Crime Mapping News
A Quarterly Newsletter for Crime Mapping, GIS,
Problem Analysis, and Policing

Police Foundation logo

The topic of this issue of Crime Mapping News is how mapping 
and GIS can be applied to planning for major events. This 
issue begins with an article that discusses the coordination 
of federal, state, and local agencies with emphasis on data, 
mapping, and GIS to prepare for a major political event. The 
second article describes a similar application with the 
coordination of state and local agencies to prepare for a major 
sporting event. The third article describes a new module in the 
recently released CrimeStat III spatial statistics program that 
will further aid crime analysts and researchers in their crime 
mapping efforts. The last article is part of our new series 
called the Crime Mapping News Spotlight where we highlight a 
particular program, crime analysis unit, or special event 
involving GIS, crime mapping and/or crime analysis, and provide 
a brief snapshot of the key components, ideas, or strategies. 
This issues spotlight focuses on a crime analysis unit in Florida. 

Volume 7 Issue 2 2005 

Inside this Issue

GIS for a Homeland Security Event: 
The Democratic National Convention ...............1 

Influential Mapping Using GIS in a Small City: 
How to Convey Your Plans Clearly and Concisely...................................5 

CrimeStat III.......................... 8 

Contacting the Crime Mapping Laboratory.............................. 10 

Crime Mapping News Spotlight ....................... 11 

Highlights of Recent Crime Mapping Conferences............ 13 

Upcoming Conferences and Training........................... 14 

Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) on the Web....................15 

About the Police Foundation .............................16 


GIS for a Homeland Security Event: The Democratic National Convention 

by Lauren McLane, Department of Homeland Securitys Federal Emergency Management Agency 
and Johanna Meyer, Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency 

Introduction 

The Democratic National Convention (DNC) GIS Working Group coordinated planning 
and support for local, state, and federal geographic information system (GIS) operations 
for the Democratic National Convention, a National Special Security Event (NSSE), held 
at the Fleet Center in Boston, MA, on July 26-29, 2004 (Figure 1). This working group 
was created to coordinate geospatial issues, increase communication among response 
organizations, and address GIS specific problems for this event. 

The DNC GIS Working Group focused on three main issues:  
. Data development and sharing  
. Unified modeling  
. Mapping support 

The group found separate data sources existed in city, state, and federal databases, 
which resulted in GIS products that displayed different and conflicting information. 
Also, some of the data sources used by response organizations were not always accurate, 
resulting in incorrect maps. Another problem was that data changes rapidly, particularly 
in urban areas. For example, traffic on Route 93 through the center of Boston was recently 
moved from elevated highways to underground tunnels as part of the Central Artery Project, 
commonly known as the Big Dig. To address these data issues, the DNC GIS Working Group 
created a common data set accessible to all GIS personnel working this event. These data 
were gathered from several sources, vetted for accuracy and content, and then distributed 
within the working group. This dataset served as a resource for this event and will continue 
to serve for future events or response operations in Boston. 

In the past, model results were released displaying differing and often conflicting information, 
causing confusion among responders. In an effort to resolve this 





confusion, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is 
in the process of establishing the Interagency Modeling and 
Atmospheric Assessment Center (IMAAC) to provide single 
air dispersion models to emergency responders. The DNC 
GIS Working Group provided a similar service, releasing 
one model for use in all operations. In addition to air 
dispersion models, the working group also coordinated the 
development of other models to support response operations 
to hurricanes, earthquakes, and floods. 

A primary goal of the DNC GIS Working Group 
was to provide GIS map production support to local, state, 
and federal response organizations supporting DNC 
operations. Because many of the maps required by these 
organizations were the same or very similar, there was a 
strong potential for duplication of efforts. The working 
group addressed this by developing a set of common maps 
pre-event, including standardized base maps for distribution 
to each of the approximately twenty command posts. 

Image of Figure 1 - The Fleet Center where the DNC was held
Figure 1. The Fleet Center, where the DNC was held. 

Coordination 

The DNC GIS working group met monthly from 
December 2003, through July 2004. These meetings were 
attended by approximately twenty federal, state, and local 
agencies of public safety, emergency management, and other 
supporting entities, as well as representatives from the 
private sector. These included the Boston Police 
Department, Boston EMS, Boston Emergency Management 
Agency (BEMA), Massachusetts Emergency Management 
Agency (MEMA), Massachusetts National Guard Civil 
Support Team, Massachusetts State Police, Federal 
Emergency Management Agency 
(FEMA), US Environmental Protection 
Agency (EPA), US Secret Service, US 
Coast Guard, National Geospatial 
Intelligence Agency (NGA), Naval 
Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC), 
US Geological Survey (USGS), US 
Army Corps of Engineers, Department 
of Homeland Security (DHS), 
USNORTHCOMCBIRF (Chemical 
Biological Incident Response Force) 
and JTF-CS (Joint Task Force Civil 
Support), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 
the City of Cambridge, FEMAs Urban 
Search and Rescue Massachusetts Task 
Force 1, and ESRI. Minutes were 
created and distributed for each 
meeting. 

