Survey of local Crime Prevention
The two data collection techniques being presented for review are the unified crime report and Observational and Interview Research. The recent survey conducted by the police department shows that these two methods are the most effective in preventing crime.
The Unified Crime Report is based on data collected and recorded by over 5,000 police departments around the country. This report can be used to examine the crime trends in specific area because it is broken down by state, county, and city. It will further breaks down the statistics by age, race and gender of those who have been arrested for violent crimes within these states. The methods used to compel this report are complex and involve consolidating information monthly from agencies around the country. To explain the crime data three methods are used. First “Raw” figures will show the amount of crimes reported and arrests made. Second, crime rates per 50,000 are computed. Third the FBI calculates the change in the crime rate over time period.
Even though this information is gathered based on actual facts its accuracy is in question. It is feared that not all victims of crimes actually file a report therefore they never get recorded and logged into the crime report. Also, the crimes are entered into the system can affect the accuracy of the report, for example a burglary might be reported but identify as something else altering the numbers. Finally, not all police departments file their reports and therefore it forces the FBI to estimate the numbers, which can be under or over.
I will also try to gain some firsthand knowledge about the individuals within my community who are committing these crimes. The state of Georgia has several gangs who are responsible for a mass share of the criminal activities. By conducting observational and interview research I can try to see what motivates and drives these people to act the way they do. The advantage of this is...