Crimes occurring in Laguna Beach will be reported in greater detail offering more transparency following a switch to a national crime database, but that could also mean an increase in the numbers, city officials said.
As of the new year, the Laguna Beach Police Department has started using the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System, known as NIBRS, which puts the department in compliance with the Department of Justice, which wants all law enforcement agencies to use the system, while also showing a more precise view of the beach town’s crimes.
As of May, more than 80% of cities and counties with more than 250,000 people were reporting to the national database and nearly 82% of the United States population was represented by agencies in the system, though it was only 64% of Californians, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
The Police Department is transitioning from an older summer system, that only tracked the most serious offenses when a police officer wrote up an incident.
“So it may appear that crime has increased, but that may not be the case,” Laguna Beach Police Chief Jeff Calvert said.
“This transition coincides with the implementation of our new records management system, which replaces our 17-year-old legacy system,” he said, adding the new system will add more transparency, while also strengthening public safety initiatives within the community.
Unlike the old reporting system, which showed only the most serious crimes, the new system will show up to 10 offenses associated with an incident. For example, in an incident involving assault and vandalism, the former system would have only tracked the assault, but the new system will include information on both.
It will also include more details about the incidents, including information on the victims, offenders, their relationships, arrestees, property and drug involvement, which will give law enforcement and the public more insight. Data collected on NIBRS includes weapons offenses, drug crimes, domestic violence, child and elder abuse, hate crimes, white-collar crimes and terrorism.
“The new system will provide us better information to identify crime trends and direct our resources more effectively,” Calvert said, adding that in turn “will help prevent crime, reduce injury traffic collisions and quality of life issues impacting our community.”
The department is also working on a software program that would allow residents to see the crimes occurring in their neighborhood through the city’s website.
“NIBRS is an aggregate of crime data to benchmark our success from year to year and identify larger issues impacting our community,” Calvert added.
The first set of data will be rolled out after this year to give a better picture of what has gone on, he said.
By contributing to the national database, Calvert said his department will also be supporting the broader law enforcement community’s efforts to develop effective crime prevention and response strategies.
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