To guide this collaborative 
process, a concept of operations 
document was produced, describing the 
agreed upon operating and information 
sharing procedures for the event. It 
included information on data format 
and type, naming conventions, data and map sharing 
procedures, documentation requirements, procedures for the 
modeling group, and contact information. It also established 
procedures for distributing data and maps during the event 
using an EPA File Transfer Protocol (FTP) site and an EPA 
message board capability for sharing general information on 
updates. 

Data and Mapping

A single set of data was distributed to the emergency 
GIS planners from the federal, state, and local levels 
participating in this emergency planning. This 10 gigabit (GB) 
dataset included over 8 GB of imagery and approximately 170 
vector files. The major contributors of data were MassGIS, 
Boston Police, EPA, DHS groups, and MEMA. The working 
group established data requirements early in the process by 
creating a list of necessary datasets that were subsequently 
vetted through the GIS and key operational representatives to 
ensure completeness. Each agency then provided the source, 
vintage, and scale for their available dataset. These lists were 
collated by the data coordinator and the most appropriate 
source for each dataset was assimilated into the database. The 
data were collected and reformatted to a common projection. 
A symbology standard was created for this dataset and vetted 
through key operations personnel and through GIS personnel 
for comment. Once completed, an ArcGIS style was created 
and distributed along with layer files for most of the datasets. 

Additionally, new datasets were developed with 
DNC specific data. These included information such as DNC 
event venues, location of medical and hazardous materials 
response teams, security zones, staging areas, transportation 
changes including closings of roads and public transportation, 



and emergency operations centers. A short time before the 
DNC, the main phase of the Central Artery Project was 
completed, resulting in the rerouting of traffic on Route 93 
from the elevated highway to the underground tunnel. 
Because the Fleet Center, the venue for the DNC, is in 
extremely close proximity to the new tunnel and the 
demolition of the elevated structures, the landscape around 
this venue was changing rapidly in the months before the 
DNC. In response, aerial orthophotos were taken in the spring 
of 2004 and distributed to the group. 

In an effort to reduce duplication of effort, over 30 
maps were produced pre-event for both the ArcGIS 8.x and 
ArcView 3.x platforms. Also, in order to ensure that all of the 
operations centers were viewing and making decisions using 
the same information, five base maps were created 9 
(Figure 2). These were vetted for comment and approval 
through both the GIS personnel in this group and through 
several key operations groups from FEMA, MEMA, and the 
Boston Police Department. These base maps were published 
in the Field Operations Guide (FOG) produced by FEMA for 
the Consequence Management Subcommittee. Thirty 
additional maps were produced and included critical 
facilities, demographics, security areas, and DNC event 
specific information. These maps were distributed to 
members of the Consequence Management Subcommittee 
through a reference CD-ROM produced by FEMA. 

Image of Fllet Center Base Map
Figure 2. Fleet Center Base Map with inset of security zones. 

All data and maps were designated For Official 
Use Only until August 15, 2004, because of the sensitive 
nature of some data, including specific locations of field 
response teams. Once completed, the data and maps were 
distributed to twenty agencies on fifteen CDs and one DVD. 

Note from the editors: The opinions expressed in the articles of this newsletter 
are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Police 
Foundation or the COPS Office. In addition, only light editing has 
been done in order to keep each authors voice and tone. 



Modeling 

The DNC GIS Working Groups Centralized 
Modeling Group convened at Boston Police Headquarters 
during the event, and included modelers from the Boston 
police, EPA, NOAA, and the National Atmospheric Release 
Advisory Center (NARAC). They used three primary air 
dispersion models, Aerial Locations of Hazardous 
Atmospheres (ALOHA), Hazard Prediction and Assessment 
Capability (HPAC), and NARACs Web-based or reach-back 
air model. The procedure for this group was to run each 
model according to agreed upon inputs, then choose one and 
disburse those results via the NARAC Web site. The models 
were sent to each GIS representative to share with the 
appropriate responders in their agency or operations center. 

Additional meteorological support for the modeling 
group was also provided. Twelve portable anemometers and 
one surface level wind detection device, which are used for 
monitoring upper level atmospheric weather for weather 
analysis, were positioned at pre-determined locations 
throughout the city by the Boston Police Department in 
consultation with NOAA. All meteorological data for the area 
was consolidated and distributed through the Defense Threat 
Reduction Agencys (DTRA) weather service for modeling, a 
part of their HPAC support suite. 

Hardware and Software 

The ESRI software platforms were used for this 
event. Although much of the group was using ArcGIS 8.x, a 
significant number were using ArcView 3.x and, as a result, 
all maps were created in both platforms. Due to these factors 
and easy translation of the shapefile into other forms, the 
shapefile was chosen as the data distribution standard. 
Completed maps were also distributed in Adobe Acrobat PDF 
and in JPEG formats for easy printing and sharing. 

