ABSTRACT

The use of geographic information systems (GIS) has increasingly become recognized within law enforcement as a highly effective means of enhancing crime analysis through the analysis of crime patterns, evaluation of crime trends, and assistance in strategic planning and problem solving. Due to increased publicity about its benefits, interest in acquiring and using GIS within law enforcement has grown exponentially. Recent research suggests that the majority of police departments feel that crime mapping would be a valuable tool for their department in dealing with crime (Mamalian et al. 1998). While a few years ago crime mapping might have seemed cuttingedge and out of reach, the declining costs of computer hardware and software have placed GIS firmly within the grasp of many law enforcement agencies. In accordance with this, the use of GIS has increased over the past few years, with approximately 16 percent of the more than 13,500 local police agencies using GIS to some extent in 1999 (Hickman 2001).