Curious about NIBRS? This article will answer some common questions about it.


Table of contents



What is NIBRS?


NIBRS (National Incident-Based Reporting System) is the successor to the UCR Summary Reporting System (SRS) that has been used to collect national crime statistics since the 1930s. NIBRS was introduced in 1989 and in 2016, the FBI announced that it would phase out national UCR SRS data collection and switch to NIBRS in 2021.


Unlike SRS, NIBRS is a fully electronic system (no paper filing option) and NIBRS collects more detailed incident and arrest information compared to the SRS system, allowing for more detailed and comprehensive crime reporting.


Can I do NIBRS reporting in Informant?


Yes. Several states have developed their own state-specific incident-based reporting systems that then report crime data to the FBI's NIBRS system. This means that while NIBRS itself is standardized by the FBI, many states don't accept NIBRS data in the standard federal format and instead require departments to submit data using their particular state's incident-reporting format.


Informant supports Pennsylvania's incident-based reporting standard ("PA NIBRS"), the Massachusetts Incident-Based Reporting System ("MA NIBRS"), and the Florida Incident-Based Reporting System ("FIBRS").


Is NIBRS reporting mandatory?


Although the FBI has stopped collecting UCR SRS data and has moved to NIBRS, there is no federal requirement to report NIBRS data; however, states may differ in whether they require agencies to report NIBRS or equivalent state-level incident reporting data:


  • Pennsylvania: There is currently no mandate in Pennsylvania to switch from UCR/SRS reporting to NIBRS reporting.
  • Other states: Check with your state's legislature or the department or agency responsible for UCR/NIBRS reporting on the NIBRS reporting requirements for your state.


Is there funding available to help me transition to NIBRS?


The federal and state governments occasionally make grant funding available for the transition to NIBRS. Additionally, some federal funding may require that your department report crime data using NIBRS or require your department to allocate a percentage of federally awarded money toward your department's transition to NIBRS.


Can I use UCR and NIBRS at the same time?


Yes. There are two situations where this might occur:


  • If you are a higher education institution and need to do Clery reporting, you can still use the UCR reporting features in Informant to generate your UCR offenses return for inclusion in your annual Clery report.
  • If you are currently in the process of being certified for NIBRS, your state may require you to continue to report UCR/SRS crime statistics to the state until your agency is certified to submit NIBRS crime data.


What is involved in the NIBRS certification process in Pennsylvania?


In Pennsylvania, NIBRS is administered by the Pennsylvania State Police, and agencies that want to submit NIBRS data are required to go through a state-mandated certification process before they can fully transition to NIBRS reporting.


See PA NIBRS certification process for details on the NIBRS certification process in PA.


What is involved in the NIBRS certification process in other states?


Check with the department or agency that runs your state's incident-based reporting system.