Message from the Director
Change is nothing new for the FBI. Throughout its history, the Bureau has had to adapt its priorities to meet new challenges—from violent crime to counterintelligence and from white-collar and organized crime to terrorism. Our adversaries are clever and persistent, and the advances in technology and the pressures of globalization are ever-present. Although we face significant threats from international terrorism or espionage, we also recognize that crime on our streets is just as much a threat to our overall security.
This edition of Crime in the United States indicates that violent crime continued to decrease in 2011. While these statistics are reflective of most communities, many communities are still confronting crime, drugs, violence, and domestic terrorism. To combat these challenges, law enforcement personnel, with the support of involved citizens, have dedicated themselves to protecting our neighborhoods and making this country safer for our fellow citizens; the FBI shares these commitments. We, too, are trying to make an impact at the neighborhood level. Part of realizing that goal is sharing the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program’s data, which is provided by our 18,000+ law enforcement partners across the nation.
As we move into 2013, the UCR Program will complete the automation of its antiquated system for data collection. The upgrades will improve its data collection with new offense categories and revised offense definitions and also move the Program toward more timely publication of data. Updating the way we collect and process data will assist us in putting that valuable information into the hands of our law enforcement partners more quickly and efficiently, which can help them to better allocate their limited resources. In short, we are putting into place a long-term plan that will benefit all who rely on the data to understand the nature and scope of crime in our nation.
The FBI has always adapted to meet new challenges, and the UCR Program is no exception. The Program’s decades of collaboration with local, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement agencies confirm that relationships built on information sharing continue to be the best way to face new challenges and achieve our common goals.
Robert S. Mueller, III
Director
