How much crime really occurs? Don’t ask the feds.

[InfoSec News <alerts () infosecnews org>]

http://www.nextgov.com/big-data/2012/12/how-much-crime-really-occurs-dont-ask-feds/60084/

By Aliya Sternstein
Nextgov
December 11, 2012

The United States has no accounting of how much crime there really is 
nationwide because FBI statistics do not reflect cybercrimes and other 
offenses that have cropped up since reporting began in 1930. But that 
might change in 2013.

“Millions victimized by fraud and online crimes, but this is often not 
captured,” Justice Department officials tweeted during the first meeting 
in 82 years to figure out the best crime indicators. Deputy Assistant 
Attorney General James Burch microblogged the event Wednesday, posting 
comments from attendees such as the previous quote from a Major Cities 
Chiefs Association representative.

“We have no idea how much crime there really is,” program consultant 
Paul Wormeli, a former deputy administrator of Justice’s Law Enforcement 
Assistance Administration, said in an interview.

The current -- and, most would agree, outdated -- taxonomy of offenses 
is the Uniform Crime Reporting system. Right now, the national 
statistics index is limited to violent crime, murder, forcible rape, 
robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny theft, motor vehicle 
theft and arson. This regime masks the extent to which drug trafficking, 
or gun trafficking for that matter, fuels other crimes, experts note. 
The possible correlations are a flash point in the current debates over 
legalizing drugs and controlling the border with Mexico.

Next year, Justice officials expect to release an updated crime 
nomenclature and data mining technology to describe transgressions in 
meaningful contexts, such as the degree to which heroin plays a role in 
homicides.

[...]

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