Crime Statistics

Wisconsin Statute 16.964(2) requires all law enforcement agencies and other criminal and juvenile justice system agencies to report Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) data to Justice Programs. The data is then submitted to the FBI for the purposes of its uniform crime reports for the United States.

The UCR program is the only statewide source of long-term crime and arrest data, law enforcement staffing levels information, and data on law enforcement officers killed or injured in the line of duty. Justice Programs validates reported data with local law enforcement agencies to ensure reported crimes/arrests are categorized according to the FBI's definitions and hierarchy rules. Accurate reporting of UCR data by law enforcement benefits many criminal justice interests including law enforcement.

Law enforcement agencies report UCR data to Justice Programs using either Summary Based Reporting (SBR) or the more robust Incident-Based Reporting (IBR) system. SBR aggregates crimes and arrests in accordance with the FBI's definitions and categories. There is little additional detail about individual crimes/arrests when SBR is used. IBR provides a more robust set of data and is designed to collect all components of a crime, including characteristics of the offense and its associated victims, offenders, property, and arrestees. Justice Programs has been working towards transitioning more law enforcement agencies from SBR to IBR reporting as local technology capacity improves and funds become available.

Reporting Transitions

The South Milwaukee Police Department transitioned from the Summary Based Reporting (SBR) system to the Incident Based Reporting (IBR) system in 2017. The change has provided the South Milwaukee Police Department with a more detailed set of data to utilize when planning strategic crime analysis. Monthly counts are fluid and subject to change as data is updated as investigations unfold.