One concept scoped during the course of this 
working group was that of a common operational picture and 
GIS portal using ArcIMS and other technologies. This would 
have allowed for real-time data updates and a common 
operational GIS picture. Unfortunately, time and financial 
resources did not allow for the realization of this goal. 

Personnel 

Several weeks before the DNC, an invitation was 
distributed to local contacts and through the ESRI business 
partners to be included on a list of available personnel or 
equipment resources to be called upon in case of a significant 
event during the DNC. The response to this invitation was 
outstanding, with twelve organizations replying back, 
resulting in a pool of approximately 30 additional personnel 
with various expertise and resources to be activated if needed. 
Although there were no significant incidents during the DNC, 
a large disaster would have quickly overwhelmed resources, 
and these additional personnel would have been invaluable. 

Conclusion 

This collaboration was highly successful because of 
the close cooperation of all participants. The coordination and 
communication involved throughout the process of this 
working group was outstanding and proved to be the primary 
reason for the success of this effort. Similar working groups 
are recommended for NSSEs or other planned events. The 
working group found that one set of data and maps were 
extremely valuable to ensure that all agencies were looking at 
common information. Additionally, the Unified Modeling 
Group successfully resolved conflicting plume models by 
providing a consistent result. 

Acknowledgements 

All of the agencies and organizations involved in this 
working group contributed significant amounts of time and 
energy to this collaboration. Specifically, Johanna Meyer of 
MEMA served as the data coordinator to produce the dataset; 
Carl Walter of the Boston Police Department coordinated the 
Modeling Group; and Lauren McLane of FEMA did overall 
coordination, including the concept of operations, the 
symbology standard, the event-specific data, and the common 
maps. 

This article and these images were authorized by 
Lauren McLane, GIS Coordinator with Federal 
Emergency Management Agency, and Johanna Meyer, 
GIS coordinator with Massachusetts Emergency 
Management Agency. 

Laren McLane can be contacted via e-mail at lauren. 
mclane@dhs.gov. 

Johanna Meyer can be contacted via e-mail at Johann. 
meyer@state.ma.us. 

The inset image was courtesy of Carl Walter, Director 
of Tactical Analysis, Boston Police Department. 



Influential Mapping Using GIS in a Small City: 
How to Convey Your Plans Clearly and Concisely 


by Chief Mark W. Bowersox 
Polk City Police Department 

In 2003, a new Arnold Palmer signature golf course 
called the Tournament Club of Iowa opened for business in 
the middle of Polk City, Iowa. The course was designated as 
the new home of the Allianz Golf Championship, a PGA 
Champions Tour event that had previously been held in 
nearby West Des Moines. Polk City and its population of 
3,000 needed to be ready for the 40 - 50,000 visitors expected 
during the weeklong event. Handling the influx of visitors 
and traffic became an immediate concern especially to Polk 
Citys six-person police force. Fortunately, the chief and the 
city were in the process of installing GIS capabilities for 
citywide application. 

Through past contacts and with the use of aerial 
imagery and mapping capabilities, the city was able to put 
together a plan to handle the expected traffic demands of the 
tournament. Very early in the process, we contacted Iowa 
State Universitys Center for Transportation Research and 
Education and asked for help, and a comprehensive 
engineering study that served as a class project for senior 
engineering students was developed. Together with Pat 
Franklin, General Manager of Tournament Club of Iowa, we 
provided the students with the information and support for 
the project. Upon completion of the engineering project, we 
enlisted the support of the Polk City departments of fire, 
public works, and administration. 

Using maps developed in cooperation with Alan 
Jensen, GIS coordinator for Iowa, and with Polk City resident 
and computer consultant, Bob Schultz, we created detailed 
maps to assist in planning with Allianz officials. At 
subsequent meetings with the Polk County Secondary Roads 
department and the Iowa Department of Transportation 
(DOT), a traffic plan was devised that all parties agreed upon 
(Figure 1). The maps painted a clear picture for all parties 
and gave instant creditability to the plan. The plan was simple 
in concept and was designed to split traffic flow and direct a 
portion of the traffic away from Polk Citys main 
intersection. Polk County assisted by posting signage 
throughout the northwest portion of the county that helped 
direct the traffic into the venue. Iowa D.O.T. supplied 
changeable signage on area interstates and state roads and 
this was instrumental in guiding visitors into Polk City. 

We believed that for the tournament to be well 
received by the community it needed to have a minimum 
effect on the daily routines of citizens. We used maps to 
inform citizens and alleviate any anxieties they had during 
the months prior to the tournament. With Alan Jensens help, 
a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation was developed that 
featured aerial views of Polk City and included a map that 
illustrated potential problem areas if no traffic plan was used 
(Figure 2). A second map showed the same areas and how 
traffic-related problems would be minimized with the use of 
the traffic plan (Figure 3). The PowerPoint presentation 
was used numerous times at city meetings and informational 
meetings, where citizens were allowed to see the traffic plan 
and gain an understanding of how it was going to work. In 
addition, we used the presentation to brief other area law 
enforcement agencies about what Polk City planned to do. 

