Harrisburg, PA - Today, the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) announced the availability of $10 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant funding to support system upgrades which will enable the reporting of crime statistics to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) NIBRS.
“Our 2024-25 state budget incorporates a comprehensive strategy to deal with gun violence, including funding for a statewide office of gun violence prevention, a firearm injury prevention program, and more Pennsylvania State Police personnel to focus on combatting gun violence,” said Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, who serves as PCCD chair. “Those strategies all rely on data – but unfortunately, we don’t have access to real-time analysis of data for many communities because a low percentage of our local law enforcement agencies have adopted NIBRS reporting. We’re hopeful that these grants will entice more agencies to make the switch and increase the percentage of our population that is covered by NIBRS-compliant police departments.”
As of January 1, 2021, NIBRS became the national standard for law enforcement crime data reporting in the United States. The data collected through NIBRS provides the ability to capture details on criminal incidents, including information on victims, known offenders, relationships between victims and offenders, arrestees, and property involved in crimes.
Pennsylvania is well behind other states in the nation in utilizing NIBRS, making it challenging to accurately capture statewide and jurisdiction-specific crime trends. Currently, only 42 percent of Pennsylvania’s population is covered by a police department that is utilizing NIBRS and only 10 percent of local law enforcement agencies are reporting criminal statistics to the FBI through NIBRS.
"At PCCD, we have seen firsthand how challenging it is in Pennsylvania to perform real-time analysis on criminal justice trends,” said PCCD Executive Director Mike Pennington. “The robust information captured in NIBRS will allow for better accuracy in crime-related data reporting and real-time trend analysis, enabling our agency to provide a more in-depth look at the issues Pennsylvania communities face and provide recommendations on where resources are needed.”
Eligible applicants under this funding include local law enforcement agencies, campus or university police, railroad or street railway police, airport authority police, and county park police. Additionally, priority consideration will be given to agencies that serve areas with the highest level of violent crimes and have the lowest clearance rates. Eligible program activities and expenses under this solicitation are limited to the following:
- Software, hardware, and labor needed to install NIBRS-compliant record management systems;
- Agency training on how to collect and submit NIBRS data; and/or
- Technical assistance for personnel responsible for data collection and submission.
PCCD expects to fund approximately 50 grants with budgets up to $200,000 over the two-year project period. Applicants can find more information on funding requirements and how to apply on PCCD’s active funding announcements webpage.
Questions regarding this solicitation and the application process should be forwarded to ra-pccd-ocjsi@pa.gov with “NIBRS Upgrade” in the subject line, by close of business on June 5, 2024.
For more information on PCCD’s work to enhance law enforcement, visit our website.
MEDIA CONTACT: Ali Gantz - algantz@pa.gov
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