STARS for Windows will include NIBRS compatibility
National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)
October 1, 1997 -- The conversion of STARS for DOS into STARS for Windows is nearing completion.STARS for Windows will feature all the standard security tools that have been included in STARS for DOS, such as the CommLog, the Desk Journal and the personnel tables (including housing, vehicles, weapons registration, traffic citations and field interviews).
In addition, STARS for Windows will represent a big step forward into the 21st century with new NIBRS reports and data formats for incident reporting. These new reports and data formats will enable the collection and processing of crime data on a national level, involving both civilian and military police investigations.
NIBRS data and report formats are dictated by the FBI and the Department of Justice.
NIBRS vs. UCR
The major difference between NIBRS and the traditional UCR crime reporting system that has been used by the U.S. military since 1930 is the level of detail in reporting.In the traditional UCR system, law enforcement agencies tally the number of occurrences and arrest data for all offenses, and submit aggregate counts of the collected data in monthly summary reports. There is no requirement to tie arrests back to previously submitted incident reports.
In NIBRS, law enforcement agencies collect detailed data regarding individual crime incidents and arrests and submit them in separate reports using additional new fields. These new data fields allow each incident to be described as a combination of multiple crimes, with details about the victims' and offenders' involvement in each component of a given incident.
STARS and NIBRS
In order to accommodate the requirements imposed by NIBRS, the ICR module of STARS for Windows will include many new fields and tables not previously included in STARS for DOS. This will result in a major revision of the screen formats as well as the incident reports themselves.The new NIBRS incident report has been expanded to 4+ pages in order to include the additional detail required for NIBRS compatibility.
Although STARS for Windows will include import functions to allow you to bring forward from STARS for DOS all your CommLog, Desk Journal and Personnel data, there will be no direct import of STARS for DOS incident reports into STARS for Windows. This is due to the fact that the NIBRS data formats are very different from those used in the old UCR system.
STARS for DOS will remain available and supported for any commands wishing to retain the old UCR system. Furthermore, it will be necessary to keep using STARS for DOS during the transition period from UCR to NIBRS in order to close out and complete any cases whose original incident reports were processed using the UCR system.