The Des Moines area media was at first skeptical 
about the ability of a small city like Polk City to handle 
such a large volume of traffic. However, because we were 
able to clearly and visually articulate Polk Citys plans, the 
media slowly began to realize that we were prepared. 

Image of Figure 1 Organizations and resources consulted by Polk City planners
Figure 1. Organizations and resources consulted by Polk 
City planners. 

The PowerPoint presentation addressed 
numerous issues other than just traffic. It presented plans 
for street closures and parking information. The city was 
going to require the use of permits for residents to park on 
streets close to the golf course. The maps used in the 
presentation clearly defined the areas that required a 
permit and made it very understandable to the public. The 
maps dispelled many rumors and eased concerns expressed 
by some citizens. Local school officials were concerned 
because an elementary school was located just down the 
street from the entrance to the golf course. With the use of 
maps, we were able to sit down with school officials and 
actually show them in detail how tournament-related 
traffic would be routed and this helped ease their concerns. 
After two years of planning, the tournament was held May 
30 through June 5, 2005. The Allianz officials were very 
happy with the first year at the new location. Official 
attendance at the tournament was 47,500 over the three 


Image of Figure 2 Potential Traffic Trouble Centers

Image of aerial view of Tournament Club of Iowa




Image of Figure 3 Final traffic plan devised for the Allianz Golf Championship
Figure 3. Final traffic plan devised for the Allianz Golf Championship. 

days of actual tournament play. Maps were used during the 
tournament as well. Several officers were brought in to help 
Polk City police provide security. Officers from other cities 
were given an aerial view of the golf course and its 6.5 miles 
of cart path. The maps helped visiting officers orient 
themselves to the venue. The Polk City Fire Department also 
used the maps to assist medical personnel in responding to 
any calls for assistance. 

Much to the delight of all of us involved in the 
months of planning, the event went off without a hitch. The 
city received numerous compliments and very few 
complaints. Expected traffic problems never materialized. 
The ability to plan and clearly present the traffic plan was 
made possible by the use of maps, which allowed several 
governmental agencies to work together to formulate an 
effective plan. The maps made it easier to educate the public 
and ease any apprehension they had about what was going to 
happen. Since the conclusion of the tournament, we are still 
using the PowerPoint presentation. As part of the Iowa 
Law Enforcement Academys Law Enforcement Executive 
Training program, I am traveling around the state of Iowa 
showing it to the command staffs of smaller police 
departments. The ability to generate informative maps and 
use them as a tool to convey a clear, concise message to 
tournament officials, other agencies, and the public was 
instrumental in contributing to the success of the 2005 
Allianz Golf Championship. 

Chief Mark W. Bowersox can be contacted via e-mail at 
mbowersox@polkcity.org. 


CrimeStat III 

by Ned Levine, PhD
Ned Levine and Associates, Houston, TX


With the recent release of CrimeStat III (version 3.0 
of the CrimeStat program) by the Mapping and Analysis for 
Public Safety program at the National Institute of Justice 
(NIJ), a new direction was taken for the program. CrimeStat 
is a stand-alone spatial statistics program for the analysis of 
incident locations. It was developed by Ned Levine & 
Associates from research grants from the National Institute of 
Justice, which is the sole distributor of CrimeStat and makes 
it available for free to law enforcement and criminal justice 
analysts and researchers. 

The program is Windows-based and interfaces with 
most desktop GIS programs. The purpose is to provide 
supplemental statistical tools to aid law enforcement agencies 
and criminal justice researchers in their crime mapping 
efforts. It reads point locations that could represent both 
incidents as well as proxies for a zone, such as the centroid of 
a census tract. It has a range of spatial statistical routines that 
are useful for researchers and crime analysts, including those 
for identifying elementary spatial characteristics, hot spots, 
broad regional trends through interpolation, and a series of 
tools for analyzing the behavior of serial-offendersjourney 
to crime (geographic profiling) estimation and space-time 
analysis aimed at predicting the direction and time of next 
events. 

Version 3.0 has introduced a module for modeling 
the behavior of offenders over an entire metropolitan area. 
Called Crime Travel Demand modeling, the 
module is an adaptation of travel demand 
modeling, widely used in transportation 
planning, to crime behavior. Virtually all 
large metropolitan areas in the United States 
and throughout the world have transportation 
planning organizations that model travel 
behavior over a wide metropolitan area. The 
purpose is to provide an analytical framework 
for coordinating the billions in Federal 
transportation dollars that are spent each year 
on roadway improvements throughout the 
United States. A travel demand model 
provides a baseline from which the effects of 
new roadway projects can be evaluated. If a 
model is first estimated using known travel 
data, it becomes possible to estimate the 
likely effects of making particular 
improvements by changing various 
parameters in the model. This what if 
quality of the travel demand model makes it 
useful for analyzing potential interventions 
which could reduce crime. 

