GIS in Law Enforcement


Overview

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Course Info:

Hours:
Approximately 90

Software Included:
ArcGIS Desktop - ArcView

Deliverables:
Medford County Demo Data
Student Manual
Lesson Plans
PowerPoint Presentation
PowerPoint Notes
Assessments

Teacher Training:
3 Days

“Police Departments have long maintained databases with information on crimes, suspects, arrestees, motor vehicle, and calls for service. These databases are seldom put to the proper use that the should. Move into the age of Intelligence Led Policing. Unlock the power of the dormant static police data warehouse! Learn how to conduct strategic and tactical analysis to focus your limited resources for effective community policing. This 21st Century Technology is one of the most poweful tools you can give to your police agency the wave of the future of Law Enforcement.” - Chief Edwin Wood, Former Police Chief, Medford Township

The paradigm of large scale disaster management has changed. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have become an integral part in that change in predicting and responding to a variety of scenarios, but GIS is not intended for large scale management only. Crime and Calls for Service exist on the state, regional, and local levels, and the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) empowers law enforcers to view and analyze pertinent information critical to the safety and well being of a community or region. Geospatial data relevant to law enforcement and crime analysis are: political and administrative boundaries, natural and manmade landscape features, population demographics, policing features, and calls for service (CFS) locations.

GIS enables the visualization and study of these geospatial factors through the use of maps and spatial analysis techniques. By geographically coding the locations of Calls for Service (CFS), each incident can be plotted on a map to show it’s location within a community. This is not unlike the pin-mapping on paper maps that many police departments have been doing for decades. This enhanced technology enables law enforcers to further apply spatial analysis techniques to the distribution of CFS points to determine consistent patterns in the incidents. This enables a better proactive strategic allocation and deployment of personnel to regularly ensure the greatest possible protection.

The “GIS for Law Enforcement” Course allows you to answer these types of questions by teaching you to analyze and visualize the pertinent data. The course uses a variety of datasets and the capabilities of ESRI’s ArcGIS to answer questions relating to tracking perpetrators, locating drug trafficking, and determining motor vehicle accident hotspots.

Table of Contents

Lesson Sample

System Requirements

Based on latest version of ArcGIS Desktop supported in the most recent course update

ArcGIS Desktop 10 - ArcView:

  • Operating System: Windows XP Professional, Windows Vista, Windows 7
  • Processor: 2.2 GHZ recommended or equivalent (Intel Pentium 4, Intel Core Duo, or Xeon Processors; SSE2)
  • RAM: 2GB Minimum
  • Disk Space: 3.2 GB
  • Video Adapter: OpenGL-compatible card - OpenGL 1.3 compliant (64 MB memory)/NVIDIA, ATI and INTEL chipsets

    • Additional Computer Requirements:

  • Networked lab of computers with a 1:1 ratio of students to computers
  • Disk Space: Additional 1 GB for courseware data; 500 MB per student for student generated data
  • Permissions: Save location for students with Read/Write Access - stored locally or on server.
  • For Presentations: Means of displaying PowerPoint presentations (LCD projector, large monitor, etc.)
  • Printer: Suggested; suitable for printing 8.5 x 11 in. map layouts
  • Internet Connection: For research and downloading data