Scenario
In June of 2016, you begin your first week as an intern at the Happy Town Police Department. As an intern, you develop a good rapport with Police Chief Rodney Hurt.On the second week of your internship, you begin to ask questions (to the police officers you have been working with at the department) concerning the Uniform Crime Rate (UCR). You tell them you are taking a class at Strayer University and are interested in gaining a better understanding of statistics and the application of statistics to law enforcement.The following day you are greeted by Sergeant Gunn. She provides you with Part I crime data over the past five years that were submitted to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the Uniform Crime Report. The Part I information provided to you by Sergeant Gunn is a compilation of crime data drawn from four areas: Happy Town, Frown Town, Smooth Town, and Cool Town.After a review of the crime trends, you are alarmed at the rate of crime reported in these four towns. You are now curious to dig a little deeper and make some comparisons across the data provided to you.
Instructions
Your task is to write a four-page report for the Chief of Police Rodney Hurt. He will use the report for his news conference regarding the public’s concern for the increase in crime over the past five years. In the report, you will include the following:
- A definition and description of the Uniform Crime Report.
- A description of the data-gathering strategy for your report and a rationale for why you chose that technique.
- A discussion of the crime trends comparing Happy Town, Frown Town, Smooth Town, and Cool Town over the past five years.
Your report should clearly describe all the details necessary for the Chief’s news conference. Your answers will be judged not only on the accuracy of the information you provide, but also on how thoroughly the information is covered, how effectively the report is organized, and how well your writing reflects the conventions of standard written English. While your personal values and experiences are important, please answer all the questions in this task solely on the basis of the information provided in the
Week 4 Assignment Document Library [PDF]
.
Use this to check your work before you submit your assignment:
- My paper defines and describes the Uniform Crime Report.
- My paper describes a data-gathering strategy and explains why I used that strategy.
- My paper discusses the crime trends comparing Happy Town, Frown Town, Smooth Town, and Cool Town over the past five years.
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Week 4 Assignment Document Library
While your personal values and experiences are important, your report should be based
solely on information provided in this document.
Table of Contents
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Happy Town Newspaper
3
Frown Town Times
4
Smooth Town Daily
5
Cool Town News
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Data Gathering Strategies
The qualitative methods most commonly used in evaluation can be classified in three broad
categories:
• in-depth interview
• observation methods
• document review
CRIMINOLOGY AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE RESEARCH: METHODS
Those interested in the study of criminology and criminal justice have at their disposal a wide range of
research methods. Which of the particular research methods to use is entirely contingent upon the
question being studied. Research questions typically fall into four categories of research: (1)
descriptive, (2) exploratory, (3) explanatory, and (4) evaluative (Schutt). Descriptive research attempts
to define and describe the social phenomena under investigation. Exploratory research seeks to
identify the underlying meaning behind actions and individual behavior. Explanatory research seeks to
identify the cause-(s) and effect(s) of social phenomena. Evaluation research seeks to determine the
effects of an intervention on individual behavior. These four areas of research are not mutually
exclusive; rather, they are designed to be used interactively in order to gain a deeper understanding of
the question under investigation.
http://www.encyclopedia.com/law/legal-and-political-magazines/criminology-and-criminal-justice-research-methods
http://www.encyclopedia.com/law/legal-and-political-magazines/criminology-and-criminal-justice-research-methods
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Hierarchy Rule
There is a significance to the order in which the Part I offenses are presented, with criminal homicide
being the highest in the hierarchy and arson being the lowest. The Part I offenses are as follows:
1. Criminal Homicide
a. Murder and Nonnegligent Manslaughter
b. Manslaughter by Negligence
2. Forcible Rape
a. Rape by Force
b. Attempts to Commit Forcible Rape
3. Robbery
a. Firearm
b. Knife or Cutting Instrument
c. Other Dangerous Weapon
d. Strong-arm—Hands, Fists, Feet, etc.
