer.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781483306919/cfi /6!/4/2/20/4@0:65.1

Additional Sources of Crime Statistics

By Mangum Force, Special to the Times March 4, 2016

In addition, some law enforcement agencies may purposely conceal recorded crimes; some offenses may be unfounded crimes or defined by investigating officers as not constituting a criminal matter. For instance, when a complainant reports an attempted burglary, investigating officers may conclude that there is not enough evidence to support that a crime took place.

Despite this problematic relationship between crimes recorded and crimes committed, the UCR until recently represented the best statistics available on crime commission and, as will be discussed later in this chapter, still represents one of the best sources. Once we move beyond crimes recorded as a measure of crime commission, we are getting further removed from the accurate measurement of crime. Thus, arrest statistics, indictments, convictions, incarcerations, and other dispositions such as probation and parole are not as useful. Such statistics have much more to do with police efficiency or allocations to the criminal justice system and general societal policies toward crime control policy than they do with measuring the extent of the crime problem. https://strayer.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781483306919/cfi/6!/4/2/20/ 4@0:65.1

The Crime Indexes: Violent and Property Crime

By Mangum Force, Special to the Times March 4, 2016

Historically, the UCR has been divided into two parts. Part I crimes consist of the index crimes, major felonies that are believed to be serious, to occur frequently, and to have a greater likelihood of being reported to the police. The index offenses are as follows: 1. Murder and non-negligent manslaughter 2. Forcible rape 3. Robbery 4. Aggravated assault 5. Burglary 6. Larceny-theft 7. Motor vehicle theft 8. Arson

https://strayer.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781483306919/ cfi/6!/4/2/20/4@0:65.1

CRJ 105 – Crime and Criminal Behavior

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Smooth Town Daily Monday, March 12, 2016 Blackboard support 1-877-642-2999

Major Crimes Down in Smooth Town By Tamara Justice, Smooth Town Daily reporter

February 6, 2016

Smooth Town, GA. — Major crime in Smooth Town is

at its lowest in at least five years, according to

preliminary statistics from the Smooth Town Police

Department. The drop stems from a decline in

property-related crimes to 260 last year, well below

the five-year average of 225, data shows. There were

120 crimes against people in 2012, just slightly above

the five-year norm. “Compared to other communities

our size, we have a very low crime rate and we’re very

proud of that and we want to continue that,” said

Police Chief Wesson. Police Chief Wesson further

stated “hopefully it will be smooth sailing for the rest

of the year.”

What are Part I and Part II Index Crimes

By Tamara Justice, Smooth Town Daily reporter

February 6, 2016

The violent crime index consists of:

1. Murder and non-negligent manslaughter 2. Forcible rape 3. Robbery 4. Aggravated assault

The property crime index consists of:

1. Burglary 2. Larceny-theft 3. Motor vehicle theft 4. Arson

Part II crimes are non-index offenses and are not used in the calculation of the crime rate. These include the following:

• Simple assault • Forgery and counterfeiting • Fraud • Embezzlement • Receiving stolen property • Vandalism • Illegal carrying of weapons • Prostitution and related offenses • Sex offenses (e.g., statutory rape) • Drug law violations • Liquor law violations • Public drunkenness • Disorderly conduct • Vagrancy • Curfew violations/loitering • Runaways • All other violations of state and local laws (except traffic violations)

https://strayer.vitalsource.com/#/books/978148330 6919/cfi/6!/4/2/20/4@0:65.1

Smooth Town a Safe Town By Tamara Justice, Smooth Town Daily reporter

February 6, 2016

Smooth Town, GA. — This midsize township of

156,000 in Hipster County takes one of the top spots.

In addition to a low rate of violent crime, the

community had the lowest rate of property crime.

Overall, the crime rate was a whopping 97% lower

than its Georgia peers. Smooth Town is a four-minute

drive from Fort Cool Breeze and a 10-minute drive to

Lollipop Amusement Park. The median household

income here was 15 percent higher than the median

for the state.

CRJ 105 – Crime and Criminal Behavior

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COol Town News TownnewswsDai

ly

Monday March 12, 2016 Blackboard support 1-877-642-2999

Cool Town crime rate

lowest in years, police say By Shirley Morris, Cool Town News reporter

February 19, 2016

Cool Town, GA. — Cool Town authorities are crediting the work of police officers and a partnership with the community for helping them reach a 2015 crime rate that is the lowest in five years. The city’s overall crime rate fell by four percent in 2015, according to police department statistics, which marks an 18 percent drop in the past two years. Violent crime offenses in 2015, which include crimes against people, fell by a little more than four percent, while property crime remained the same. Police Chief Luger stated “it was also due to everyone staying cool.”

