PLEASE READ:
There are some important things that you need to know about using these databases
- Because this data is produced via a complex set of processes involving many different people and computer systems, there are many different places where errors can be introduced into the data that you will be downloading from here. The margin of error in this data is approximately 10%. Please keep this in mind when working with these databases. No representation is made or implied regarding the accuracy of the data being made available here.
- Copies of Crime Reports are available to the public. HOWEVER, you cannot obtain a copy of a Crime Report just because you want one. To obtain a copy, you have to have a legitimate need for the crime report. In other words, you have to be a victim, one of the parties involved in an accident, or an attorney, insuarance agency or some other agent acting on behalf of an involved party.
- The Police Department is providing this data for download under the assumption that you have intermediate computer skills and understand operations like unzipping compressed files, opening database files, building queries, creating reports for output to a printer, etc. The Police Department does not have staff available to assist you in downloading, using or interpreting this data.
- It is against state law (Government Code Section 6254) for us to provide victim addresses for certain classes of crimes (mainly rape, sex or abuse-related crimes). Since the address field in the databases is usually that of the victim, it has been blanked out for the affected crime types. You can still check on activity for those types of crimes, but you can only do it by the EDP subdistricts (small areas on the maps). The addresses are blanked out for the following crimes:
- 220 – Attempted Rape
- 261 – Rape
- 262 – Rape
- 264 – Rape
- 273 – Domestic Violence/ Child Neglect
- 286 – Sodomy
- 288 – Other Sex Crimes
- 289 – Other Sex Crimes
- 422 – Terrorist Threats
- 646.9 – Stalking
- We began using a new Records Management System (RMS) in February, 2004. This system manages all crime and incident reports for the Police Department. Due to this new system, our databases have a different format when compared to previous years. The biggest difference you'll notice is how the reports are classified: we now use a combination of UCR codes and State codes. See the below links for code definitions.
- Sectors, Districts, Beats, EDP's, etc.: Most law enforcement agencies have pre-defined areas for their officers to work in. For many years, the Sacramento Police Department has named these areas Sectors, Districts, and EDP's (Electronic Data Processing districts). In 2006, these areas were renamed. Sectors are now called Districts, Districts are now called Beats, and EDP’s are called Grids. Districts are the largest of the areas; the City is divided into 6 Districts. The Districts are divided into Beats, which are assigned to Patrol officers. The Beats are divided into Grids for reporting purposes. Over the years, the various boundaries have changed, but the Grids have not change significantly. As confusing as this all sounds, this information will be necessary if you need to work with the databases. See the link below for the 2006 boundary map.
Code Definitions
State Crime Code and SPD Alpha Code List: (PDF) Version
Searchable State Codes: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/calaw.html
Federal UCR (Uniform Crime Reporting) Offense Codes/Classifications: (PDF) Version
For more information about the UCR: : http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm
City of Sacramento Downloadable Map:
This map shows the major streets and EDP districts (Grids). In earlier versions of our databases (prior to 2000), the EDP's were divided into two columns - EDP District, and EDP Sub-district. The two sets of numbers in those columns were combined to create the EDP's as shown on the map. Download the map HERE. (Please note that due to map size some areas of downtown area may not be clearly visible.)
You can also download a 2006 city map showing districts and beats HERE.
Overview:
The basic process for using these databases is:
- Download the database(s) for the years that you want to look at.
- Download the supporting information: the code list, definition lists, etc.
- Pull out the information from the databases using your own database software.
Crime Report Databases (.dbf Format)
1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004* | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008**
Crime Report Databases – Delimited Text Files (.txt All files are comma delimited)
1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004* | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008**
* Due to the RMS change, 2004 data is split into two databases.
** 2008 files contain data for January 1st through May 31st.
