RESOURCES & LINKS
LINKS TO ORGANIZATIONS & DEPARTMENTS
LINKS TO DATA SUBMISSION OPTIONS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
LIBRS is Louisiana’s incident-based reporting system, and is intended to serve several functions. First and most importantly, it is the designated state program for sending NIBRS information to the FBI. Additionally, in accordance with the intended direction of the FBI, LIBRS will eventually replace Summary UCR as the base statistical system for crime data in the state. It will also provide the additional statistical information necessary at the state level to properly plan modifications to the state criminal justice system. Examples of this include, determining the need for additional state prison or local jail space, and the need for additional law enforcement officers. Finally, it will be an important component in determining the impact of proposed changes in terms of both cost and programmatic effect.
The Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program operates all levels of law enforcement: city, county, state, and federal. The program provides a nationwide view of crime based on the submission of crime information by law enforcement agencies throughout the country. The crime data from local and state jurisdictions are submitted through the UCR Program, which is administered by the FBI. UCR data is a highly summarized form of crime data statistics, leaving out all incident details. UCR summary data is useful when comparing one area of the nation to another.
LIBRS data has much more detail in its reporting system than the traditional Summary UCR reporting system. LIBRS offers law enforcement more comprehensive data for use in management, training, planning, and research and is a critical element as part of a larger effort to improve criminal justice records at the local level. It serves to both standardize the information collected at point of incident and point of arrest, and to create standards for the electronic transfer of law enforcement data statewide. While LIBRS is being fully implemented, the traditional Summary UCR reporting format is still being used as well.
Using LIBRS will provide planners, legislators, law enforcement and public officials with more detailed, comprehensive crime information than the traditional UCR summary reports. This information can provide up-to-date statistics in order to utilize all the necessary resources where needed. In addition, Louisiana agencies may be eligible for increased funding depending on their detailed crime data. Since LIBRS compiles all Louisiana incident reports in one centralized database, real time statistical analysis can be conducted for all participating agencies and locations.
There are currently several Record Management Systems (RMS) available commercially that are certified to submit LIBRS data, and many Louisiana agencies are already collecting data necessary for reporting to LIBRS using these packages. However, since there are some agencies that do not have law enforcement RMS software, LCLE and the Louisiana Sheriff’s Association have developed fully-supported software (LEMIS-IBR) available to all Louisiana law enforcement agencies at no cost. (source Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Criminal Justice) For a list of current RMS that are LIBRS compliant, click here.