Of course, crime travel behavior is 
different in many respects from ordinary 
travel behavior. Thus, the crime travel demand module 
requires a lot of adjustments in order to make it more 
appropriate for crime analysis. Prior to running the model, 
the user has to compile a sizeable amount of data. The model 
is run at a zonal level so the user has to first decide on which 
zone framework to use (e.g., census geography, traffic 
analysis zones, zip codes, grid cells) and, second, compile 
crime, socioeconomic, land use, and network data for these 
zones. Crime data is the most critical and a database of 
incidents must be obtained that has both the locations of the 
crimes as well as the offender origin locations (usually the 
residence location when arrested). The residence locations 
are assigned to zones to produce a distribution of origins by 
zone, while the crime locations are separately assigned to 
zones to produce a distribution of destinations by zone. 
Additional socioeconomic and land use data are obtained to 
allow the modeling of the origins and the destinations. 

The crime travel demand model is made up of four 
distinct stages that are conducted in sequence. First is trip 
generation in which separate models are developed to predict 
the number of crimes that will originate in each zone (an 
origin or production model) and the number of crimes that 
will occur in each zone (a destination or attraction model). 
Particular types of crimes (e.g., commercial robberies, 
residential burglaries) can also be modeled. Since, however, 
the distribution of crimes is highly skewedmost zones have 


few crimes that either originate or end in them, while a 
handful of zones have manya skewed regression model 
must be used. CrimeStat III has a stepwise Poisson-regression 
routine that allows the development of these models. 

Image of Figure 2

The second modeling stage is trip distribution in 
which the predicted trips are distributed from each origin zone 
to each destination zone. CrimeStat III has a gravity-type 
model for doing this and also allows a comparison of the 
predicted distribution with the actual trip distribution. Figure 
1 shows a map of the predicted inter-zonal 
crime trips that occurred in Baltimore County, 
MD, between 1993 and 1997 and compares 
them with the actual trips. 

Image of Figure 3

The third stage of crime travel 
demand modeling involves separating the 
crime trips from each origin zone to each 
destination zone into separate travel modes. 
A relative accessibility model is used to do 
this in which the relative frequency of each 
travel mode is evaluated with respect to the 
cost (or impedance) of travel. Figure 2 shows 
the predicted number of crime trips occurring 
in Baltimore County that went by the 
Baltimore urban rail system; note how the 
trips follow the layout of the rail lines, a 
necessary condition of taking a rail trip. 

The fourth, and last, stage of crime 
travel demand modeling is the assignment of 
crime trips to a travel network; the network 
can be weighted by travel time, speed, or even 
travel cost which provides a more realistic 
model of travel than mere distance. Figure 3 
shows the likely crime trip volumes that 
occurred on the major roads in Baltimore County and 
Baltimore City between 1993 and 1997. Note how the 
predicted trips follow the circular Baltimore Beltway (I-695), 
which is one of the major freeways in the metropolitan area. 
Even though travel on the Beltway is a little longer than direct 
arterials, it is usually much faster than travel on arterial roads, 
which are characterized by intersecting driveways and roads, 
traffic lights, and lots of stop-and-go traffic. 

Using the Model for Estimating 

Interventions 

Once the four modeling stages have 
been estimated for a metropolitan area, the 
model can be used to estimate the likely 
effects of particular interventions. 
Currently, various researchers are using the 
model to estimate the likely effects on DUI 
crashes of intervening to reduce alcohol 
dependency in neighborhoods with many DUI 
offenders (Phil Canter and Ned Levine); 
evaluating the consequences of improving 
security around El stations in Chicago (Dick 
Block); estimating the likely effects of 
Hurricane Katrina on drug shipments from 
Mexico to the United States (Dan Helms); 
targeting neighborhoods with many offenders 
who have committed robbery/homicides in 
Washington DC (Elizabeth Groff); and 
targeting housing projects with many drug 
offenders in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, NC (Jim 
LeBeau). In these cases, the model is being 
used to simulate the likely effect of 
implementing these interventions, assuming 


they are all successful. 

Plans for the Next Version 

The next version of the program will include new 
tools for spatial regression modeling and incident detection, 
as well as improved tools for crime travel demand modeling. 

In the meantime, version 3.0 can be downloaded 
from the archivist of the National Institute of Justice (see 
footnote 1). The program is accompanied by sample data sets 
and a manual with 17 chapters that gives the background 
behind the statistics and instructions for using them. A 
number of researchers and analysts have contributed 
examples on the use of various CrimeStat routines and Dick 
Block and Dan Helms have contributed a chapter applying 
the crime travel demand model to Chicago and Las Vegas, 
respectively. There is also an appendix of Poisson and 
Ordinary Least Squares regression written by Luc Anselin. 
In future versions, hopefully more chapters will be written by 
other researchers to illustrate the background behind various 
spatial statistics and how they are being used in crime 
analysis. 

