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Curated

Case Tracking and Mapping System Developed for the United States Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York, 1997-1998 (ICPSR 2929)

Released/updated on: 2006-01-18
Geographic coverage: United States, New York (state)
Time period: 1997-07-01--1998-10-01
This collection grew out of a prototype case tracking and crime mapping application that was developed for the United States Attorney's Office (USAO), Southern District of New York (SDNY). The purpose of creating the application was to move from the traditionally episodic way of handling cases to a comprehensive and strategic method of collecting case information and linking it to specific geographic locations, and collecting information either not handled at all or not handled with sufficient enough detail by SDNY's existing case management system. The result was an end-user application designed to be run largely by SDNY's nontechnical staff. It consisted of two components, a database to capture case tracking information and a mapping component to link case and geographic data. The case tracking data were contained in a Microsoft Access database and the client application contained all of the forms, queries, reports, macros, table links, and code necessary to enter, navigate through, and query the data. The mapping application was developed using Environmental Systems Research Institute's (ESRI) ArcView 3.0a GIS. This collection shows how the user-interface of the database and the mapping component were customized to allow the staff to perform spatial queries without having to be geographic information systems (GIS) experts. Part 1 of this collection contains the Visual Basic script used to customize the user-interface of the Microsoft Access database. Part 2 contains the Avenue script used to customize ArcView to link the data maintained in the server databases, to automate the office's most common queries, and to run simple analyses.
Curated
Simple Crosstabs

Crime Hot Spot Forecasting with Data from the Pittsburgh [Pennsylvania] Bureau of Police, 1990-1998 (ICPSR 3469)

Released/updated on: 2015-08-07
Geographic coverage: United States, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh
Time period: 1990-01-01--1998-01-01

This study used crime count data from the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Bureau of Police offense reports and 911 computer-aided dispatch (CAD) calls to determine the best univariate forecast method for crime and to evaluate the value of leading indicator crime forecast models.

The researchers used the rolling-horizon experimental design, a design that maximizes the number of forecasts for a given time series at different times and under different conditions. Under this design, several forecast models are used to make alternative forecasts in parallel. For each forecast model included in an experiment, the researchers estimated models on training data, forecasted one month ahead to new data not previously seen by the model, and calculated and saved the forecast error. Then they added the observed value of the previously forecasted data point to the next month's training data, dropped the oldest historical data point, and forecasted the following month's data point. This process continued over a number of months.

A total of 15 statistical datasets and 3 geographic information systems (GIS) shapefiles resulted from this study.

The statistical datasets consist of

  • Univariate Forecast Data by Police Precinct (Dataset 1) with 3,240 cases
  • Output Data from the Univariate Forecasting Program: Sectors and Forecast Errors (Dataset 2) with 17,892 cases
  • Multivariate, Leading Indicator Forecast Data by Grid Cell (Dataset 3) with 5,940 cases
  • Output Data from the 911 Drug Calls Forecast Program (Dataset 4) with 5,112 cases
  • Output Data from the Part One Property Crimes Forecast Program (Dataset 5) with 5,112 cases
  • Output Data from the Part One Violent Crimes Forecast Program (Dataset 6) with 5,112 cases
  • Input Data for the Regression Forecast Program for 911 Drug Calls (Dataset 7) with 10,011 cases
  • Input Data for the Regression Forecast Program for Part One Property Crimes (Dataset 8) with 10,011 cases
  • Input Data for the Regression Forecast Program for Part One Violent Crimes (Dataset 9) with 10,011 cases
  • Output Data from Regression Forecast Program for 911 Drug Calls: Estimated Coefficients for Leading Indicator Models (Dataset 10) with 36 cases
  • Output Data from Regression Forecast Program for Part One Property Crimes: Estimated Coefficients for Leading Indicator Models (Dataset 11) with 36 cases
  • Output Data from Regression Forecast Program for Part One Violent Crimes: Estimated Coefficients for Leading Indicator Models (Dataset 12) with 36 cases
  • Output Data from Regression Forecast Program for 911 Drug Calls: Forecast Errors (Dataset 13) with 4,936 cases
  • Output Data from Regression Forecast Program for Part One Property Crimes: Forecast Errors (Dataset 14) with 4,936 cases
  • Output Data from Regression Forecast Program for Part One Violent Crimes: Forecast Errors (Dataset 15) with 4,936 cases.
  • The GIS Shapefiles (Dataset 16) are provided with the study in a single zip file: Included are polygon data for the 4,000 foot, square, uniform grid system used for much of the Pittsburgh crime data (grid400); polygon data for the 6 police precincts, alternatively called districts or zones, of Pittsburgh(policedist); and polygon data for the 3 major rivers in Pittsburgh the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio (rivers).
Curated

