NCJ Number
105748
Date Published
1987
Length
13 pages
Annotation
The Spatial and Temporal Analysis of Crime (STAC) project was undertaken to develop clearer, more efficient ways to analyze and represent the data traditionally shown in pin maps.
Abstract
The STAC program describes the distribution of a given group of incidents over an entire week by day of the week and by 2-hour intervals. It also examines the geographic distribution of incidents and displays information that can be used for strategic and tactical crime analysis. Capabilities of spatial analysis include outlining the boundary of a group of incidents, finding out how much crime occurred in a given area, and delineating the portion of a given area in which the largest number of incidents is concentrated. Various of these capabilities also can be combined to get different types of information. Application of the program to data for six types of property crime in four Chicago area communities identified a number of spatial and temporal patterns. Continued development and testing of the program should result in a tool with practical law enforcement applications. 7 tables, 10 notes, and 11 references.