 The program and documentation are available from: 
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/crimestat 

Ned Levine, PhD, is the Director of Ned Levine & 
Associates. Technical questions relating to the 
CrimeStat software, sample data, or manual should be 
directed to crimestat@nedlevine.com. 
CONTACTING THE
POLICE FOUNDATION CRIME MAPPING AND PROBLEM ANALYSIS 
LABORATORY:
By Phone: (202) 833-1460 
By Fax: (202) 659-9149 
By E-mail: jryan@policefoundation.org 
or 
gjones@policefoundation.org 
By Mail: 1201 Connecticut Avenue, NW 
Suite 200 
Washington, DC 20036-2636 
Also, feel free to contact individual Crime Mapping 
and Problem Analysis Laboratory staff with 
questions or comments. 
Joe Ryan 
Director 
Greg Jones 
Research Associate 



CRIME MAPPING NEWS SPOTLIGHT: 
Jacksonville Sheriffs Office 
NEW 
This issues spotlight focuses on the improvements 
that resulted from a recent mapping transition undertaken by 
the Jacksonville, Florida Sheriffs Office Crime Analysis 
Unit. The unit leveraged existing tools and changed the way 
they conducted business to enable far more efficient and 
flexible analysis. Re-thinking the utility of their existing 
mapping technology was fundamental to the proven success 
of their new business model.

 The Jacksonville Sheriffs Office (JSO) serves as a 
consolidated police and corrections law enforcement agency 
for all of Jacksonville and the vast majority of Duval 
County. Jacksonville ranks twentieth in population and has 
the largest geographical city limits in the continental 
U.S (see figure below). The JSO employs approximately 
1,600 sworn officers, eleven civilian analysts in its Crime 
Analysis Unit, and handles well over a million calls for 
service a year. 

 The Jacksonville Sheriffs Office has had mapping 
tools for years. Typically, analysts would produce maps 
when needed and the JSO even developed a basic Web-
mapping application for officers. But in the summer of 
2003, the out-going sheriff, John Glover, initiated the 
process of hiring Matt White, formerly of the Charlotte-
Mecklenburg Police Department, to run Jacksonvilles 
Crime Analysis Unit. Under the newly elected sheriff, 
John Rutherford, staff improvements to crime analysis 
were encouraged and supported. White envisioned that 
changes in the way they were conducting business 
primarily a fundamental reversal in the nature of their use 
and treatment of geographic information systems (GIS) as 
an analytical toolwould produce dramatic improvements 
in the speed, flexibility, and quality of their work. 

Image of Jacksonville County Sheriff's Office Jurisdcitions by zones

The JSO had many different tools for conducting 
crime analysis but there were some concerns about the 
efficiency and effectiveness of using each of these different 
tools for varying crime analysis functions (e.g., Access for 
database, ArcView for mapping, link software for charting, 
etc.). Analysts often repeated elaborate processes, which 
included switching back and forth between multiple 
software products, exporting and importing tables, 
handwriting information, searching various web sites, all in 
an effort to gather the data required to complete a single 
crime analysis assignment. At the time, GIS was used 
primarily as a niche product to fulfill requests specifically 
to generate maps, and the geocoding process was very 
laborious. Talented analysts were working hard but were 
frustrated by the time spent performing mundane tasks that 
prevented them from providing real crime analysis to the 
JSO.

 The JSO essentially reversed the way it conducted 
business as GIS was brought to the forefront and became 
the foundation of their crime analysis operations. Data 
processes and geocoding were handled before analysts 
arrived to work, eliminating hours of time consuming prep 
work each day. Thus, data were always cleaned, classified, 
and geocoded for the analysts each day. The result is that 
analysts now arrive at work, open GIS as their primary 
tool, and can visualize events and other data in the city 
from the previous days, weeks, or months. In addition, 
analysts can find definitions of incidents, field interviews, 


arrests, and other data to view any pertinent information 
and even read narratives with one click. Instead of 
reviewing incidents randomly or by beat, they can review 
by cluster, business type, MO, or any combination of these 
and other factors without ever having to change software 
tools. In GIS, they can easily access tabular information 
and create more elaborate link analysis utilizing preprocessed 
linkages to other police and non-police data. In 
keystrokes alone, the unit was saving substantial time each 
day. When people need information fast, analysts simply 
use a host of canned reports to produce consistent and 
need-formatted outputs based on simple GIS selections that 
combine geographic considerations with traditional 
database protocols. Best of all, analysts became fluent with 
GIS so that anytime more sophisticated GIS analysis can 
be of benefit, they are already up to the challenge. 
By using GIS as an information system rather than 
a niche mapping tool, the requests that once took the JSO 
days, weeks, or months now routinely take seconds, 
minutes, or hours. The result is that analysts are far more 
capable and far better situated to help further the goals of 
the agency they serve. Most importantly, developing a 
streamlined system for crime analysis reports has freed up 
more time for analysts to support problem-solving 
initiatives. While still reporting on crimes that have 
already occurred, analysts now have the extra time to be 
more strategic and thus more proactive and focused on 
crime prevention. 

