This report is updated approximately 30 days after the end of the month.
To download the most recent data set powering this report, click on the gray "Download Data" tab and follow the instructions on the page.
Dashboard Walkthrough
1. Report Overview
The Monthly Neighborhood Offense Statistics is an interactive data visualization of the offenses that are reported to the Portland Police Bureau. This tool is built to provide custom analyses of offense data to interested members of the community, especially as it relates to the Portland neighborhoods. For a more detailed map of the neighborhood boundaries used by the Police Bureau, click here.
Offenses are reported using the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) maintained by the FBI. NIBRS provides a comprehensive view of the occurrence of crime by reporting all unique offenses within an incident rather than just the most serious offense. Prior to April 2015, the PPB reported statistics using the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program’s Summary Reporting System (SRS). The different reporting systems and processes prevent any crime statistics prior to April 2015 from being compared to current NIBRS data. More information on NIBRS.
2. Technical Specifications
The report has been customized to work on personal computers, smart phones and tablets. For the best experience, it is recommended you use a desktop or laptop computer.
No additional software is required to use this report. The report runs completely within the internet browser using JavaScript. Most modern browsers automatically activate JavaScript; however, it can be turned off based on the security settings of the computer. For more information on activating JavaScript, refer to the browser’s help section or click here for help on Windows computers and click here for help on Apple computers.
3. Visualization Walkthrough
The Monthly Neighborhood Offense Statistics is an interactive data visualization. This interactivity allows users to filter the information based on the questions they are hoping to answer with this dataset. An overview of the pre-built filters is included below.
a. Date Filter
The Date Filter is the primary selection tool for the date range. The dropdown filter defaults to the 13 most recent months that data is available. To change the months in view, hit the down arrow to the right of "(Multiple values)" and select the check boxes next to the corresponding months and years you would like to view. There is no limit to the number of months; however, the Offense Count by Month chart gets crowded past 14 months.
b. Offense Count by Category
The table on the left-hand side of the report, Offense Count by Category, provides a detailed listing of the reported frequency of offenses during the selected time period. For more information on the offense, including the definition, hover the mouse over the value (number).
The table does more than just provide information as it also doubles as a filter. Clicking on the name of a particular offense category, such as Burglary, automatically updates the Frequency Map and Offense Count by Month to show the distribution and frequency of those crimes. Multiple offenses can be selected by dragging the mouse when clicking or holding down the CTRL button on the keyboard when clicking the offenses. TIP: To filter for all offenses in the “Crime Against” category (i.e., Person, Property, or Society) click that label instead of individual offenses.
c. Frequency Map
The Frequency Map is an outline of all Portland neighborhoods using the Portland Police Bureau boundaries. The map dynamically updates based on selected filters. Darker colors signal a higher number of reported offenses. The minimum and maximum values on the color scale adjust based on the other filters. Hover the mouse over a shape to get basic information about that neighborhood, including its name, coalition, and the count for all selected offenses.
Like the Offense Count by Category view, the map can also be used to filter results in the different tables and charts. To filter statistics by neighborhood, select the neighborhood on the map. Multiple neighborhoods can be selected by dragging the mouse when clicking or holding down the CTRL button on the keyboard when clicking the neighborhoods.
A link is provided to instructions on finding the neighborhood of a specific location on PortlandMaps.com. Use the text box just above the map to highlight the neighborhood’s location on the map.
TIP: Just using the “highlight” function does not filter by that neighborhood. After a neighborhood is highlighted, make sure to click on that neighborhood shape to filter the results.
d. Total Offense Count by Month
The final view on the main report is the Offense Count by Month bar chart. This chart highlights the total offense count (or, if filtered, the total count of all selected offenses) for all months included in the overall date filter. Like the Frequency Map and Offense Count by Category table, the bar charts can also be used to filter results; select one (or more) months to view the offense and regional breakdown for that month.
TIP: Select more than one month by dragging the mouse when clicking or holding down the CTRL button on the keyboard when clicking the month.
e. Toolbar
The toolbar, located at the bottom of the visualization, contains several buttons that assist in the analysis of the data.
A. Undo. This button allows the user to go back to a prior option or setting when adjusting filters. It only becomes active when the above filters are applied to the report.
B. Redo. This button allows the user to re-active a filter or selection. It only becomes active when the "Undo" button is utilized.
C. Reset. The "Reset" button reverts all filters and selections back to their original setting when you first visited the page. This is a great way to restart the analysis after clicking several filters.
D. Share. Clicking the "Share" button launches a new window that automatically creates links to share the dashboard with others on the Web and social media.
E. Download. The "Download" button allows users to save a static version of the visualization. This option is great for printing out copies of the dashboard to share at meetings or to include in a presentation.
"Image" generates a .png file of the report with all of the selections and filters.
The "Data", "Crosstab", and "Tableau Workbook" options are unavailable for use with the Crime Victimization Dashboard.
"PDF" allows users to export the report, with all of the currently selected filters, as a PDF. the options dialogue allows custom scaling and paper size options. For best results, use the default options.
The "PowerPoint" options automatically generates and exports a .pptx file ready for use in Microsoft PowerPoint. The includes a screenshot of the dashboard that can be copied and pasted into any new or existing presentation.
