Utilizing the National Incident-Based Reporting System to Further Our Understanding of Agricultural Theft

Research related to rural offending and victimization, while increasing in recent years, is hindered by the difficulties associated with gathering quality data. This is particularly true for investigations of agricultural theft, a crime problem unique to rural America. Several studies have explored the prevalence of such offending—in addition to the characteristics that influence victimization—via surveys administered to farm operators. Though beneficial, they rely upon small samples drawn from limited geographic areas. The current study proposes turning to the National Incident-Based Reporting System to advance our knowledge of agricultural theft, as it presents the opportunity to explore related research questions via a more nationally-representative sample. In addition, it opens the door for inquiries into understudied aspects of theft, such as victim and offender characteristics, theft targets, monetary losses and clearance rates. Each of these potential avenues is discussed, in addition to considerations that should be taken into account when making use of the data.