The survey was mailed in March 1997 to a sample of law enforcement agencies in the United States. Sample agencies were differentiated based on whether they employed more than 100 sworn officers (n=871), of which all were sampled, or fewer than 100 sworn officers (n=16,486). The survey found that increasingly the criminal justice community, specifically law enforcement agencies, appreciate the value and benefits of crime mapping applications and are implementing computerized crime mapping systems to assist with daily operations. Eighty-four percent of the departments that use crime mapping reported that their leaders financially support mapping efforts, and 85 percent reported that mapping is a valuable tool for the department. Responding departments indicated that funding for mapping-related efforts came primarily from the department's annual budget, rather than Federal or State sources. The survey found that of the departments that currently do not use crime mapping, 61 percent believe that software that requires minimal training would be very useful. In addition, the National Institute of Justice sponsored a crime mapping conference in 1997, the first of its kind, which attracted 400 participants. 1 exhibit and 3 notes
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