New York State Office of Cyber Security
Geographic Information Systems Clearinghouse
GIS Partnership Summary
Crime Mapping and Analysis: Operation IMPACT
Partnership Purpose and Goal:
Crime analysis for tactical and strategic policing is critical to the success
of New York State’s Operation IMPACT — the statewide comprehensive
crime reduction program (see below). For participating police departments,
a key component of the program is the continuum of development and support
for crime mapping and analysis provided through a partnership between
DCJS and the University at Albany’s School of Criminal Justice.
Through this partnership, crime analysts in participating jurisdictions
acquire hands-on computer training to enhance their GIS skills and analytic
abilities to use location-based information about crime and its environment
both to develop more effective and innovative problem-solving strategies
as well as to guide task forces through the strategic crime control process.
Participants and Resource Contributions:
School of Criminal Justice, University
at Albany – provided the
classroom, the instructor, the software, written materials and the data
for conducting the crime mapping workshop.
New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), Bureau of Justice Research and Innovation (BJRI) – recruited class participants from Operation IMPACT sites around the state by conducting a survey of GIS capabilities, and sponsored the workshop.
Date Partnership Began: June 2005
Completed: ongoing through continuing technical support and future training
Deliverables:
The partnership generates three specific deliverables. The first of these
is the classroom instruction that includes hands-on experience at a state-of
the-art computer lab located at the main UAlbany campus. The second is
the ongoing technical assistance provided by UAlbany and DCJS crime analysts.
Third, through the partnership a core network of crime analysts in local
police department has been identified which is anticipated to develop
into a formal professional association, with its own website, computer
forum and technical assistance hot-line. These deliverables comprise
the immediate output of the partnership. In the long run, however, the
partnership will assist local jurisdiction in utilizing their law enforcement
resources more effectively and efficiently, thus having greater impact
on public safety.
Brief Summary of Partnership:
In June, the School of Criminal Justice at the University at Albany and
the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) launched
the first crime mapping and analysis workshop for Operation IMPACT law
enforcement officials.
The workshop was held at UAlbany’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning from June 6 through June 9, 2005 and provided support and hands-on training in spatial analysis of crime data for more than 30 sworn and civilian crime analysts from police departments around New York State. Taught by Professor Piyusha Singh, a nationally recognized expert in the use of GIS in policing and criminal justice research, the workshop used ESRI’s ArcView software.
Operation IMPACT, announced by Governor Pataki in his 2004 State of the State Address, is designed to assist the areas of New York State with disproportionately high crime rates, targeting the counties that account for more than 80% of the crime outside of New York City. It is a focused, comprehensive crime-fighting strategy based on a rigorous mapping and analysis of local crime data. IMPACT is built on a platform of successful crime reduction strategies developed through data-driven problem assessment, strategic planning, and accountability. The crime mapping workshop has furthered the partnership between the School of Criminal Justice and the Division of Criminal Justice Services by reaching out to crime analysts from around the state and enabling them to contribute more effectively to their home law enforcement agencies.
Additional Information Available On-line: http://www.albany.edu/scj/CMworkshop.htm
Contact Information:
Thomas Mitchell
Chief of Crime Reduction Strategies
Bureau of Justice Research & Innovation, DCJS
4 Tower Pl, 8th Fl, Albany, NY 12203-3764
Phone: 518-485-7955
Fax: 518-485-8039
E-mail: Thomas.Mitchell@DCJS.state.ny.us
Julie Horney
Dean
University at Albany, School of Criminal Justice
1400 Washington Ave. Albany, NY 12222
Phone: 518-442-5214
Fax: 518-442-5212
E-mail: jhorney@albany.edu
Piyusha Singh
Assistant Professor
University at Albany, School of Criminal Justice
1400 Washington Ave. Albany, NY 12222
Phone: 518-442-4217
Fax: 518-442-5212
E-mail: psingh@albany.edu