Jersey City audit finds at least 3,251 police cases were not properly reported from 2021 through 2024
Jersey City’s internal audit of Police Department crime data found that at least 3,251 cases from 2021 through 2024 were not properly entered into the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System, or NIBRS.
Mayor James Solomon released the findings June 9, 2026. The city said the result means crime figures from before 2025 should not be used as a benchmark for future crime trends.
The finding concerns how cases were reported and entered into NIBRS. The audit announcement does not identify the individual cases or provide a revised crime-rate table.
Reporting and classification problems
According to the city, the reporting gaps stemmed from fragmented workflows, inconsistent tracking, inaccurate initial incident coding and failures to update offense classifications.
The city said most of the cases involved were not homicides and that homicide reporting remained accurate throughout the 2021-to-2024 period.
The audit covers records handled by the Jersey City Police Department during those four years. Its conclusion raises questions about the reliability of using those prior figures as a clean baseline for assessing changes in reported crime over time.
City officials did not characterize the finding as 3,251 previously unknown crimes. Rather, the audit identified cases that were not properly entered into the federal incident-based reporting system.
City sets 2025 as new baseline
Jersey City said its 2025 crime data is up to date and will serve as the baseline going forward. That distinction is significant because the city has advised against comparing future figures with pre-2025 data as though all years were reported through the same reliable process.
The city has invited the New Jersey State Police to conduct an on-site review of Police Department reporting workflows. The announcement did not specify a date for that review.
Corrective steps planned
The city said it is pursuing several corrective measures: adding NIBRS personnel, providing refresher training, strengthening supervisory review and evaluating upgrades to its computer-aided dispatch and records-management systems, commonly referred to as CAD and RMS.
It also said a public crime-and-safety dashboard was expected to launch in the following weeks. The announcement did not confirm a launch date or whether the dashboard has since gone live.
The audit is an internal city review. An outside on-site review by the State Police, if completed, could provide a further assessment of the reporting workflows identified by the city.
Sources
- Mayor Solomon releases findings of JCPD crime data audit, City of Jersey City, New Jersey