BR> Before you believe anything from a UCR report, you owe it to yourself
 BR> to  understand how those numbers are derived.  It was a real
 BR> education for me.
Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. In this particular case, it was
simply uncategorized deaths of juveniles with guns. One big problem with UCR
reports is that many towns, cities, counties, and areas are still not
reporting information. My department had a big problem with UCR just this
year. Somehow, domestic abuse was turned into aggravated assault by the
number crunchers. I am very well aware that UCR numbers could be low because
of areas which do not report, or it could be high because of errors like the
one I mentioned above. However, it is the best statistical tool we have right
now. There are many plans in the works to fix the system, but there are some
very difficult problems to overcome: 1) money for computers and compatible
software; 2) logical reporting standards; 3) getting everyone on the same
sheet of music. If we wait for a perfect statistical tool that everyone can
afford and understand, we will wait forever.
Tom Rightmer - Victims' Rights Advocate
... I multitask... I read in the bathroom.
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