Cool Town, Is It Really “Cool”?

By Shirley Morris, Cool Town News reporter

February 19, 2016

Cool Town, GA. — This Hipster County community is the fourth suburb to make the top five in the state. Cool Town tied Old Dog Town for the lowest rate of violent crime, and it had the sixth lowest rate of property crime in this study. Cool Town is very affluent with 2.7 times the state’s median household income. It also had a highly educated population of 68 percent with a bachelor’s degree.

What is The Crime Rate? By Shirley Morris, Cool Town News reporter

February 19, 2016

The crime rate is a calculation that expresses the total number of index crimes per 100,000 population:

Index Crimes/Population × 100,000 = Crime Rate

As previously indicated, in 2004 the FBI decided to drop the additional calculation of the crime index rate. The purpose of an index (like the Dow Jones Industrial Average or the Consumer Price Index) is to provide a composite measure, one that does not rely too heavily on any one factor. An index also allows controlling for population size, thus permitting fair comparisons of different-sized units. As noted earlier, it is this UCR crime rate that one reads about in the newspaper, with accounts of crime either rising or falling by a given percentage. A principal difficulty with the UCR crime rate as an index of crime in the United States is that it is an unweighted index. That is, each crime, whether murder or bicycle theft, is added into the total index with no weight given to the relative seriousness of the offense. Thus, no monetary or psychological value is assigned. For instance, a city with 100 burglaries per 100,000 population and one with 100 homicides per 100,000 population would have the same crime rate.

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CRJ 105 – Crime and Criminal Behavior

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DATA GATHERING STRATEGIES The qualitative methods most commonly used in evaluation can be classified in three broad

categories:

• In-depth Interview

• Observation Methods

• Document Review

CRIMINOLOGY AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE RESEARCH: METHODS

Those interested in the study of criminology and criminal justice have at their disposal a wide

range of research methods. The particular research method to use is entirely contingent upon

the question being studied. Research questions typically fall into four categories of: (1)

descriptive, (2) exploratory, (3) explanatory, and (4) evaluative (Schutt). Descriptive research

attempts to define and describe the social phenomena under investigation. Exploratory

research seeks to identify the underlying meaning behind actions and individual behavior.

Explanatory research seeks to identify the cause(s) and effect(s) of social phenomena.

Evaluation research seeks to determine the effects of an intervention on individual behavior.

These four areas of research are not mutually exclusive; rather, they are designed to be used

interactively in order to gain a deeper understanding of the question under investigation.

http://www.encyclopedia.com/law/legal-and-political-magazines/criminology-and-criminal-justice-research-methods

HIERARCHY RULE

There is a significance to the order in which the Part I offenses are presented, with criminal homicide being the highest in the hierarchy and arson being the lowest. The Part I offenses are as follows:

1. Criminal Homicide a. Murder and Nonnegligent Manslaughter b. Manslaughter by Negligence

2. Forcible Rape

a. Rape by Force b. Attempts to Commit Forcible Rape

CRJ 105 – Crime and Criminal Behavior

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3. Robbery a. Firearm b. Knife or Cutting Instrument c. Other Dangerous Weapon d. Strong-arm—Hands, Fists, Feet, etc.

4. Aggravated Assault

a. Firearm b. Knife or Cutting Instrument c. Other Dangerous Weapon d. Hands, Fists, Feet, etc.—Aggravated Injury

5. Burglary

a. Forcible Entry b. Unlawful Entry—No Force c. Attempted Forcible Entry

6. Larceny-theft (except motor vehicle theft) 7. Motor Vehicle Theft

a. Autos b. Trucks and Buses c. Other Vehicles

8. Arson

The experience of law enforcement agencies in handling UCR data shows that, for the most part, offenses of law occur singly as opposed to many being committed simultaneously. In these single-offense situations, law enforcement agencies must decide whether the crime is a Part I offense. If so, the agency must score the crime accordingly. However, if several offenses are committed at the same time and place by a person or a group of persons, a different approach must be used in classifying and scoring. The law enforcement matter in which many crimes are committed simultaneously is called a multiple-offense situation by the UCR Program. As a general rule, a multiple-offense situation requires classifying each of the offenses occurring and determining which of them are Part I crimes. The Hierarchy Rule requires that when more than one Part I offense is classified, the law enforcement agency must locate the offense that is highest on the hierarchy list and score that offense involved and not the other offense(s) in the multiple-offense situation.

The Hierarchy Rule applies only to crime reporting and does not affect the number of charges for which the defendant may be prosecuted in the courts. The offenses of justifiable homicide, motor vehicle theft, and arson are exceptions to the Hierarchy Rule.

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