SE Valley Times

House Republicans Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) are calling for transparency after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) revised its 2022 violent crime statistics, revealing a significant discrepancy in its initial report. The lawmakers criticized the bureau for not publicly disclosing the change and for using inaccurate data in its public statements.

“Chris Wray isn’t off the hook for cooking the books on crime stats, the House Judiciary GOP wrote in a Nov. 7 social media post on X. “We’re on it.”

According to a letter written to Christopher Wray, Director of the FBI, signed by Reps. Jordan and Biggs, the FBI had initially reported a 2.1% decrease in violent crime between 2021 and 2022, but revised figures released in September show an actual 4.5% increase.

Jordan and Biggs argue the FBI did not make this revision publicly known, and they criticize the bureau for not updating the public on the adjustment. The original decrease, they claim, was highlighted as a significant achievement despite being based on incorrect figures. The revised data only became accessible by downloading the updated statistics, forcing a comparison with the previous report, a move they say shows a lack of transparency. This change was also omitted from a recent FBI press release, which highlighted a 3.0% drop in violent crime from 2022 to 2023—relying on the revised 2022 figures to support the decline.

The congressmens’ letter questions the FBI’s accuracy and integrity in reporting crime data, particularly regarding recent changes to its data collection methodology.

“The FBI’s revision of violent crime data confirms what our oversight has shown: the Biden-Harris crime epidemic continues to escalate and far-left state and local policymakers to place interests of criminals over the needs of their communities,” Jordan and Biggs wrote in their letter.

This demand for accountability follows two days after Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election. Jordan and Biggs assert that the FBI’s lack of transparency on violent crime data has led to public mistrust and call for thorough review and correction of the agency’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) procedures.

The two lawmakers, echoing concerns raised by the Crime Prevention Research Center, argue the revision aligns with findings from Republican oversight efforts, which suggest rising crime levels and inadequate action from state and local leaders to protect their communities. They contend that these revised statistics were misused as evidence of crime reduction, even as data indicated worsening trends.

Jordan and Biggs have given the FBI until November 21 to submit all relevant documents regarding its process for revising crime data, particularly those involving the updated 2022 statistics. They have also requested a briefing to discuss the FBI’s oversight procedures, the frequency of past corrections to crime statistics, and steps to ensure the reliability of future reports.