CrimeView

CrimeView

Crime Analysis Extension to ArcGIS
Developer(s)	The Omega Group
Stable release	4.3 / 2008
Operating system	Windows 2000, Windows XP
Type	GIS

CrimeView is a crime analysis, mapping and reporting software extension to ArcGIS that was first created by The Omega Group in 1996. It was designed for the detailed study of patterns of crime as they relate to geography and time. The first working CrimeView application was installed at Indio Police Department in California in August 1996. Since that time approximately five hundred agencies in forty-six different states have implemented CrimeView applications, making it one of the most popular crime mapping solutions in the world. CrimeView was originally created in Avenue, ESRI's open source environment. The software has since undergone numerous transformations and is currently based in the .NET and Silverlight programming environments. CrimeView was migrated to the ArcGIS Server environment in 2008, enabling analyses to be performed through a Web browser through the use of a client/server based application.

Background

CrimeView connects to an agency's existing crime records or reporting system and automatically converts tabular data into locations on a map. Many police departments use CrimeView as part of their CompStat process and Watch Commanders utilize the software in order to help determine the placement of officers in the field. CrimeView was created to support recent trends of policing such as Problem-Oriented Policing, Community Policing and the more recent Intelligence-Led Policing. The Lincoln Police Department in Nebraska has been successful in apprehending several repeat offenders through the use of "Hot Spot", "Cyclical Reporting" and Threshold Alert routines.

Servers and Hosting

CrimeView is implemented through any law enforcement agency's Intranet as CrimeView Server or be shared with the general public through the Internet as CrimeView Community. These two server based or hosted versions of the software are compatible with most standard Web browsers and are designed to support Community Oriented Policing efforts throughout the United States. CrimeMapping.com was launched in May 2008 as a nationwide hosted public crime mapping service based on the CrimeView and CrimeView Community models. Users can map out crimes for their area and receive free crime alerts regarding recent activity through the use of CrimeMapping.com.

Functions

Some CrimeView functions include:

Queries - by any attribute, geographic boundary, or proximity to an address or landmark feature.

Density Mapping - standardized density, hot spot maps, repeat calls.

Cyclical Reports - combines and saves queries, reports, and graphs to run anytime.

Exception Reporting – create COMPSTAT style comparison reports.

Threshold Alert – e-mail alerts (including maps and reports) when activity thresholds have been reached.

Temporal Heat Index - Depict the total calls per hour and DOW graphically to identify temporal hot spots

Analyses - crime rate generator, spatial trends.

Order Labels - plots specific incidents in the order they occur with directionals.

Statistical Profiler - profiles a data series to help determine where and when the next event is most likely to occur.

Discussion

San Juan Police Department in Puerto Rico recently implemented CrimeView Desktop. The San Juan application was launched in 2007 and represents the first CrimeView database implemented in a Spanish speaking region. Geographic Mapping Technologies was integral in bringing CrimeView to San Juan. CrimeView Server was implemented for the Greek National Police Department in 2010 and serves the entire country of Greece. St. John Police Force launched CrimeView in 2009 and has achieved a double digit reduction in crime which is outlined in an ESRI Case Study.

CrimeView's Threshold Alert function is currently being used by Lincoln Police Department as a daily reporting mechanism. The Threshold Alert routine allows the end user to set a threshold for any type of crime by any geography. If the threshold is exceeded during a specified time period an e-mail alert is sent out to designated recipients. By setting the threshold to one (1) Lincoln Police Department has been able to create daily reports that are utilized by command staff in the decision making process.

The Virginia Beach Police Department was able to apprehend a serial rapist in 2006 through the use of CrimeView's hot spot and reporting functions. Hot spots maps were created showing where and when the most incidents were occurring. The department placed additional officers at these locations during peak activity times and were able to catch a sexual predator just before he struck again.

References

• San Diego Union Tribune – Crime busters get a break in their investigations, published August 1998.
• ESRI ArcNews – Redlands, California, Police Use CrimeView to Predict Trouble Spots, published Winter 1998.
• International Association of Crime Analysts – CrimeView CrimeView suite of desktop and Web based applications, IACA Web site 2000.
• Utah County Daily Herald – Law Enforcement Officials Improving Crime Data Analysis, published June 2002.
• National Institute of Justice – San Francisco CrimeMAPS (based on CrimeView) CrimeView Community, NIJ Web site 2002.
• Government Matters 2003 – Regional Analysis CrimeView and Citrix, ESRI Press 2003.
• Police Chief Magazine – San Francisco Launches Crime Mapping System, Police Chief Magazine May 2004 Issue.
• City of Lafayette's CrimeView Community Application – City Manager's Blog on CrimeView Community, City of Lafayette, Louisiana 2005.
• West Des Moines City Manager's Blog 2006 – City Manager's Blog on CrimeView, City of West Des Moines, Iowa 2006.
• Officer.com – CrimeView Helps Hartford Police Implement Change in Laws, posted to Officer.com in December 2006.
• LaserFiche User News– IT Innovation Helps Claremont Fight Crime, LaserFiche Web site, July 2007.
• IN.GOV – CrimeView Community Law Enforcement Map, posted to Indiana Government Web site, October 2007.
• Chief Tom Cassady's Blog – Lincoln Police Utilize CrimeView, The Blog Spot 2008.
• CBS News – Neighborhood Crime Rates With the Click of a Mouse, CBS News 4, Hollywood, Florida, January 2008.
• GIS Cafe 2008 – Gulport Police Launch CrimeView, Cafe Press 2008.
• Omega Press – Peoria Police and Sheriff Launch CrimeView Community CrimeView Community, Peoria, Illinois, July 2009.
• Omega Press – CrimeView Improves Traffic Safety CrimeView, Norfolk, Virginia, October 2009.
• Omega Press – Greek National Police Launch Crime Analysis Tool Online CrimeView Server, Athens, Greece, April 2010.