The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) received a $10 million federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant to support system upgrades for reporting crime statistics to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) NIBRS. announced the availability of.
Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, chair of the PCCD, emphasized the importance of real-time data analysis in addressing gun violence and emphasized reliance on accurate data. Currently, NIBRS-compliant police departments cover only 42 percent of Pennsylvania's population, and only 10 percent of local law enforcement agencies report crime statistics to the FBI through NIBRS.
NIBRS became the national standard for law enforcement crime data reporting in the United States on January 1, 2021. NIBRS provides detailed information on criminal cases, including data on victims, offenders, relationships, arrestees, and property involved.
PCCD Executive Director Mike Pennington highlighted the challenges faced in conducting real-time analysis of criminal justice trends in Pennsylvania. The introduction of NIBRS is expected to improve the accuracy of crime-related data reporting and enable real-time trend analysis.
Applicants eligible for funding include a variety of law enforcement agencies, with priority consideration given to agencies serving areas with high rates of violent crime and low clearance rates. This funding will cover costs such as software, hardware, labor costs, agency training, and technical assistance to install a NIBRS-compliant system.
PCCD plans to fund approximately 50 grants with budgets of up to $200,000 over two years. Interested parties can find detailed information about funding requirements and application procedures on PCCD's Proactive Funding Announcements webpage.
Questions regarding the recruitment and application process should be directed to: Please contact ra-pccd-ocjsi@pa.gov by June 5, 2024 with “NIBRS Upgrade” in the subject line.