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Standardizing the
Display of IBR Data:
Location Variables
Data Collection and Quality Issues Associated with Location Variables
Location at a Glance
| Segment? | Offense |
| Required? | Yes |
| Number of Entries? | 1 |
| Number of Coding Options? | 25 |
Data Collection
According to the FBI Data Collection Guidelines, the location data element is used to report the type of location/premises where each offense took place. Only one location can be entered for each offense. There are 25 allowable entries:
| Air/Bus/Train Terminal | Hotel/Motel/Etc | |||
| Bank/Savings and Loan | Jail/Prison | |||
| Bar/Night Club | Lake/Waterway | |||
| Church/Synagogue/Temple | Liquor Store | |||
| Commercial/Office Building | Parking Lot/Garage | |||
| Construction Site | Rental Storage Facility | |||
| Convenience Store | Residence/Home | |||
| Department/Discount Store | Restaurant | |||
| Drug Store/Doctor's Office/Hospital | School/College | |||
| Field/Woods | Service/Gas Station | |||
| Government/Public Building | Specialty Store | |||
| Grocery/Supermarket | Other/Unknown | |||
| Highway/Road/Alley |
Data Quality Issues
The location data element is a required entry, and therefore is often checked by data entry programs. As a result, many blank fields or incorrect entries can be caught and corrected.
States may also add their own location codes to their state IBR systems, which are then recoded before the data are sent to the FBI. For example, New York has 47 location codes, adding locations such as Amusement Center, Dry Cleaners/Laundry, and Cemetery, to name a few. This allows states to better focus on incidents particular to their own state, and allows more specific analysis.