In 2022, 31% of the 18,000 law enforcement agencies across the U.S. failed to report crime data to the FBI's national database after transitioning to a new data collection system, according to the latest statistics from the FBI. Participation has improved since 2021 when almost 40% of the agencies were missing. The Marshall Project continues to follow the real-world consequences of the gaps.
Source: Agency participation data compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Feb. 7, 2023, which was the deadline for local agencies to submit crime data for the Q4 2022 quarterly report. Local agencies had until March 7, 2022 to submit data for the FBI's 2022 national crime report, so the final participation status may change.
The missing data is not random. While 17 states had nearly perfect participation in the FBI’s crime data, less than 10% of the agencies in Florida and Pennsylvania submitted their data in 2022.
Source: Agency participation data compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Feb. 7, 2023, which was the deadline for local agencies to submit crime data for the Q4 2022 quarterly report. Local agencies had until March 7, 2022 to submit data for the FBI's 2022 national crime report, so the final participation status may change.
Many criminologists fear the missing data means reliable crime rates will be unavailable later this decade. When local police departments don’t report data to the FBI, examining local crime trends or comparing rates in different communities becomes impossible.
Source: Agency participation data compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Feb. 7, 2023, which was the deadline for local agencies to submit crime data for the Q4 2022 quarterly report. Local agencies had until March 7, 2022 to submit data for the FBI's 2022 national crime report, so the final participation status may change.
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is a data reporter at The Marshall Project. She uses data analysis and visualization to tell stories about the criminal justice system. She studied journalism and comparative politics at Boston University and graduated from Columbia University with a master's degree in data journalism.
Andrew is a data project lead at The Marshall Project. He uses collaborative design, community engagement and artificial intelligence to design and develop stories and products driven by people most affected by the issues that we cover.
is The Marshall Project's data editor. He has been covering criminal justice issues since co-founding The Invisible Institute in the early 2000s. He was a member of the team of independent journalists who won the 2019 Premio Gabo for reporting on mass graves in Mexico.
is The Marshall Project's senior data reporter, covering criminal justice topics including immigration, crime, race, policing and incarceration. Her work has been recognized by the Global Editors Network’s Data Journalism Awards, the Society of News Design and the Information is Beautiful Awards, and she was a finalist for a 2019 Deadline Club Award.