CrimeMapTutorial Workbooks and Sample Data for ArcView and MapInfo, 2000 (ICPSR 3143)

Released/updated on: 2001-04-12
Geographic coverage: United States
CrimeMapTutorial is a step-by-step tutorial for learning crime mapping using ArcView GIS or MapInfo Professional GIS. It was designed to give users a thorough introduction to most of the knowledge and skills needed to produce daily maps and spatial data queries that uniformed officers and detectives find valuable for crime prevention and enforcement. The tutorials can be used either for self-learning or in a laboratory setting. The geographic information system (GIS) and police data were supplied by the Rochester, New York, Police Department. For each mapping software package, there are three PDF tutorial workbooks and one WinZip archive containing sample data and maps. Workbook 1 was designed for GIS users who want to learn how to use a crime-mapping GIS and how to generate maps and data queries. Workbook 2 was created to assist data preparers in processing police data for use in a GIS. This includes address-matching of police incidents to place them on pin maps and aggregating crime counts by areas (like car beats) to produce area or choropleth maps. Workbook 3 was designed for map makers who want to learn how to construct useful crime maps, given police data that have already been address-matched and preprocessed by data preparers. It is estimated that the three tutorials take approximately six hours to complete in total, including exercises.
Curated

CrimeStat III: A Spatial Statistics Program for the Analysis of Crime Incident Locations (Version 3.3), United States, 2010 (ICPSR 2824)

Released/updated on: 2023-03-30
Geographic coverage: United States

CrimeStat III is a spatial statistics program for the analysis of crime incident locations, developed by Ned Levine and Associates under the direction of Ned Levine, PhD, that was funded by grants from the National Institute of Justice (grants 1997-IJ-CX-0040, 1999-IJ-CX-0044, 2002-IJ-CX-0007, and 2005-IJ-CX-K037). 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. CrimeStat is being used by many police departments around the country as well as by criminal justice and other researchers.

The program inputs incident locations (e.g., robbery locations) in 'dbf', 'shp', ASCII or ODBC-compliant formats using either spherical or projected coordinates. It calculates various spatial statistics and writes graphical objects to ArcGIS, MapInfo, Surfer for Windows, and other GIS packages.

CrimeStat is organized into five sections:

Data Setup
  • Primary file - this is a file of incident or point locations with X and Y coordinates. The coordinate system can be either spherical (lat/lon) or projected. Intensity and weight values are allowed. Each incident can have an associated time value.
  • Secondary file - this is an associated file of incident or point locations with X and Y coordinates. The coordinate system has to be the same as the primary file. Intensity and weight values are allowed. The secondary file is used for comparison with the primary file in the risk-adjusted nearest neighbor clustering routine and the duel kernel interpolation.
  • Reference file - this is a grid file that overlays the study area. Normally, it is a regular grid though irregular ones can be imported. CrimeStat can generate the grid if given the X and Y coordinates for the lower-left and upper-right corners.
  • Measurement parameters - This page identifies the type of distance measurement (direct, indirect or network) to be used and specifies parameters for the area of the study region and the length of the street network. CrimeStat III has the ability to utilize a network for linking points. Each segment can be weighted by travel time, travel speed, travel cost or simple distance. This allows the interaction between points to be estimated more realistically.
Spatial Description
  • Spatial distribution - statistics for describing the spatial distribution of incidents, such as the mean center, center of minimum distance, standard deviational ellipse, the convex hull, or directional mean.
  • Spatial autocorrelation - statistics for describing the amount of spatial autocorrelation between zones, including general spatial autocorrelation indices - Moran's I , Geary's C, and the Getis-Ord General G, and correlograms that calculate spatial autocorrelation for different distance separations - the Moran, Geary, Getis-Ord correlograms. Several of these routines can simulate confidence intervals with a Monte Carlo simulation.
  • Distance analysis I - statistics for describing properties of distances between incidents including nearest neighbor analysis, linear nearest neighbor analysis, and Ripley's K statistic. There is also a routine that assigns the primary points to the secondary points, either on the basis of nearest neighbor or point-in-polygon, and then sums the results by the secondary point values.
  • Distance analysis II - calculates matrices representing the distance between points for the primary file, for the distance between the primary and secondary points, and for the distance between either the primary or secondary file and the grid.
  • 'Hot spot' analysis I - routines for conducting 'hot spot' analysis including the mode, the fuzzy mode, hierarchical nearest neighbor clustering, and risk-adjusted nearest neighbor hierarchical clustering. The hierarchical nearest neighbor hot spots can be output as ellipses or convex hulls.
  • 'Hot spot' analysis II - more routines for conducting hot spot analysis including the Spatial and Temporal Analysis of Crime (STAC), K-means clustering, Anselin's local Moran, and the Getis-Ord local G statistics. The STAC and K-means hot spots can be output as ellipses or convex hulls. All of these routines can simulate confidence intervals with a Monte Carlo simulation.
Spatial Modeling
  • Interpolation I - a single-variable kernel density estimation routine for producing a surface or contour estimate of the density of incidents (e.g., burglaries) and a dual-variable kernel density estimation routine for comparing the density of incidents to the density of an underlying baseline (e.g., burglaries relative to the number of households).
  • Interpolation II - a Head Bang routine for smoothing zonal data that can be applied to events (volumes), rates or can be used to create rates. In addition, there is an interpolated Head Bang routine for interpolating the smoothed Head Bang result to grid cells.
  • Space-time analysis - a set of tools for analyzing clustering in time and in space. These include the Knox and Mantel indices, which look for the relationship between time and space, and the Correlated Walk Analysis module, which analyzes and predicts the behavior of a serial offender and a spatial-temporal moving average.
  • Journey to crime analysis - a simple criminal justice method for estimating the likely location of a serial offender given the distribution of incidents and a model of travel distance. The routine allows the user to estimate a travel model with a calibration file and apply it to the serial events. It can be used to identify a likely location given the distribution of 'points' and assumptions about travel behavior. There is a routine for drawing lines between origins and destinations (crime trips).
  • Bayesian journey to crime analysis - an advanced criminal justice method for estimating the likely location of a serial offender given the distribution of incidents, a model of travel distance, and an origin-destination matrix showing the relationship between where crimes were committed and where offenders lived. A diagnostics routine analyzes serial offenders for whom their residence is known and estimates which of several journey to crime estimates is most accurate. A selected method can be applied to identify a likely residence location of a single serial offender given the distribution of incidents, assumptions about travel behavior, and the origin of offenders who committed crimes in the same locations.
  • Regression modeling - a module for analyzing a relationship between a dependent variable and one or more independent variables. The CrimeStat regression module includes both Ordinary Least Squares and Poisson-based regression models, estimated from Maximum Likelihood (MLE) or Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithms. The current version includes six different models including OLS, Poisson with Linear Dispersion Correction, Poisson-Gamma and a Poisson-Gamma-Conditional Autoregressive (CAR) spatial regression model. The module can handle very large datasets through a Block Sampling approach. There is also a module for applying estimated coefficients to a new dataset to make predictions.
Crime Travel Demand Modeling

Crime travel demand modeling is a new module in CrimeStat III. It is an application of travel demand modeling, widely used in transportation planning, to crime analysis. The analysis is done by zones. First, crime 'trips' are defined as a link between an offender residence/origin location and a crime location. The number of crimes originating in each zone is counted as is the number of crimes ending in each zone. Second, the model is run sequentially in four separate stages with multiple routine in each stage:

  • Trip Generation - Separate models are produced that predict the number of crimes originating in each zone (origins) and the number of crimes ending in each zone (destinations). CrimeStat III uses a multivariate Poisson regression model, with stepwise options, to create the prediction. Trips from outside the study area (external trips) can be added to the origin model to account for travel from outside the region. Once the models are created, a balancing procedure ensures that the number of origins equals the number of destinations.
  • Trip Distribution - Using the predicted number of crime trips originating in each zone and the predicted number of trips occurring in each zone, the second stage distributes trips from each zone to every other zone using a gravity model. There are routines for calculating the actual (observed) distribution from individual data, for estimating the prediction coefficients, and for applying the predicted coefficients to the predicted origins and destinations. Another routine allows a comparison of the predicted trip distribution with the observed trip distribution.
  • Mode Split - The predicted number of trips for each zone-to-zone pair can be split into likely travel modes using an accessibility function that approximates the utility of one mode relative to the others.
  • Network Assignment - Finally, the predicted trips from each zone to every other zone by travel mode are assigned to a likely route based on the shortest path algorithm. The output includes the likely routes taken for each origin-destination zone pair and the total volume of trips on network links. This step requires a travel network, one for each travel mode. There are additional utilities for calculating transit networks from station/stop locations and for testing for one-way streets.
Options
  • Parameters can be saved and re-loaded.
  • Tab colors can be changed.
  • Monte Carlo simulation data can be output.

CrimeStat is accompanied by sample datasets and a manual that gives the background behind the statistics and examples. The manual also discusses applications of CrimeStat developed by other analysts and researchers. The program and sample data sets are in Windows-based zipped files that can be downloaded. The manual is a set of individual chapters in PDF files. They can be viewed online or downloaded. If downloading the PDF chapters separately, they should be saved into the same directory as the CrimeStat program. If the PDF file names are not renamed, they can be accessed directly from the program's help menu.

CrimeStat Libraries

The CrimeStat Libraries (version 1.0) are component objects that allow for the functions of CrimeStat to be programmed directly into custom software or systems. The CrimeStat Libraries include all of the routines that were developed through version 2.0 of the regular CrimeStat program, including spatial description, hot spot analysis, and kernel density interpolation routines. Additional spatial autocorrelation routines have been included. The libraries can input dbf, shape, and Ascii text files and can output to shape file, MIF/MID files, ASCII text files, and KML files.

Curated

CrimeStat III User Workbook and Data (ICPSR 23622)

Released/updated on: 2008-10-16
The Mapping and Analysis for Public Safety (MAPS) Program in conjunction with the National Law Enforcement, Corrections and Technology Center - Southeast (NLECTC-SE) in Charleston, South Carolina, announce the free download of a CrimeStat workbook designed specifically for crime analysts in the use of CrimeStat III. The data used in the workbook are also provided. Further, a PowerPoint file covering the workbook and all lessons is provided for download for those wanting to instruct a class. CrimeStat III is a Windows-based spatial statistics software package used for analyzing crime data from law enforcement and criminal justice agencies. Output produced from the software can be used with a geographic information system (GIS) to support and enhance the tactical and strategic analysis efforts of police departments. The workbook covers how to prepare data for CrimeStat, produce results and import them into ArcGIS 9.x for further analysis or presentation. It also covers entering data into CrimeStat III, basic descriptive statistics from Spatial Distribution, measures of clustering in Distance Analysis, several 'Hot Spot' techniques, and using both single and dual Kernel Density Interpolation. Upon completion of the workbook and exercises, users are able to immediately make use of CrimeStat at their own agencies in the analysis of crime patterns and trends.
Curated
Restricted

Detection of Crime, Resource Deployment, and Predictors of Success: A Multi-Level Analysis of CCTV in Newark, New Jersey, 2007-2011 (ICPSR 34619)

Released/updated on: 2019-09-24
Geographic coverage: United States, Newark, New Jersey
Time period: 2007-11-01--2011-04-01

The Detection of Crime, Resource Deployment, and Predictors of Success: A Multi-Level Analysis of Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) in Newark, NJ collection represents the findings of a multi-level analysis of the Newark, New Jersey Police Department's video surveillance system. This collection contains multiple quantitative data files (Datasets 1-14) as well as spatial data files (Dataset 15 and Dataset 16). The overall project was separated into three components:

