Methodology

Transparency and accuracy are the foundation of the Glenda Gordy Research Center. Below is an overview of our data methodology.

1. Data Sources

Harris County District Clerk – Criminal Filings, Dispositions, and historical case data (2015–present).
Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) – Crime records and law enforcement reporting.
Houston Police Department (HPD) – Incident reports and crime trends.
FBI National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) – Nationwide data for context.

Analyzes citywide crime trends across Houston.

Focuses on crime occurring on and near university campuses.

Tracks monthly crime patterns and key statistics.

Highlights notable trends and shifts in local crime data.

Defines key legal and crime-related terms for clarity.

For additional insights beyond what’s available, please contact us.

We retrieve monthly snapshots from Harris County District Clerk to insert into our database. This is the primary source for the Houston Crime Dashboard.
Additionally, our database stores data from TXDPS, HPD, and NIBRS for insights.
Our data is processed with PostgreSQL, analyzed in R, visualized with Observable and D3.js.
Once our data is ingested, cleaned for consistency and compatibility with our database, and loaded into our database, we run regular updates to supply our various reporting vehicles with the appropriate data.

We welcome community members, journalists, researchers, and policymakers to request custom data reports that fit their needs.

To request specific data, please fill out our Data Request Form. If you have questions about our methodology, email us at ggrc@crime-stoppers.org.