This article outlines the content in this issue of Geography and Public Safety and its focus on the abilities of geographic information systems' technologies to assist law enforcement in traffic safety.
Law enforcement officers devote significant time and energy to dealing with traffic safety, from managing crash scenes and filling out crash reports to creating strategies to reduce crash rates. Geographic information systems (GIS) and other information technologies can help police enforce traffic safety; however, few departments use GIS for law enforcement. Articles in this issue of Geography and Public Safety discuss how GIS technologies can be used for traffic safety analysis. In New Mexico, how maps have been used to examine drunk driving and provide an example of how well designed maps influence traffic safety. A geographic information system was developed in Houston, TX to identify crash hot spots, and another article describes how the Idaho State Police used statistical analysis to advise State patrolling practices. 3 references