  • Component 1 (Dataset 1, Individual CCTV Detections and Calls-For-Service Data and Dataset 2, Weekly CCTV Detections in Newark Data) evaluates CCTV's ability to increase the "certainty of punishment" in target areas;
  • Component 2 (Dataset 3, Overall Crime Incidents Data; Dataset 4, Auto Theft Incidents Data; Dataset 5, Property Crime Incidents Data; Dataset 6, Robbery Incidents Data; Dataset 7, Theft From Auto Incidents Data; Dataset 8, Violent Crime Incidents Data; Dataset 9, Attributes of CCTV Catchment Zones Data; Dataset 10, Attributes of CCTV Camera Viewsheds Data; and Dataset 15, Impact of Micro-Level Features Spatial Data) analyzes the context under which CCTV cameras best deter crime. Micro-level factors were grouped into five categories: environmental features, line-of-sight, camera design and enforcement activity (including both crime and arrests); and
  • Component 3 (Dataset 11, Calls-for-service Occurring Within CCTV Scheme Catchment Zones During the Experimental Period Data; Dataset 12, Calls-for-service Occurring Within CCTV Schemes During the Experimental Period Data; Dataset 13, Targeted Surveillances Conducted by the Experimental Operators Data; Dataset 14, Weekly Surveillance Activity Data; and Dataset 16, Randomized Controlled Trial Spatial Data) was a randomized, controlled trial measuring the effects of coupling proactive CCTV monitoring with directed patrol units.

Over 40 separate four-hour tours of duty, an additional camera operator was funded to monitor specific CCTV cameras in Newark. Two patrol units were dedicated solely to the operators and were tasked with exclusively responding to incidents of concern detected on the experimental cameras. Variables included throughout the datasets include police report and incident dates, crime type, disposition code, number of each type of incident that occurred in a viewshed precinct, number of CCTV detections that resulted in any police enforcement, and number of schools, retail stores, bars and public transit within the catchment zone.

Curated
Restricted

Evaluation of the Community Supervision Mapping System for Released Prisoners in Rhode Island, 2008-2010 (ICPSR 32004)

Released/updated on: 2014-09-30
Geographic coverage: Rhode Island, United States
Time period: 2008-01-01--2010-01-01
This study evaluated the Community Supervision Mapping System (CSMS), an online geospatial tool that enables users to map the formerly incarcerated and others on probation, along with related data such as service provider locations and police districts. Probation officers in the state of Rhode Island were surveyed a few weeks before and 18 months after the implementation of CSMS. A total of 56 probation officers participated in the first wave of the study (pre-implementation survey), and 52 probation officers participated in the second wave (post-implementation survey), yielding an overall sample size of 108 probation officers. Dataset 1 contains the data for both waves of the study. The dataset is comprised of 140 variables. Both waves of the study examined the following categories of variables: the probation officer's professional background, contact with clients, amount of time spent on job duties specific to the profession, contact with other agencies, and computer usage. The second wave added 86 variables to explore officers' experiences with CSMS, which features they used, how it impacted their work, and their expected use of CSMS in the future.
Curated
Restricted

Explaining Developmental Crime Trajectories at Places: A Study of "Crime Waves" and "Crime Drops" at Micro Units of Geography in Seattle, Washington, 1989-2004 (ICPSR 28161)

Released/updated on: 2013-08-05
Geographic coverage: Seattle, United States, Washington
Time period: 1989-01-01--2004-01-01
This study extends a prior National Institute (NIJ) funded study on mirco level places that examined the concentration of crime at places over time. The current study links longitudinal crime data to a series of other databases. The purpose of the study was to examine the possible correlates of variability in crime trends over time. The focus was on how crime distributes across very small units of geography. Specifically, this study investigated the geographic distribution of crime and the specific correlates of crime at the micro level of geography. The study reported on a large empirical study that investigated the "criminology of place." The study linked 16 years of official crime data on street segments (a street block between two intersections) in Seattle, Washington, to a series of datasets examining social and physical characteristics of micro places over time, and examined not only the geography of developmental patterns of crime at place but also the specific factors that are related to different trajectories of crime. The study used two key criminological perspectives, social disorganization theories and opportunity theories, to inform their identification of risk factors in the study and then contrast the impacts of these perspectives in the context of multivariate statistical models.
Curated

Exploratory Spatial Data Approach to Identify the Context of Unemployment-Crime Linkages in Virginia, 1995-2000 (ICPSR 4546)

