[DamnableNook]

> The data isn’t trustworthy and underestimates the true count of crime.

You’ll need to back that up with facts, not “it seems to me…”. It’s easy to say “the data are wrong, think about it,” but that doesn’t make it true. That’s just a nice way of saying, “of course those people are criminals, just look at them, but there’s a conspiracy making reality say different.”

[sweeter]

Exactly. FBI gathers crime statistics from every police department across the nation, and most States also do an independent set of statistics on crime. There is absolutely nothing to indicate that they are lying, and their personal incentive is to the exact opposite, as they receive more funding in times where crime is higher. These institutions already make up the majority of most City and State budgets, its well into the billions. But good luck ever trying to reason with people, crime has been used for emotional manipulation on social media and news for decades now, facts don't matter to most people on this topic.

[beerandt]

That's a voluntary program that most large cities have declined to participate in since 2020.

And the 'standardized' form has been messed with so much that increase or decrease for any particular line item is meaningless.

Personally, I know that shootings and other crimes I've reported on my property have been white-washed and don't show up in our city's 'open data' system.

Being 'open' with statistics just means they're much more careful about manipulating them first, or about what data is allowed in.