Municipal police departments’ attention to crime analysis: essential or impractical?

Sever, Brion; Garcia, Venessa; Tsiandi, Antonia

doi:10.1080/15614260802354643

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 6 publications

(6 reference statements)

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“…Studies on crime analysis with a smaller focus include research by Chamard (2003) and Sever, Garcia, and Tsiandi (2008) who conducted statewide surveys in New Jersey at different times examining the use and implementation of crime analysis in the local police agencies. Chamard examined 347 agencies and their adoption of crime analysis (i.e., crime mapping).…”

Section: The Relationship Of Crime Analysis and Crime Reductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effectiveness of Crime Analysis for Crime Reduction

Santos

2014

Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice

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Many researchers and police chiefs have asked the question, "Does crime analysis reduce crime?" This question is a difficult one is because the link between crime analysis and crime reduction is not direct. Just like the use of MRI results does not cure an illness, crime analysis is the process of using examining data and making conclusions; it is not a crime reduction strategy (cure) by itself. The connection between crime analysis and crime reduction is only through an effective police strategy that uses crime analysis. So, instead of evaluating whether crime analysis reduces crime, this article examines the role of crime analysis as a component in specific police crime reduction strategies. The evidence presented is not based on research of effectiveness of crime analysis, since there is none, but on the effectiveness research of police approaches, such as the standard model of policing, community policing, disorder policing, problem-oriented policing, hot spots policing, and the "pulling levers" focused deterrence approach, as well as popular and new approaches, such as Compstat, intelligence-led policing (ILP), and predictive policing, and the level at which crime analysis plays a role in each. Through a qualitative assessment, the author concludes that there is a clear pattern that crime analysis plays a significant role in police approaches that are effective, and just as apparent, crime analysis plays a very limited role in policing approaches that are ineffective. In addition, assessment of the policing approaches that have not been systematically evaluated, but have been widely adopted (i.e., Compstat) or are relatively new (i.e., ILP and predictive policing), reveals that crime analysis plays a central and visible role. This article shows that crime analysis is a key component in successful crime reduction efforts. Because this

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Section: The Relationship Of Crime Analysis and Crime Reductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effectiveness of Crime Analysis for Crime Reduction

Santos

2014

Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice

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“…Modern crime analysts can be either sworn officers or trained civilians; however, the majority of departments employ civilian analysts (Dixon & Schaub, 2004;O'Shea & Nicholls, 2003). The majority of working crime analysts hold at least a bachelor's degree, and most have some non-academic training in crime analysis (Sever, et al, 2008;O'Shea & Nicholls, 2002).…”

Section: Crime Analystsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To conduct their work, crime analysts use a variety of technical skills including accessing data systems, rendering data in geographic information systems, and performing statistical analyses (O'Shea & Nicholls, 2002;Taylor, Kowalyk, & Boba, 2007). Despite a heavy reliance on these abilities in the career, there are no uniform standards for employment as a crime analyst; however, most crime analysts are college-educated (Dixon & Schaub, 2004;Sever, Garcia & Tsiandi, 2008). Considering that many criminal justice departments at universities and colleges offer technical training in statistics and crime analysis, a relevant question becomes, do these technical courses taught in criminal justice undergraduate programs teach the relevant skills necessary for employment as a crime analyst?…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the Relevance of Statistics and Crime Analysis Courses for Working Crime Analysts

Kringen¹,

Sedelmaier²,

Elink-Schuurman-Laura³

2016

Journal of Criminal Justice Education

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Crime analysts study criminal activity and police function to improve performance. Analysts inform operations, aid resource allocation, and evaluate programs. These tasks require high levels of statistical literacy. Given that most analysts are college-educated civilians, college coursework in statistics and/or crime analysis may represent the foundational knowledgebase within the profession. However, little research has attempted to determine if coursework teaches the skills needed by analysts. Underlying this issue is a limited understanding about what technical skills crime analysts regularly use. Analyzing parallel surveys of 98 criminal justice educators and 146 crime analysts, this study compares the skills taught in undergraduate-level statistics and crime analysis courses to those used by analysts. Comparisons are made between perceptions of the value of coursework. Results indicate discrepancies between the orientation of coursework and the needs of analysts which underscore differences in the perceived relevance of statistics education. Recommendations are discussed.

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“…Despite the documented contributions of GIS to police departments’ efficiency, crime reduction and enhanced professionalism (Aov et al, 2017; Chainey and Ratcliffe, 2005; Dağlar and Argun, 2016; Fajemirokum et al, 2006; Kuo et al, 2013; Levine, 2006; Rossmo, 2013; Wang, 2012), most developing countries such as Kenya are still using manual crime-mapping tools to analyse crimes due to challenges in the adoption of the technology (Baraka, 2017; Karake, 2014). Challenges internal and/or external to the NPS can adversely affect the successful transition from manual to automated operations (Lucas and Spitler, 1999; Rogers, 1983, 2003; Sahin, 2006; Sever et al, 2008; Yalcinkaya, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stuck in the past with push-pins on paper maps: Challenges of transition from manual to computerized crime mapping and analysis in Kenya

Baraka

Murimi

2019

International Journal of Police Science & Management

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Although crimes and the modus operandi of perpetrators across the world change constantly, some policing tools, especially in developing countries, remain the same. This study sought to assess Kenyan police officers’ satisfaction with the use of paper maps and push-pins (manual tools) in crime analysis, and identify challenges to the adoption of computerized tools such as geographical information systems (GIS) at a time when most operations are driven by technology. A descriptive survey targeting 120 Kenyan police officers was carried out at the National Police Service (NPS) headquarters in Nairobi, but only 94 (78.3%) officers responded. The study reveals that 42.3% of respondents found manual tools to be useful in crime mapping and spatial analysis, whereas 67.8% felt that they were easy to use. The study indicates that 55.0% of respondents were satisfied with manual crime mapping and spatial analysis, mainly because it was easy to use. The study also identifies several challenges to the adoption of GIS in crime analysis. The study concludes that majority of respondents found manual crime-mapping tools to be easy to use, but less useful although still usable in the absence of alternatives. The NPS should consider implementing pilot projects of computerized crime mapping and spatial analysis to allow stakeholders to assess police operations against multiple platforms.

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Municipal police departments’ attention to crime analysis: essential or impractical?

Cited by 8 publications

References 6 publications

The Effectiveness of Crime Analysis for Crime Reduction

The Effectiveness of Crime Analysis for Crime Reduction

Assessing the Relevance of Statistics and Crime Analysis Courses for Working Crime Analysts

Stuck in the past with push-pins on paper maps: Challenges of transition from manual to computerized crime mapping and analysis in Kenya

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