F. Full Screen. This option will enlarge the dashboard to encompass the entire screen of your current device. To exit, press "Esc" on your screen or click the button again.
f. Download Data
The Portland Police Bureau is a proud member of the Police Data Initiative. Open Data provides an opportunity to improve the relationship between the community and the PPB by increasing transparency, building community trust, and strengthening accountability.
The Download Data tab of this report was custom-built to meet the Bureau’s Open Data goals. To download a copy of the data for custom analyses and presentation, follow these steps:
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- Click on the Download Data tab at the top of the report.
- Use the optional filters to splice and shrink the dataset based on desired parameters.
- Click on the “Download” button on the toolbar in the lower-right corner of the report.
- Click on “Data.”
- A new window will pop-up that shows only the first 200 rows of data. Click on the blue link that says “Download all rows as a text file.
- Once downloaded, the file can be imported to Microsoft Excel or other data analysis programs.
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Location data is only provided to the block level to preserve victim anonymity. Cases deemed sensitive due to the nature of the crime, victim, victim/offender relationship, or investigation status may contain data that cannot be shared openly at this time. Case numbers and specific location information for sensitive cases are not included in the open data. These Case Numbers are signified with an “X” in their title.
TIP: If address information is not required for the desired analysis, click “Crosstab” instead of “Data” under the download tab. This removes a couple of steps, but still preserves all selected filters.
Metadata for Offense Open Data
Offenses are reported using the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) maintained by the FBI. NIBRS provides a comprehensive view of the occurrence of crime by reporting all unique offenses within an incident rather than just the most serious offense. Prior to April 2015, the PPB reported statistics using the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program’s Summary Reporting System (SRS). The different reporting systems and processes prevent any crime statistics prior to April 2015 from being compared to current NIBRS data. More information on NIBRS.
Cases deemed sensitive due to the nature of the crime, victim, victim/offender relationship, or investigation status may contain data that cannot be shared openly at this time. Case numbers and specific location information for sensitive cases are not included in the open data.
| Case Number | The case year and number for the reported incident (YY-######). Sensitive cases have been randomly assigned a case number and are denoted by an X following the case year (YY-X######). |
|---|---|
| Occur Month Year | The Month and Year that the incident occured. |
| Occur Date | Date the incident occurred. The exact occur date is sometimes unknown. In most situations, the first possible date the crime could have occurred is used as the occur date. (For example, victims return home from a week-long vacation to find their home burglarized. The burglary could have occurred at any point during the week. The first date of their vacation would be listed as the occur date.) |
| Occur Time | Time the incident occured. The exact occur time is sometimes unknown. In most situations, the first possible time the crime could have occured is used as the occur time. The time is reported in the 24-hour clock format, with the first two digits representing hour (ranges from 00 to 23) and the second two digits representing minutes (ranges from 00 to 59). Note: By default, Microsoft Excel removes leading zeroes when importing data. For more help with this issue, refer to Microsoft's help page. |
| Address | Address of reported incident at the 100 block level (e.g.: 1111 SW 2nd Ave would be 1100 Block SW 2nd Ave). To protect the identity of victims and other privacy concerns, the address location of certain case types are not released. |
| Open Data X / Y |
Generalized XY point of the reported incident. For offenses that occurred at a specific address, the point is mapped to the block's midpoint. Offenses that occurred at an intersection is mapped to the intersection centroid. To protect the identity of victims and other privacy concerns, the points of certain case types are not released. XY points use the Oregon State Plane North (3601), NAD83 HARN, US International Feet coordinate system. |
| Open Data Lat / Lon |
Generalized Latitude / Longitude of the reported incident. For offenses that occurred at a specific address, the point is mapped to the block's midpoint. Offenses that occurred at an intersection is mapped to the intersection centroid. To protect the identity of victims and other privacy concerns, the points of certain case types are not released. |
| Neighborhood | Neighborhood where incident occurred. If the neighborhood name is missing, the incident occurred outside of the boundaries of the Portland neighborhoods or at a location that could not be assigned to a specific address in the system (e.g., Portland, near Washington Park, on the streetcar, etc.). Note: Neighborhood boundaries and designations vary slightly from those found on the Office of Community & Civic Life website. |
| Crime Against | Crime against category (Person, Property, or Society) |
| Offense Category | Category of offense (for example, Assault Offenses) |
| Offense Type | Type of offense (for example, Aggravated Assault) Note: The statistic for Homicide Offenses has been updated in the Group A Crimes report to align with the 2019 FBI NIBRS definitions. The statistic for Homicide Offenses includes (09A) Murder & Non-negligent Manslaughter and (09B) Negligent Manslaughter. As of January 1, 2019, the FBI expanded the definition of negligent manslaughter to include traffic fatalities that result in an arrest for driving under the influence, distracted driving, or reckless driving. The change in definition impacts the 2019 homicide offenses statistic and the comparability of 2019 homicide statistics to prior year. |
| Offense Count | Number of offenses per incident. Offenses (i.e. this field) are summed for counting purposes. |
NIBRS Offense Definitions
Offenses are reported using the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) maintained by the FBI. NIBRS provides a comprehensive view of the occurrence of crime by reporting all unique offenses within an incident rather than just the most serious offense. Prior to April 2015, the PPB reported statistics using the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program’s Summary Reporting System (SRS). The different reporting systems and processes prevent any crime statistics prior to April 2015 from being compared to current NIBRS data. More information on NIBRS.