- In the FBI’s description of data gathering techniques, the explanation of the “good faith effort” and the self-reporting of different agencies, was good background information, but it made me question the legitimacy of these numbers. I suppose that my question can be stated as – “Are these numbers technically a primary source of information?”
- After the explanation that 18,000 agencies are unable to report because of “computer problems, changes in records management systems, personnel shortages, or a number of other reasons,” I would like to see how the FBI confirms its numbers to avoid errors caused by such break-downs in the system. How does the FBI protects its database from corrupted or erroneous numbers?
They have a quality assurance program but the whole reporting is voluntary. So it has its flaws but what is the alternative? How do we best inform our readers about the limitations?
good questions