Strategies to Improve the Utility &
Ensure the Sustainability of Crime
Mapping: Lessons Learned from
the States
Nancy G. La Vigne (Gloria Laycock)
Senior Research Associate (Director)
The Urban Institute (Jill Dando Institute)
Presentation Overview
z Evolution
of crime mapping in US
z What worked
z Avoiding pitfalls
z Ensuring sustainability
z (How close are we?)
How Did Crime Mapping Take
Hold in US?
z A few important
– Chiefs
– Crime analysts
z Maps
people got on board
sold themselves
z CompStat didn’t hurt
1997* CMRC Survey:
Cumulative Distribution of Crime
Mapping Adoption
200
180
160
140
120
Total numbe r of
100
departments
80
60
40
Year
1997?
1996?
1995?
1994?
1993?
1992?
1991?
1990?
1989?
1988?
1987?
1986?
1985?
1984?
1983?
0
1982?
20
Number of Departments
50
40
30
20
10
0
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
Year Compstat Implemented
1999 Survey:
z 88.6% of CompStat departments reported
using mapping
z 53% of those NOT doing CompStat
reported using mapping
What Worked?
z Federal
leadership – establishment of
CMRC (now MAPS – Mapping and
Analysis for Public Safety)
z Federal funds
z Networking opportunities
z Partnerships with researchers
z CompStat
z Finding a champion
Pitfalls
z Naked
emperors
z The one-tool toolbox
z “Pretty equals useful"
z Theoryless mapping
z Ivory tower agendas
Vices
z The Shiny New Toy Syndrome
– No big picture planning
– Lack of training
z Getting stuck in descriptive mapping
– Mapping what was vs. what could be
z Producing misleading
– Match rate
– Denominator
– Unit of analysis
maps
Ensuring Sustainability
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
Demonstrate utility
Document and celebrate successes
Institutionalize through hard $ (not just grant
funds)
Build into larger philosophy of organization –
make it part of collective vision
Focus on methods, not technology
Conduct repeated, systematic surveys to
document progress and ID areas of need
Provide ongoing education
How Close Are We?
Federal leadership in establishing CMRC
8
Federal funds for local support (we’re
ahead on this!)
9
Networking opportunities
9
Partnerships with researchers
8
CompStat (plus NIM and CDRPs)
9
Finding a champion
99
The US MAPS Website
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/maps/