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Posted by: 94c

I'm looking for opinions on NIBRS (National Incident Based Reporting Systems.)

Does your dept. use it and who enters all the information on reports that used to take minutes to do and now takes up to half an hour. Any comments/criticisms?

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Posted by: Delta784

We use it, and pretty much everyone hates it. It was obviously designed by a non-cop, because some of the things you need to tell the computer to get a successful validation don't make any sense at all.

For instance, it won't allow you to charge someone with both A&B and A&B D/W unless you do some trickery, because the computer says that A&B is a lesser included offense of A&B D/W. However, we've all had domestics where the guy punches his wife (A&B), she falls to the floor, where he puts the boots to her (there's the A&B D/W).

We've all figured out how to tell the computer what it wants to hear, so simple report times are down from 2 hours when we first started to about 20 minutes, but I'd look for some other system, if possible.

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Posted by: 94c

It's too late. It was jammed down our throats over a year ago and we too have found ways to tell the system what it wants to hear. It is definitely not police friendly. I have heard rumors that departments use civilians to enter the endless data but have not learned how well that works. Thanks

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Posted by: topcop14

Are you using a separate computer program for NIBRS, or is it part of your RMS system? All of our NIBRS reports are generated by our RMS system, IMC.

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Posted by: Delta784

Quote:

Originally Posted by 94c It's too late. It was jammed down our throats over a year ago and we too have found ways to tell the system what it wants to hear. It is definitely not police friendly. I have heard rumors that departments use civilians to enter the endless data but have not learned how well that works. Thanks

To get around the lesser included offense validation error, change the offense code of the lesser offense to 90Z (all other charges), that usually gets it to work.

I heard that screws up the reporting data to the FBI, but who cares?

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Posted by: Se7en

Did the department train you on how to use the NIBRS system? If so, how many hours of training did they give to each officer? Our department will be going to it soon, and like everything else, I bet we receive little to no training in that system.

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Posted by: Delta784

We got 4 hours of training from a civilian who sounded exactly like the "Church Lady" from "Saturday Night Live", 10 months (yes, ten months) before we had to go live with it.

Once we went live, we were expected to figure it out ourselves. Finally, we did.

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Posted by: 94c

4 hrs. training. (6 months before going live) and you were on your own. I told our training division the other day, "we haven't learned NIBRS, we've learned how to get around it."

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Posted by: tun75

NIBRS s***s I have went to the training by the state and the feds and believe me its all about what they want. After the training it was a "Little" more bearable.

You have to pass validation and then it gets sent to the state, Then they can find errors with the way they want to see it, then it goes to the FBI (for stats) and they will kick things back depending on how they want to see it.

Basically we have to convert all of our (Mass) stats to fit into feds categories. IE "ABDW and A&B" Also feds dont recognize a male on male rape and ages for different things may vary.

I have heard of some Departments who have the officer write a narrative and then a civilian reads the report and enters all the NIBRS data in the report. My problem with that is a civilians name is linked as "last modified by" or "updated by" on an officers report that he needs to explain in court.

Bottom line is when going for grants one of the first questions is "Do you submit nibrs data?"

Bill

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Posted by: Irish Wampanoag

Hell we have officers that dont communicate in my department or even between shifts, let alone communicate with the Nibrs

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Posted by: Piper

read this yet Dana?
you slow bastard.....

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Posted by: FORTIER26

i got it..finally

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Posted by: j809

As my Sergeant always says, if you screw up in NIBRs it becomes "A NIBRS Nightmare".

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Posted by: sdb29

As far as I'm concerned, I call "NIBRS" "NAMBLA" because it's just as dispicable.

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Posted by: RedstoneRocket

On a side note, I am wondering if a department can obtain an exceptional clearance when a victim does not help in the investigation. We have had people stabbed and shot who have come right out and said they are not answering any questions and will not cooperate in the investigation. Can this example be closed with an exceptional clearance or would you need to have a named suspect who the victim chose not to assist in the investigation? Thanks

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