UCR and NCIC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

UCR and NCIC - Essay Example The NCIC started out its operation by helping law enforcement in the apprehension of fugitives and helping to locate property that was stolen (â€Å"Public Safety†). Since the NCIC database consists of information about humans and property, the database includes 18 files, which contain this information. Records for articles and other properties such as vehicles, guns, boats, among others, are found in seven files, while the remaining 11 files consist of person records, including fugitives, sexual offenders, gang members, wanted persons, terrorist groups, among others. To back up the files, this database also includes images to assist law enforcement agencies in the identification of people and property (â€Å"Public Safety†). The NCIC can be used in a variety of ways. For instance, during a traffic stop, a law enforcement officer can instantly check the NCIC records to verify if a particular vehicle in the traffic stop was stolen, or if it is being driven by a criminal. The NCIC therefore, serves an important purpose of availing an electronic database, which can be accessed by various criminal justice agencies for inquiries, and information on crime and criminals from other agencies. The information in the NCIC therefore, helps law enforcement and authorized agencies to locate missing persons and stolen property, identify criminals, and protect the law enforcement personnel (â€Å"Public Safety†). The Uniform Crime Report (UCR) was established in the United States out of the need for tracking changes in the rate of crime at the state and national level. This program mainly collects data about crime instances reported by various law enforcement agencies in different states. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is responsible for the collection and publishing of this crime data annually. These publications however, vary depending on the state, type of crime, and nature of criminals. The most popular and biggest annual