Comment How about the right hands? (Score 1) 366
Using crime data to improve operations/performance is the "big thing" in law enforcement these days. New York probably started it all with CrimeStat, or whatever they called it.
The big issue is will the police and city governments let citizens get their hands on this data (and just the crime, location and other relevant info is enough for me, i don't want to invade privacy, etc.) so neighborhood groups, the media, whomever can map this stuff to better understand what's going on in their communities. Tip O'Neill said "all politics is local", and so is law enforcement and a lot of other city services.
There is a lot of "place-based" analysis that could be very powerful for residents to get their hands on and confront the powers that be with the real info on what's going on in their community. I've heard police chiefs talk about their exciting GIS initiatives to improve tactical operations but as soon as you talk about public access they tend to get quiet. I wonder why??
The big issue is will the police and city governments let citizens get their hands on this data (and just the crime, location and other relevant info is enough for me, i don't want to invade privacy, etc.) so neighborhood groups, the media, whomever can map this stuff to better understand what's going on in their communities. Tip O'Neill said "all politics is local", and so is law enforcement and a lot of other city services.
There is a lot of "place-based" analysis that could be very powerful for residents to get their hands on and confront the powers that be with the real info on what's going on in their community. I've heard police chiefs talk about their exciting GIS initiatives to improve tactical operations but as soon as you talk about public access they tend to get quiet. I wonder why??