Released/updated on: 2006-08-31
Geographic coverage: United States, Virginia
Time period: 1995-01-01--2000-01-01
This research is an exploration of a spatial approach to identify the contexts of unemployment-crime relationships at the county level. Using Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA) techniques, the study explored the relationship between unemployment and property crimes (burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, and robbery) in Virginia from 1995 to 2000. Unemployment rates were obtained from the Department of Labor, while crime rates were obtained from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reports. Demographic variables are included, and a resource deprivation scale was created by combining measures of logged median family income, percentage of families living below the poverty line, and percentage of African American residents.
Curated

Geographies of Urban Crime in Nashville, Tennessee, Portland, Oregon, and Tucson, Arizona, 1998-2002 (ICPSR 4547)

Released/updated on: 2006-08-31
Geographic coverage: Oregon, Portland, United States, Tennessee, Tucson, Nashville, Arizona
Time period: 1998-01-01--2002-01-01
This research involved the exploration of how the geographies of different crimes intersect with the geographies of social, economic, and demographic characteristics in Nashville, Tennessee, Portland, Oregon, and Tucson, Arizona. Violent crime data were collected from all three cities for the years 1998 through 2002. The data were geo-coded and then aggregated to block groups and census tracts. The data include variables on 28 different crimes, numerous demographic variables taken from the 2000 Census, and several land use variables.
Curated
Restricted

Integrating Data to Reduce Violence, Milwaukee, WI, 2015-2016 (ICPSR 36591)

Released/updated on: 2018-03-16
Geographic coverage: Milwaukee, United States, Wisconsin
Time period: 2015-01-01--2016-07-01

These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they were received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except for the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompanying readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collection and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.

The study investigated the feasibility of implementing the Cardiff Model. The Cardiff Model is a unique violence surveillance system and intervention that involves data sharing and violence prevention planning between law enforcement and the medical field. Anonymized data on assaults from emergency and police departments (EDs; PDs) are combined to detail assault incidents and "hotspots." Data are discussed by a multidisciplinary consortium, which develops and implements a data-informed violence prevention action plan that includes behavioral, environmental, and policy changes to impact violence. Model actions led to decreases in injurious assaults and this model is now statutory in the United Kingdom.

The Cardiff Model has never been translated to the U.S. and would require an investigation within our health care system and in different geographical and population contexts. This study investigated the feasibility of essential Cardiff Model Components in order to refine study procedures and situate this community to request further funds for full model implementation.

As part of this study, researchers collected a number of feasibility measures from ED and study staff to evaluate the feasibility of translating included model components. Geospatial and statistical analyses investigated the added benefit of the combined ED, PD and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) data.

The study contains 1 SPSS data files (CHW Data_1.1.15 to 7.31.16.sav (n=748; 14 variables)), 1 STATA data file (nurse survey data.dta (n=43; 26 variables)), a text document (Nurse Survey_Qualitative data.txt), and 1 excel file (CHW Incidents_Block level data only.xlsx).

Curated
Restricted

A Multi-Jurisdictional Test of Risk Terrain Modeling and a Place-Based Evaluation of Environmental Risk-Based Patrol Deployment Strategies, 6 U.S. States, 2012-2014 (ICPSR 36369)

Released/updated on: 2018-05-29
Geographic coverage: United States, Chicago, Kansas City (Missouri), New Jersey, Glendale, Illinois, Texas, Colorado, Missouri, Newark, Colorado Springs, Arizona, Arlington
Time period: 2012-01-01--2014-01-01

These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they were received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except for the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompanying readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collection and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.

The study used a place-based method of evaluation and spatial units of analysis to measure the extent to which allocating police patrols to high-risk areas effected the frequency and spatial distribution of new crime events in 5 U.S. cities. High-risk areas were defined using risk terrain modeling methods. Risk terrain modeling, or RTM, is a geospatial method of operationalizing the spatial influence of risk factors to common geographic units.

The collection contains 333 shape files, 8 SPSS files, and 9 Excel files. The shape files include both city level risk factor locations and crime data from police departments. SPSS and Excel files contain output from GIS data used for analysis.

Curated
Restricted

Policing by Place: A Proposed Multi-level Analysis of the Effectiveness of Risk Terrain Modeling for Allocating Police Resources, 2014-2015 [New York City] (ICPSR 36899)

Released/updated on: 2018-07-26
Geographic coverage: New York City, New York, United States
Time period: 2014-01-01--2015-12-01

These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they were received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except for the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompanying readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collection and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.

