SENATE UNANIMOUSLY APPROVES COSTA CRIME STATS BILL

Harrisburg, June 22, 2004 – The state Senate has unanimously approved Sen. Jay Costa Jr.’s legislation that would improve the reporting and accuracy of crime statistics in Pennsylvania.

The Costa bill would:

· transfer the legal authority and administrative responsibilities for the state’s Uniform Crime Report (UCR) from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency to the Pennsylvania State Police;

· notify and remind police departments that fail to submit their crime statistic to the State Police; and

· penalize agencies that refuse to provide complete and accurate crime statistics for the UCR report.

“I am encouraged by the overwhelming bipartisan Senate support,” Costa said. “Hopefully, the measure (Senate Bill 668) would spur greater law enforcement participation and accuracy in the reporting of crime statistics.”

Costa said that currently only about half of the state’s 1,204 police agencies fully disclose annual crime statistics. He said such a “cloudy picture hinders law enforcement’s ability to fully assess and combat crime trends.

“The statewide crime statistics impact a range of issues from how much federal funding we receive to how best to use Pennsylvania’s crime prevention, enforcement and treatment resources,” Costa said.

Costa’s bill would enable the state police to set procedures aimed at improving the participation, accuracy, and accountability of UCR statistics.

Under the bill, if a law enforcement agency fails to comply, it could lose its share of funds from fines and fees, as well as state and federal grant monies.

Knowing how thinly stretched many local police department budgets are, Costa said he will also work to provide greater resources and assistance to help agencies fulfill the requirement to fully report crime statistics.

The Allegheny County lawmaker said the dwindling level of law enforcement reporting over the years may have given Pennsylvanians an inaccurate picture of how safe Pennsylvania’s communities are.

“In some years, big city police departments have been among those who failed to provide UCR data,” Costa said. “We cannot allow such gaping holes in Pennsylvania’s crime data to continue.

“Accurate crime statistics are a critical component to using taxpayer funds wisely and for allocating budget resources for prisons, rehabilitation and community crime prevention programs.”

As Democratic Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Costa worked closely with the Pennsylvania State Police to develop the legislation.

The bill now goes to the state House of Representatives for consideration.

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