This article was authored by Matt White, Crime 
Analysis Supervisor, Jacksonville Sheriffs Office. He 
can be contacted via e-mail at 
Matt.white@jaxsheriff.org

CRIME MAPPING NEWS 
CALL FOR AUTHORS 
UPCOMING TOPICS INCLUDE: 
 Crime Mapping in Smaller Agencies 
 Crime Mapping in Public Transportation 
Crime Mapping in State Agencies 
 Mapping in Courts and Corrections 
 Multijurisdictional Mapping Efforts 
Mapping Intelligence Data for Homeland Security 
Please contact Joe Ryan at jryan@policefoundation.org 
or 
Greg Jones@policefoundation.org 
 



Highlights of Recent Crime Mapping Conferences 

by Greg Jones, Research Associate,
Police Foundation Crime Mapping and Problem Analysis Laboratory


International Association of Crime Analysts Conference 

The 15th Annual International Association of Crime Analysts (IACA) Training Conference, was held in Arlington, VA, 
from September 21 through 24, 2005. The conference was attended by over 200 individuals representing local, state, and federal 
law enforcement agencies, universities, and nonprofit organizations from the United States and abroad. Guest speakers included 
Dr. John Jarvis from the FBIs Behavioral Science Unit, Gloria Laycock, Executive Director of the Jill Dando Institute of Crime 
Science, and Rana Sampson, an international crime consultant who works extensively with the Center for Problem Oriented 
Policing. 

Two new additions to the conference this year were the Problem Analysis Track and the IACA Certification Exam. 
Sally Olterman and Michele Kennedy successfully completed the exam and are the first analysts ever to become IACA certified. 
There were also three panel sessions that addressed the future of crime analysis, how to effectively manage a crime analysis unit, 
and understanding crime analysis from an international perspective. Other tracks that were offered included Tactical Analysis, 
Special/Advanced Topics, and Technical Lab, which included several hands-on training sessions. Some of the presentations 
given in these various tracks included the following: The Role of Crime Mapping in Problem Analysis, Implementing Problem 
Analysis in a Law Enforcement Agency, Statistics and Crime Analysis, Sexual Assault Analysis, Temporal Analysis of Crime, 
Identifying High-Risk Offender Reentry Using GIS, Combatting Alcohol-Related Crimes, and Information Sharing in Law 
Enforcement: Lessons Learned. Pre-conference training classes were also offered in ArcGIS 9.x and Getting Started with 
Automated Tactical Analysis of Crime (ATAC). 

Dr. Rachel Boba, an assistant professor at Florida Atlantic University, was awarded the 2005 IACA Membership 
Award. The winner of the Best Overall Bulletin was Steve Walter who is a crime analyst for the Oceanside Police Department in 
California. Jim Mallard, a crime analyst for the Gainesville Police Department, was given the IACA Executive Award for his 
extensive work on the IACA website. For further information about this conference and related presentations, go to www.iaca.net 

NIJ MAPS Crime Mapping Research Conference 

The Eighth Annual Crime Mapping Research Conference sponsored by Mapping and Analysis for Public Safety 
(MAPS) at the National Institute of Justice, was held in Savannah, GA, from September 7 through 10, 2005. The conference was 
attended by over 300 individuals representing universities and research institutions, law enforcement and correctional agencies, 
technology centers, software vendors, nonprofit organizations, and more. The keynote speakers were Lisa Godbey Wood, U.S. 
Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, and Michael J. Costigan, Special Advisor to the Assistant Attorney General. 

Some of the concurrent panels offered at the conference were the following: Corrections, Parole & Probation; Crime 
Forecasting; Crime Mapping and Analysis; Geography of Crime; Spatial Data Analysis; Geographic Profiling; GIS Applications; 
and Crime Travel Demand Modeling. New panels at this years conference included Forensic Mapping, Sex Offender Mapping, 
Terrorism, and Tactical Crime Analysis. The conference roundtable focused on Geographic Profiling where panelists engaged in 
a passionate debate on the usefulness of various geographic profiling software and discussed what can be done to further advance 
geographic profiling research. Pre-conference training classes were offered September 5th and 6th for both Crime Mapping with 
ArcGis 9.x as well as Crime Series Analysis and Spatial Statistics with ArcGIS 9.x. 