This study contains data from a project by the New York City Police Department (NYPD) involving GIS data on environmental risk factors that correlate with criminal behavior. The general goal of this project was to test whether risk terrain modeling (RTM) could accurately and effectively predict different crime types occurring across New York City. The ultimate aim was to build an enforcement prediction model to test strategies for effectiveness before deploying resources. Three separate phases were completed to assess the effectiveness and applicability of RTM to New York City and the NYPD. A total of four boroughs (Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens), four patrol boroughs (Brooklyn North, Brooklyn South, Queens North, Queens South), and four precincts (24th, 44th, 73rd, 110th) were examined in 6-month time periods between 2014 and 2015. Across each time period, a total of three different crime types were analyzed: street robberies, felony assaults, and shootings.

The study includes three shapefiles relating to New York City Boundaries, four shapefiles relating to criminal offenses, and 40 shapefiles relating to risk factors.

Curated
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Quantifying the Size and Geographic Extent of CCTV's Impact on Reducing Crime in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2003-2013 (ICPSR 35514)

Released/updated on: 2017-08-25
Geographic coverage: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Time period: 2003-01-01--2013-12-01

These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they were received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except for the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompanying readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collection and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.

This study was designed to investigate whether the presence of CCTV cameras can reduce crime by studying the cameras and crime statistics of a controlled area. The viewsheds of over 100 CCTV cameras within the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania were defined and grouped into 13 clusters, and camera locations were digitally mapped. Crime data from 2003-2013 was collected from areas that were visible to the selected cameras, as well as data from control and displacement areas using an incident reporting database that records the location of crime events. Demographic information was also collected from the mapped areas, such as population density, household information, and data on the specific camera(s) in the area. This study also investigated the perception of CCTV cameras, and interviewed members of the public regarding topics such as what they thought the camera could see, who was watching the camera feed, and if they were concerned about being filmed.

Curated

Regional Crime Analysis Geographic Information System (RCAGIS) (ICPSR 3372)

Released/updated on: 2002-05-29
The Regional Crime Analysis GIS (RCAGIS) is an Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) MapObjects-based system that was developed by the United States Department of Justice Criminal Division Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Staff, in conjunction with the Baltimore County Police Department and the Regional Crime Analysis System (RCAS) group, to facilitate the analysis of crime on a regional basis. The RCAGIS system was designed specifically to assist in the analysis of crime incident data across jurisdictional boundaries. Features of the system include: (1) three modes, each designed for a specific level of analysis (simple queries, crime analysis, or reports), (2) wizard-driven (guided) incident database queries, (3) graphical tools for the creation, saving, and printing of map layout files, (4) an interface with CrimeStat spatial statistics software developed by Ned Levine and Associates for advanced analysis tools such as hot spot surfaces and ellipses, (5) tools for graphically viewing and analyzing historical crime trends in specific areas, and (6) linkage tools for drawing connections between vehicle theft and recovery locations, incident locations and suspects' homes, and between attributes in any two loaded shapefiles. RCAGIS also supports digital imagery, such as orthophotos and other raster data sources, and geographic source data in multiple projections. RCAGIS can be configured to support multiple incident database backends and varying database schemas using a field mapping utility.
Curated

Spatial Analysis of Crime in Appalachia [United States], 1977-1996 (ICPSR 3260)

Released/updated on: 2006-03-30
Geographic coverage: United States
Time period: 1977-01-01--1996-01-01
This research project was designed to demonstrate the contributions that Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and spatial analysis procedures can make to the study of crime patterns in a largely nonmetropolitan region of the United States. The project examined the extent to which the relationship between various structural factors and crime varied across metropolitan and nonmetropolitan locations in Appalachia over time. To investigate the spatial patterns of crime, a georeferenced dataset was compiled at the county level for each of the 399 counties comprising the Appalachian region. The data came from numerous secondary data sources, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reports, the Decennial Census of the United States, the Department of Agriculture, and the Appalachian Regional Commission. Data were gathered on the demographic distribution, change, and composition of each county, as well as other socioeconomic indicators. The dependent variables were index crime rates derived from the Uniform Crime Reports, with separate variables for violent and property crimes. These data were integrated into a GIS database in order to enhance the research with respect to: (1) data integration and visualization, (2) exploratory spatial analysis, and (3) confirmatory spatial analysis and statistical modeling. Part 1 contains variables for Appalachian subregions, Beale county codes, distress codes, number of families and households, population size, racial and age composition of population, dependency ratio, population growth, number of births and deaths, net migration, education, household composition, median family income, male and female employment status, and mobility. Part 2 variables include county identifiers plus numbers of total index crimes, violent index crimes, property index crimes, homicides, rapes, robberies, assaults, burglaries, larcenies, and motor vehicle thefts annually from 1977 to 1996.
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Spatial Configuration of Places Related to Homicide Events in Washington, DC, 1990-2002 (ICPSR 4544)

