Frequently Asked Questions

You can locate information about the collection of DNA to assist in the identification of missing persons on the DNA Analysis and CODIS Searching section of the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) website.

For additional information, contact NamUs at 833-872-5176 or via email.

If you have not yet contacted law enforcement officials to assist in locating a missing adult, please do so immediately. For additional assistance, visit the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) website. NamUs is a clearinghouse for missing persons and unidentified decedent records. This free online system can be searched by medical examiners, coroners, law enforcement officials, and the general public to solve these cases. To enter a missing persons report into the NamUs database, visit the registration page.

Additionally, Ashanti Alerts provide for rapid dissemination of information about adults who have been reported missing along with suspect information in cases of suspected abduction. Learn more about these Alerts on the National Ashanti Alert Network section of the Bureau of Justice Assistance website.

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) website provides access to information about programs and efforts aimed at improving the justice system's response to people with mental illness. Following are examples of BJA-supported efforts:

• Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program
• Police-Mental Health Collaboration Toolkit
• Council of State Governments Justice Center Mental Health Program

Rape clearance statistics are available in the Federal Bureau of Investigation report, Crime in the United States.

Juvenile arrest statistics are available in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) report, Crime in the United States and in the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)/National Institute of Justice bulletin, Juvenile Arrests 2018.

Also see the Law Enforcement and Juvenile Crime and the Juvenile Arrest Rates sections of the OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book (SBB).

Data on homicides cleared by arrest or exceptional means can be found in the Federal Bureau of Investigation annual Crime in the United States report. These annual reports also provide a definition of crimes cleared by exceptional means.

Less-lethal technology devices serve to minimize the risk of death and injury to public safety officers, suspects, detainees, and the public. Information about less-lethal technologies can be found on the Less-Lethal Technologies section of the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) website. This page captures information about the topic and provides links to NIJ resources and reports concerning these technologies.

Also see the Less Lethal Technologies section of our website for additional resources.

College-specific crime statistics are available on the Campus Security Data Analysis Cutting Tool website from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE).

Additional data and information can be found on the U.S. Department of Education's Campus Security page. Also, Crime in the United States, an annual report from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, provides university/college campus crime data that are reported by law enforcement agencies.

For additional information about campus crime and safety, visit the following sites:

• Special Feature: Campus Safety, OJP
• Crime Victimization: Campus Crime, Office for Victims of Crime

Statistics on burglary offenses (as well as other types of crime) are found in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) annual report, Crime in the United States. Also visit the FBI's Crime Data Explorer, an interactive tool that presents charts and graphs that break down data in a variety of ways.