ABSTRACT
Implementation of a geographic information system within a law enforcement agency has many issues in common with developing a GIS for any municipal (or other level) governmental agency. This is fortunate since agencies throughout the world have been struggling, and generally succeeding, in implementing GIS for decades (Leipnik et al. 1993). Many of the obstacles likely to be encountered in the context of GIS implementation in law enforcement have been overcome by other agencies. Methods, strategies, cadres of consultants, and a myriad of training and education materials are available to all governmental entities to ease the implementation process. Viewing implementation as a structured multi-step process is perhaps the most important avenue by which implementation can be accomplished in a rapid and cost-effective manner. Merely muddling through or relying exclusively on the advice of a generally self-interested salesperson from a GIS vendor, is at least a recipe for added expense and/or unnecessary delays and false starts, if not a recipe for disaster. This chapter outlines a simplified step-by-step method for making implementation of GIS an efficient and intelligent process (Korte 1992).