Released/updated on: 2015-07-29
Geographic coverage: District of Columbia, United States
Time period: 1990-01-01--2002-12-01

The purpose of this research was to further understanding of why crime occurs where it does by exploring the spatial etiology of homicides that occurred in Washington, DC, during the 13-year period 1990-2002.

The researchers accessed records from the case management system of the Metropolitan Police, District of Columbia (MPDC) Homicide Division to collect data regarding offenders and victims associated with the homicide cases. Using geographic information systems (GIS) software, the researchers geocoded the addresses of the incident location, the victim's residence, and offender's residence for each homicide case. They then calculated both Euclidean distance and shortest path distance along the streets between each address per case. Upon applying the concept of triad as developed by Block et al. (2004) in order to create a unit of analysis for studying the convergence of victims and offenders in space, the researchers categorized the triads according to the geometry of locations associated with each case. (Dots represented homicides in which the victim and offender both lived in the residence where the homicide occurred; lines represented homicides that occurred in the home of either the victim or the offender; and triangles represented three non-coincident locations: the separate residences of the victim and offender, as well as the location of the homicide incident.) The researchers then classified each triad according to two separate mobility triangle classification schemes: Traditional Mobility, based on shared or disparate social areas, and Distance Mobility, based on relative distance categories between locations. Finally, the researchers classified each triad by the neighborhood associated with the location of the homicide incident, the location of the victim's residence, and the location of the offender's residence.

A total of 3 statistical datasets and 7 geographic information systems (GIS) shapefiles resulted from this study. Note: All datasets exclude open homicide cases. The statistical datasets consist of Offender Characteristics (Dataset 1) with 2,966 cases; Victim Characteristics (Dataset 2) with 2,311 cases; and Triads Data (Dataset 3) with 2,510 cases. The GIS shapefiles have been grouped into a zip file (Dataset 4). Included are point data for homicide locations, offender residences, triads, and victim residences; line data for streets in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia; and polygon data for neighborhood clusters in the District of Columbia.

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Use of Computerized Crime Mapping by Law Enforcement in the United States, 1997-1998 (ICPSR 2878)

Released/updated on: 2008-04-18
Geographic coverage: United States
Time period: 1997-01-01--1998-01-01
As a first step in understanding law enforcement agencies' use and knowledge of crime mapping, the Crime Mapping Research Center (CMRC) of the National Institute of Justice conducted a nationwide survey to determine which agencies were using geographic information systems (GIS), how they were using them, and, among agencies that were not using GIS, the reasons for that choice. Data were gathered using a survey instrument developed by National Institute of Justice staff, reviewed by practitioners and researchers with crime mapping knowledge, and approved by the Office of Management and Budget. The survey was mailed in March 1997 to a sample of law enforcement agencies in the United States. Surveys were accepted until May 1, 1998. Questions asked of all respondents included type of agency, population of community, number of personnel, types of crimes for which the agency kept incident-based records, types of crime analyses conducted, and whether the agency performed computerized crime mapping. Those agencies that reported using computerized crime mapping were asked which staff conducted the mapping, types of training their staff received in mapping, types of software and computers used, whether the agency used a global positioning system, types of data geocoded and mapped, types of spatial analyses performed and how often, use of hot spot analyses, how mapping results were used, how maps were maintained, whether the department kept an archive of geocoded data, what external data sources were used, whether the agency collaborated with other departments, what types of Department of Justice training would benefit the agency, what problems the agency had encountered in implementing mapping, and which external sources had funded crime mapping at the agency. Departments that reported no use of computerized crime mapping were asked why that was the case, whether they used electronic crime data, what types of software they used, and what types of Department of Justice training would benefit their agencies.