NCJ Number
73293
Journal
NCPI Hotline Dated: (February/March 1978) Pages: complete issue
Date Published
1978
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Two articles concerning crime analysis are presented. The first one establishes the conceptual validation of the importance of crime analysis in a crime prevention program; the second describes the crime analysis unit of the St. Paul Police Department (Minnesota).
Abstract
Crime analysis can be defined as the proper tool with which to anticipate, recognize, and appraise a crime risk. Crime analysis may be undertaken by either departmental analysts responsible for analyzing all crime and management data for all divisions, bureaus, and units within a police department, or by part-time or full-time analysts within crime prevention units. The St Paul Police Department's Crime Analysis Unit was established in 1976. Its primary objectives are to analyze data in order to detect crime trends and to disseminate this information to police personnel. Hot Grids Analysis is used for the timely identification of trouble spots. It compares current crime activity in a grid (one-half square mile) with its historical crime activity and identifies those grids where the level of crime incident is significantly higher than expected. Burglary is analyzed weekly and theft and auto theft biweekly through this type of analysis. Computer publications have helped to disseminate information to the police. Some of these include report period summaries, annual summaries, the Incident Summary Report, and the Offense Summary Report. Each presents computerized analyses of the data along with maps and graphs for easy reading. Much of the current crime information is available on-line via the Incident Reporting System and the Automated Law Enforcement Response Team System. A computerized Modus Operandi System is being developed for future crime analysis.