Certain Cities not Reporting Crime Stats (Macon, Hephzibah: 2010, office, metro)

[marmac]

About 10 years ago ( before I used the internet) I did much research (by mail, phone, books, and magazines) in researching southern places for retirement.

Most of the info rated cities by their safety ( a concern for many relocating)

A few years ago, some publications decided it was unfair to rank places by safety, due to places not accurately reporting.

They stated it was unfair to rank a city (or area) that was honest lower than another that was dishonest in reporting.

Some publications opted instead to interview people who had relocated and publish a sample (both pro and con) in their publications.

[DisgustaTruth]

This is the game that cities like Augusta are trying to play.. and it's one reason why Augusta is never listed in these safety rankings.
The FBI places a big caveat on their website about using the UCR to rank cities based on crime.. because, like you said, some cities cook their books to give the impression that crime isn't as bad as it really is. THis is what Augusta did for years with gang related crimes...misclassifying it.. until the problem got so out of hand that it was impossible to ignore any longer.

[PJA]

Originally Posted by DisgustaSucks

This is the game that cities like Augusta are trying to play.. and it's one reason why Augusta is never listed in these safety rankings.
The FBI places a big caveat on their website about using the UCR to rank cities based on crime.. because, like you said, some cities cook their books to give the impression that crime isn't as bad as it really is. THis is what Augusta did for years with gang related crimes...misclassifying it.. until the problem got so out of hand that it was impossible to ignore any longer.

And what's your source for this information? Is this just a conclusion you have come up with? And the FBI places a "caveat" on it not because cities cook their books (because the FBI has access to all of the information) but because "they provide no insight into the many variables that mold the crime in a particular town, city, county, state, region, or other jurisdiction."

[PJA]

Here is the link for the last time. I posted the fbi link so you could look and find all the info for yourself like I did but to make it simple here is the table for the metros.

Table 6 - Crime in the United States 2006

This same link was posted in the other thread when it was asked for it.

[cool_mommy]

Originally Posted by miranova

PJA, you keep posting these numbers on threads.

Where are they coming from...I know you say the FBI, but I'm the type who doesn't believe second hand information from sources I do not personally know are credible. I'm sure you're the same way. Are you a secret FBI agent man?

thanks

I can answer your question because I often go to this web site. It is Federal Bureau of Investigation - Uniform Crime Reports.

I think that anyone who is going to look at the stats on this web site first needs to read; "A Word About the Data" and "Data Quality Guidelines". These can be found on the home page. I believe that this site can be very informative but as with everything else the information has to be taken with a grain of salt.

[DisgustaTruth]

The disclaimer says that the information is submitted "voluntarily" to the FBI by the various local law enforcement jurisdictions.. The point is.. Augusta is one of those jurisdictions that decides not to report their data to the FBI.. so ppl who come on here and, especially the typical Augusta boosters.. saying Augusta is safer than any other metro area in Georgia is simply misleading and wrong. It is unfortunate that peopel cannot get reliable crime statistics on various locales.. it's one of the most important things to consider when choosing a place to live.This is an area that needs new legislation and a revamped system for reporting and disseminating crime data.

[miranova]

yeah, and if you look at the numerous other charts regarding other data, Augusta isn't on most of the other lists they have on there. I know I looked at the numbers of enforcement officers or something, for example. who knows...

[PJA]

If Augusta didn't report their numbers then the FBI wouldnt have them. What do you think the FBI did, just pulled the numbers out of thin air?

[PJA]

Taken from the website:

"Although the data collected and disseminated by the UCR Program remained virtually unchanged throughout the years, in the 1980s a broad utility had evolved for UCR. Recognizing the need for improved statistics, law enforcement called for a thorough evaluative study to modernize the UCR Program. The FBI concurred with the need for an updated Program and lent its complete support, formulating a comprehensive three-phase redesign effort. The first two phases of this effort, guided by input from representatives of the FBI, the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), the IACP, and the NSA, culminated with the release of a comprehensive report.
The final report, the Blueprint for the Future of the Uniform Crime Reporting Program (Blueprint), was released in May 1985. It specifically outlined three areas of enhancement to help the UCR Program meet future informational needs. First, agencies would use an incident-based system to report offenses and arrests. Second, the national UCR Program would collect data on two levels (i.e., limited and full participation), and third, the national Program would introduce a quality assurance program."


You can't cook your books so to speak and get away with it. They have quality controls in place. They don't just blindly accept this information and post it on their website. The whole reason this was brought up is because someone implied that Augusta was a very dangerous place. If you're going to say so, then post facts otherwise state in your opinion so people will know not to take anything you said on face value. I'm a numbers and "on paper" type of person. I need to see some type of evidence on what is said or I'm not going to take your word for it. And yes, I would believe the FBI who keeps these records, over someone who doesn't.

[mrcolumbusga]

LOL at disgusta aka miranova and johndoeboy aka matrixguy. Ya'll are crazy!!

Seriously, I think the FBI statistics for the most part are accurate. Whenever something isn't right, the FBI leaves it off or blank. Check under Savannah's metro stats, one of their columns is blank. I'm pretty sure they verify these numbers themselves before they post them. With that being said, there's in ever city. You just have to choose the places that are the safest or where you feel safest to live in that city. I do appreciate it when people post credible sources and not just something off the top of their head as it gives us a better indication on what to expect.