North Carolina crime statistics are reports submitted to the NC State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI) from participating law enforcement agencies across the state. The NCSBI provides the collection of data to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS), as part of the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program. 

Local law enforcement agencies in North Carolina changed how they report information about crimes in their jurisdiction on Jan. 1, 2018. This was to achieve a modernization of the North Carolina crime reporting program as well as to meet a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) requirement. North Carolina achieved NIBRS certification from the FBI on September 9, 2019.

How has crime reporting changed? 
The new crime reporting system is called NIBRS, or the National Incident-Based Reporting System. While North Carolina collected some incident-based data from local law enforcement agencies, until now, all data was reported using the Summary Reporting System. Here is some information about how these two systems differ.
 

Summary Crime Statistics • Data is for 2018-present • Data is collected on 8 crimes. • For incidents involving multiple criminal acts, only the most serious crime is reported. • Data includes crimes against people and property. • Limited victim, offender and relationship information is collected. • Allows for comparison to historical data.

NIBRS Crime Statistics   • Data is for 2018-present • Data is collected on 52 crimes • For incidents involving multiple criminal acts, all crimes are reported. • Data includes crimes against people, property and society (i.e. drug or narcotic offenses). • Detailed victim, offender, and relationship information is collected.

• NIBRS will have better data. NIBRS has more thorough data that will help law enforcement target their resources to fight crime more effectively. This will help make communities safer.
• Law enforcement, researchers and the public will still have access to long-term trends. North Carolina’s crime reporting program will convert the NIBRS data back into the Summary Reporting System (SRS) format specifically for long-term trend analysis. This will offer researchers and the public an “apples to apples” comparison.
• NIBRS will improve community response to crime. Knowing more about crimes, their victims and perpetrators will help other emergency response, victim advocates and resource organizations better prevent, plan for, and respond to, emergency situations.
• Crime rate changes. Some agencies may see small differences in certain crime rates. This reflects crimes that were happening before but were not being counted. See the example below

• There’s an incident where the victim was robbed, murdered and their home burned down.
  • Summary Reporting – The murder is counted.
  • NIBRS Reporting – The murder, robbery and arson are counted.
• There’s an incident where a family pet has intentionally been poisoned.
  • Summary Reporting – The incident is not reported (data on animal cruelty is not included).
  • NIBRS Reporting – The animal cruelty incident is reported.

• Domestic-Violence Related Homicide reporting – pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 143B-901, the North Carolina Crime Reporting Program maintains a reporting system and database that reflects the number of homicides in the State where the offender and the victim had a personal relationship, as defined by G.S. 50B-1(b). Reports can be found at https://www.ncsbi.gov/Services/SBI-Statistics/Domestic-Violence-Report.
• Deaths by Deadly Force reporting - pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 143B-904 the legislature has mandated that law enforcement agencies submit data on the use of deadly force by law enforcement which results in death. The North Carolina Crime Reporting Program collects and maintains the annual number of deaths by deadly force. These data are available upon request.
• Law Enforcement Employee Data reporting - Each year the North Carolina Crime Reporting Unit conducts an annual survey of law enforcement personnel in the state. The information provided by our state’s law enforcement agencies is essential in the development of law enforcement staffing rates and some agencies’ requirement to report traffic stop data. Other uses include the development of state and federal policy, the availability of future grant monies and can be used in such annual publications as the FBI’s Crime in the United States (CIUS), Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) and the North Carolina Uniform Crime Report (UCR). The data should reflect the number of employees on a local agency’s payroll as of October 31 each year. It does not include vacant positions. Jailors without arrest powers outside the jail are classified as civilians. Data from these reports are found in the report: Law Enforcement Personnel by Agency.
• North Carolina Traffic Stop Program - In April 1999, the state legislature passed Senate Bill 76 which required traffic stop statistics be collected for State law enforcement officers effective as of January 1, 2000. The General Assembly later expanded this requirement to include local law enforcement officers employed by all 100 county Sheriffs' Offices and almost all police departments effective as of January 1, 2002. The legislation was enacted into law as NCGS 114-10.01. In August 2009, the law was amended with two new sections which became effective on January 1, 2010. In 2014 the statute was recodified to N.C.G.S. 143B-903. All data collected in this program can be viewed here: https://trafficstops.ncsbi.gov/Default.aspx.