UNCLASSIFIED
Submitting NIBRS via N-DEx
May 2014
William F. See
NIBRS Coordinator
FBI UCR Program
CJIS Division
304-625-3092
william.see@ic.fbi.gov
4/7/2015
UNCLASSIFIED
1
UNCLASSIFIED
Proposed N-DEx to UCR Interface
• The original N-DEx concept of operations proposed
capability that would forward NIBRS crime reporting
data to UCR for agencies choosing to do so.
• Many assumptions about the operation and value of
this interface persist.
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
Conceived NIBRS Submission Path
RMS
6,548 LEAs
STATE
CONTRIBUTORS
State IBR
Specifications
State UCR
Programs
All states except
IN, MS, NM
NIBRS Reporting
via
N-DEx IA IEPD
ex. SCIBRS, OIBRS,
WIBRS
State UCR Program
Approved data only
NIBRS Flat File OR
RMS
DIRECT
CONTRIBUTORS
7 LEAs
Hoover, AL PD
Biloxi, MS PD
Byram, MS PD
Gulfport, MS PD
Adams County, MS SO
Rockford, IL PD
D.C. Metro Transit Authority
UNCLASSIFIED
3
UNCLASSIFIED
Proposed N-DEx to UCR Interface
• 2011 INSH/UCR Joint Subcommittee Meeting,
discussed capability was proving more difficult, and
possibly less beneficial, than originally believed.
The following action was proposed:
– “Request CJIS, N-DEx Program Office, UCR Program Office,
UCR Subcommittee, and INSH Subcommittee to determine
the options, policies, and implementations to use one IEPD
for both N-DEx and UCR submissions that may remain
separate at the discretion of the agency.”
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
Assumption #1
• N-DEx could extract NIBRS from agencies’ N-DEx data
contributions:
– Many NIBRS required data elements are not stored in N-DEx and
may only be derived at the time of submission.
– Test submissions (TN & DE) indicate considerable rework and
data mapping by agencies to prepare data for NIBRS
submissions.
– N-DEx submissions are not transactional. Therefore, NIBRS
Modifications, Add arrest, and Delete actions would continue to
be direct NIBRS submissions.
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
Assumption #2
• Because N-DEx was originally based on NIBRS
specification the N-DEx-IA-IEPD ‘contains’ NIBRS
elements
– N-DEx has a relaxed data validation posture whereas NIBRS is filled
with data validation ‘edits’.
– N-DEx web-services interface would not apply NIBRS edits leaving
validation and responses to be performed and communicated offline.
– N-DEx expanded the traditional NIBRS fields to provide greater
investigative value.
– N-DEx had to re-introduce many of the traditional NIBRS fields into
the N-DEx IEPD.
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
Assumption #3
• Any N-DEx on-boarded agency could choose this
capability for their crime data submissions.
– With the exceptions of IN, MS, and NM, UCR submissions
must come through the state UCR program.
– Capability is only applicable in situations where the N-DEx
submitting entity is also the state UCR program.
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
Assumption #4
• Providing a single N-DEx interface, which would also
support crime reporting needs, would be a cost
savings for RMS vendors and LEAs.
– Very few IBR agencies report NIBRS formatted data. Most
report in state IBR formats. It is the state UCR program (in
most cases) that establishes these requirements and
translates data from state IBR to NIBRS format.
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
Assumption #5
• Many agencies have assumed this is a functioning
interface.
– Although years of effort have been put into the
development of this interface, only a few successful
transactions have been tested and none have
demonstrated an operations-ready capability.
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
N-DEx Subcommittee Motion
• The N-DEx Subcommittee has concluded the
intended results of the N-DEx User NIBRS Pilot are
not feasible. The N-DEx Subcommittee recognizes
the validity of the concept and supports CJIS leading
collaboration with the criminal justice and industry
stakeholders to rationalize data exchange standards
relating to information sharing and crime reporting
to reduce cost and improve efficiency.
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
FBI CJIS Recommendation
• Discontinue N-DEx to NIBRS interface pilot.
• Continue CJIS activities to ‘harmonize’ XML formats
such that underlying data definitions are consistent.
– A long-term evolutionary approach to bring the contents
of UCR and N-DEx IEPDs into alignment.
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
QUESTIONS?
William F. See
NIBRS Coordinator
FBI UCR Program
CJIS Division
304-625-3092
william.see@ic.fbi.gov
4/7/2015
UNCLASSIFIED
12