Final answer:
True, The Uniform Crime Report (UCR) is indeed a primary source of crime data collected by the FBI, although it doesn't encompass all crimes, especially unreported ones.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that the Uniform Crime Report (UCR) is a leading source of crime data collected by the Federal Bureau of Investigation is true. The FBI gathers this data from approximately 17,000 law enforcement agencies across the United States. The UCR provides comprehensive information from police reports but does not include unreported crimes.
Furthermore, the data can be inconsistent due to variations in how victim data is collected. To improve crime data reporting, the FBI now requires states to submit information to the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), which collects more detailed information on each crime incident.
Data from the UCR has been used to study crime trends and correlations, such as the relationship between education levels and crime rates.
However, it's important to note that the UCR alone does not account for all crime in the United States, and general trends show that while crime rates have been declining, public perception may still consider crime to be a significant concern.