For the 2024 election season, we've updated this reporting to cover the latest changes — and debates — around crime stats.
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.
In 73% of law enforcement agencies reported crime data to the FBI, and 44% reported a full year of crime data in 2022.
599 out of 822 law enforcement agencies in Ohio successfully submitted data to the FBI through the National Incident-Based Reporting System in 2022. The agencies that reported any crime stats represent more than 91% of the people in the state.
32 states and the District of Columbia had higher reporting rates than Ohio.
In Ohio, the law enforcement agency with the largest jurisdiction that did not report 12 months of crime data to the FBI is the Butler County Sheriff's Office, which reported 11 months of crime data in 2022. According to the FBI, 79,000 people live under its jurisdiction, which represent 1% of people living in the state.
Reporting by state
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.
Reporting by agency
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.
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