The winner of the Best Overall Map in the 6th Annual Crime Map Competition was Steven Rose who works for the 
Birmingham Community Safety Partnership in the United Kingdom. Other winners included Ge Lin Xiannen Chen, West 
Virginia University, for best analytical map; Phil Mielke, Redlands Police Department, for best cartographic design, and Joyce 
Knowlton, Minnesota Department of Corrections, for most innovative use of mapping. For further information about this 
conference and to download specific presentations, go the NIJ MAPS web site at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/maps/conferences.html. 



Upcoming Conferences and Training


DECEMBER
MapInfo Professional: Introductory, Intermediate, and 
Advanced Training in select cities: 
Atlanta, GA; Dallas, TX; Denver, CO; Newport 
Beach, CA; Toronto, ON; Troy, NY 
http://www.mapinfo.com/ 

JANUARY

CMAP Introductory ArcGIS 9.1 Training: 
January 9 -13, 2006 
Denver, CO 
http://www.crimeanalysts.net/ 

ESRI Training: Working with ArcGis Spatial Analyst 9.x in 
select cities: 
January 17 -19, 2006 
West Palm Beach, FL 
and 
January 18 -20, 2006 
Boston (Danvers), MA 
www.esri.com/training/index/html 

Advanced Analysis with ArcGIS 9.x in select cities: 
January 9 -11, 2006 in 
Gahanna, OH and Redlands, CA 
www.esri.com/training/index/html 

MapInfo Professional: Introductory, Intermediate, and 
Advanced Training in select cities: 
Atlanta, GA; Dallas, TX; Denver, CO; Newport 
Beach, CA; Washington, DC; New York, NY; 
Troy, NY 
http://www.mapinfo.com/ 

GENERAL WEB RESOURCES 
FOR TRAINING SEMINARS  
AND CONFERENCES

http://giscenter.isu.edu 
http://msdisweb.missouri.edu 
www.actnowinc.org 
www.alphagroupcenter.com 
http://www.cicp.org/course_sched.html 
www.cops.usdoj.gov 
www.esri.com/events 
http://www.iaca.net/Training.asp 
www.ialeia.org 
www.ialep.org 
www.mapinfo.com/events 
www.nijpcs.org/upcoming.htm 
www.nlectc.org/nlectcrm 
www.nsgic.org 
www.urisa.org/meetings.htm 
http://ocpe.gmu.edu/certificate_programs/gis.html 
http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/wc/ 
GISCertificate.shtml 
http://www.csufextension.org/Classes/Certificate/ 
Looking Ahead to 2006!! 
ESRI Federal Users Conference 
January 31 -February 2, 2006 
Washington, D.C. 
http://www.esri.com/events/ 
CMAP Introductory ArcGIS 8.3 Training: 
February 6 -10, 2006 
Northeast Counterdrug Training Center, PA 
http://www.crimeanalysts.net/ 


Crime Mapping News 2005 15

ABOUT THE POLICE FOUNDATION 


The Police Foundation is a national, nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting 
innovation and improvement in policing through its research, technical assistance, communication, and 
professional services programs. Established in 1970, the foundation has conducted seminal research in 
police behavior, policy, and procedure, and works to transfer to local agencies the best new information 
about practices for dealing effectively with a range of important police operational and administrative 
concerns. Motivating all of the foundations efforts is the goal of efficient, humane policing that operates 
within the framework of democratic principles and the highest ideals of the nation. 

DIVISION OF RESEARCH, EVALUATION, BOARD OF DIRECTORS 

& PROFESSIONAL SERVICES 

Chairman 

Karen L. Amendola Laura A. Wyckoff

William G. Milliken 

 Chief Operating Officer Deputy Chief Operating 
Officer


President 

Hubert Williams 

 Robert C. Davis Joe Ryan 

Director of Research Director, Crime Mapping 
& Problem Analysis
Laboratory


George H. Bohlinger III 
Edwin Hamilton Greg Jones 

David D. Cole 

Director of Professional Research Associate
Services


Wade Henderson 

Eliab Tarkghen Heather Tubman 

Systems Engineer Research Administrative

William H. Hudnut III 

 Coordinator 

David B. Lewis 

Raymond Johnston Sr. 

Systems Engineer 

W. Walter Menninger 

Laurie O. Robinson 

RESEARCH ADVISORY COMMITTEE 

Weldon J. Rougeau 

David Weisburd, Chair 
Hebrew University and University of Maryland


Alfred A. Slocum 
Edward R. Maguire 

George Mason University 

Andrew L. Sonner 

David Klinger 


Maria Vizcarrondo-DeSoto 

University of Missouri-St. Louis 

Tracey L. Meares 

University of Chicago Law School 

1201 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20036-2636 
(202) 833-1460  Fax (202) 659-9149  e-mail: pfinfo@policefoundation.org 
www.policefoundation.org 

This project was supported by cooperative agreement #2005-CK-WX-K004 awarded by the Office of Community Oriented Policing 
Services, US Department of Justice. Points of view or opinions contained in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily 
represent the official position or policies of the US Department of Justice.