The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Criminal Justice Information Systems (CJIS), are spearheading the National Crime Statistics Exchange (NCS-X) to increase the number of law enforcement agencies reporting detailed crime data to the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). NCS-X is enrolling an additional 400 scientifically selected agencies to report to NIBRS, including all of the largest agencies in the United States. Once data from the 400 NCS-X agencies are combined with the nearly 7,000 current NIBRS-reporting agencies, the nation will have detailed crime information from law enforcement agencies that serve an estimated two-thirds of American citizens, and from which national estimates can be accurately developed. 

The majority of BJS funds from this program have provided direct resources to state and local law enforcement agencies. Funds also have supported training and technical assistance and the development of statistical estimation procedures.

In this article from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), scientists discuss the effectiveness of chemical screening at points of entry. According to the Drug Enforcement Agency there are large quantities of the synthetic drug fentanyl flowing into the country at ports of entry along the Southwest border. Because this drug drives a nationwide overdose epidemic, law enforcement agencies are considering technologies that might help stem the flow.

These NIST Scientists have tested whether a chemical detection technology called ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) can be used to screen vehicles for fentanyl. Their results show that IMS can be effective for this purpose and include sensitivity levels, error rates, and other performance metrics that can help authorities weigh the costs and benefits of using this technology.

Under the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s (BJA) Strategies for Policing Innovation (SPI) initiative the problem-oriented policing (POP) guide Understanding and Responding to Crime and Disorder Hot Spots was recently released. This guide was developed in collaboration with the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing at Arizona State University and BJA.

The POP guide examines:

• Defining what crime hot spots are and discussing why they are important.
• Identifying crime-concentrated areas.
• Addressing crime hot spots with effective policing strategies.

Join the Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys (APA) for their webinar “Mass Shootings and Victim Considerations.” This webinar will focus on a topical and complex subject that is likely at the forefront of many prosecutors’ minds. District Attorney George Brauchler—widely known as the prosecutor of James Holmes, the Aurora, Colorado, gunman—will examine the issues district attorneys face while prosecuting mass-shooting cases. He will provide anecdotal insights and lessons learned along the way. This webinar is part of APA’s Capital Litigation Improvement Project webinar series.

Date: Wednesday, December 4, 2019
Time: 3:00 – 4:00 p.m., ET

There were over 7,000 reported incidents of hate crimes in 2018 according to the latest statistics from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in its annual report, Hate Crime Statistics, 2018. While overall incidents of hate crimes remained relatively flat between 2017 and 2018, incidents of violent attacks rose. 

Of the more than 5,500 offenses classified as crimes against persons, 46 percent were for intimidation, 34 percent were for simple assault, and 18.4 percent were for aggravated assault. In addition, 24 murders and 22 rapes were classified as hate crimes.