4. Aggravated Assault
a. Firearm
b. Knife or Cutting Instrument
c. Other Dangerous Weapon
d. Hands, Fists, Feet, etc.—Aggravated Injury
5. Burglary
a. Forcible Entry
b. Unlawful Entry—No Force
c. Attempted Forcible Entry
6. Larceny-theft (except motor vehicle theft)
7. Motor Vehicle Theft
a. Autos
b. Trucks and Buses
c. Other Vehicles
8. Arson
The experience of law enforcement agencies in handling UCR data shows that, for the most part,
offenses of law occur singly as opposed to many being committed simultaneously. In these single-
offense situations, law enforcement agencies must decide whether the crime is a Part I offense. If so,
the agency must score the crime accordingly. However, if several offenses are committed at the same
time and place by a person or a group of persons, a different approach must be used in classifying and
scoring. The law enforcement matter in which many crimes are committed simultaneously is called a
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multiple-offense situation by the UCR Program. As a general rule, a multiple-offense situation requires
classifying each of the offenses occurring and determining which of them are Part I crimes. The
Hierarchy Rule requires that when more than one Part I offense is classified, the law enforcement
agency must locate the offense that is highest on the hierarchy list and score that offense involved and
not the other offense(s) in the multiple-offense situation.
The Hierarchy Rule applies only to crime reporting and does not affect the number of charges for
which the defendant may be prosecuted in the courts. The offenses of justifiable homicide, motor
vehicle theft, and arson are exceptions to the Hierarchy Rule.
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Happy Town Police Department Crime Statistics
2010 – 2015
Year Population1
Murder and
nonnegligent
manslaughter
Forcible
rape Robbery
Aggravated
assault Burglary
Larceny-
theft
Motor
vehicle
theft
2015 125,336 7 12 56 86 18 214 21
2014 132,426 7 12 53 83 19 205 22
2013 140,326 6 8 49 82 17 198 18
2012 161,331 5 4 50 80 18 201 20
2011 173,111 4 3 48 75 14 161 21
2010 168,010 0 2 36 72 10 162 17
Frown Town Police Department Crime Statistics
2010 – 2015
Year Population1
Murder and
nonnegligent
manslaughter
Forcible
rape Robbery
Aggravated
assault Burglary
Larceny-
theft
Motor
vehicle
theft
2015 111,002 0 2 26 53 14 126 18
2014 110,830 0 2 34 65 15 143 22
2013 110,750 2 1 26 61 17 141 18
2012 110,350 2 2 23 57 18 142 20
2011 110,111 0 1 19 55 14 139 21
2010 108,350 0 2 8 53 10 140 17
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Smooth Town Police Department Crime Statistics
2010 – 2015
Year Population1
Murder and
nonnegligent
manslaughter
Forcible
rape Robbery
Aggravated
assault Burglary
Larceny-
theft
Motor
vehicle
theft
2015 156,336 5 5 10 80 18 161 18
2014 148,426 4 4 8 75 19 167 17
2013 147,326 3 4 7 78 17 163 18
2012 145,331 5 3 9 77 18 162 20
2011 145,111 4 3 7 75 14 161 21
2010 120,010 0 5 8 78 10 162 17
Cool Town Police Department Crime Statistics
2010 – 2015
Year Population1
Murder and
nonnegligent
manslaughter
Forcible
rape Robbery
Aggravated
assault Burglary
Larceny-
theft
Motor
vehicle
theft
2015 175,336 0 2 26 53 14 126 18
2014 165,486 0 2 34 65 15 143 22
2013 154,126 2 1 26 61 17 141 18
2012 143,231 2 2 23 57 18 142 20
2011 133,119 0 1 19 55 14 139 21
2010 128,010 0 2 8 53 10 140 17
- Happy Town Newspaper
Frown Town Times
Smooth Town Daily
Cool Town News
Data Gathering Strategies
Hierarchy Rule
Happy Town Police Department Crime Statistics
Frown Town Police Department Crime Statistics
Smooth Town Police Department Crime Statistics
Cool Town Police Department Crime Statistics
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