Crime Data Project - Valencia



Crime Data Project

Purpose:

This project is designed to have the student visit the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s website in order to access the Uniform Crime Report Data (UCR). In this project, students will be expected to analyze the UCR Part I crimes for a selected city and compare that city’s crime rate for each of the seven Part I crimes (arson will not be included) with national and state crime rate data. In addition to their evaluation of crime data, students will be required to access the United States Census Bureau’s fact finder website to evaluate socio-demographic information for their chosen city. Collectively, students will be required to draw conclusions about possible explanations of crime rates relative to the national and state rates using the socio-economic data.

Work Product:

Students will present their findings is a written document, using Microsoft Word. The document will be formatted using 1 inch margins, 12 point font, and double-spaced. A cover page will be required. Also, students will be expected to properly cite the websites accessed in reference page.

Students will be expected to give the class a brief oral presentation on the outcome of their research. The oral presentation will be included in the final grade calculation for the project. The presentation will be no longer than 5 minutes.

Instructions:

Step 1: Choose a city

Step 2: Access the Uniform Crime Reports at .

Step 3: Access Table 1. Summarize the national crime rate for the seven part I crimes. What trends can you discern for each of the crime categories?

Step 4: Access Table 2. Select the state where your city is located. Report on the crime rates for the Part I crimes. How do the rates differ from the national rates?

Step 5: Access Table 6. Find the Metropolitan Statistical area for your city. Report on the crime rates for the Part I crimes. How do the rates differ from the national and state rates?

Step 6: Go to the United States Census Bureau’s fact finder website at . Find the fact finder information sheet for your city. Compare your city’s socio-demographic data on the following categories with the national data.

▪ Education level: Bachelor Degree and High School Degree

▪ Household and family median income

▪ Percentage of families and individuals below the poverty line.

▪ Owner occupied housing

▪ Median Age

▪ Race

Final Step (Extremely Important):

Based on your examination of crime and socio-economic data, draw a conclusion on why crime in your city is higher or lower than the national or state rates. Look for crimes rates that significantly differ from the national and state rates (if you see a crime rate that jumps out at you, its probably significant).

Next, review the socio-demographic data and look for differences from the national data that may explain the crime rate. For instance, city’s with a large youth population may experience more crime, so look at median age. Poverty, educational level, and household income may also be related to levels of crime. Last, provide at least three explanations for why your city’s crime rates on Part I crimes are either high or low.

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