NCJ Number
180985
Journal
Crime Mapping News Volume: 1 Issue: 4 Dated: Fall 1999 Pages: 5-7
Date Published
1999
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article describes the benefits and characteristics of crime-mapping systems used by the New York City Police Department, the New York State Bureau of Arson, London's New Scotland Yard, the Minneapolis Police Department, and the Baltimore Police Department.
Abstract
With crime mapping, law enforcement professionals can access a visual image of crime trends and patterns, which allows officers to strategically position themselves to not only solve cases more quickly but to stop crime before it occurs. MapInfo's crime mapping and law enforcement products harness the power of location, or spatial information, to create a proactive and integral crime-fighting weapon. The New York City Police Department's COMPSTAT entails four elements: accurate, timely intelligence clearly communicated to all; rapid resource deployment that is concentrated, synchronized, and focused; effective tactics and strategies; and relentless follow-up and assessment. The New York State Bureau of Arson uses MapInfo software to map and analyze the fires in a spatial context. With MapInfo technology, London's New Scotland Yard allocates police forces, identifies crime trends, and plans for events that require crowd control. Based on NYPD's COMPSTAT, the Minneapolis Police Department developed its own system shaped to its specific needs and named CODEFOR. After 1 year of use, CODEFOR assisted in achieving a 16-percent decrease in serious crime in the city. The Baltimore Police Department not only uses MapInfo to track activities in Baltimore, it uses its MapInfo-based geographic information system to track criminal activity that crosses county lines, notably auto theft. This article also describes MapInfo's use in emergency responses and in planning security for public events.