In 2019, 89% of agencies covering 97% of the population submitted data, but by 2021, that coverage plummeted to less than 63% of departments overseeing just 65% of the population. Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City
all failed to submit crime data. To increase participation, the FBI relaxed the NIBRS requirement in 2022, allowing agencies to report via the legacy system.
But many other cities, such as
St. Louis, which had transitioned to the new method, still struggle to comply and submit partial or faulty data. The FBI compensates by relying more heavily on
“estimation,” or informed guesswork, to fill in the gaps and produce aggregated data.
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Crime isn't down; it's not being reported to the FBI. It's easy to win if you stack the deck.
You're being lied to. AGAIN.