You are the crime analyst in a small to medium city. Your department is still using the pushpin type system of crime mapping. This is a very rudimentary style of mapping. In fact, one may have more than one crime in the same block on one day.
EXAMPLE
Weekend Crime Reports
|
Time Reported |
Crime Committed |
Location |
| Friday, 2nd Shift | Homicide | S. 1st Ave. & 2nd St. |
| Friday, 2nd Shift | Carjacking | S. 1st Ave. and 5th St. |
| Friday, 3rd Shift | Domestic | N. 10th Ave. & 18th St. |
| Friday, 3rd Shift | Carjacking | N. 7th Ave. & 16th St. |
Download Time Plot and Crime Plot Examples.
Mapping Guidelines
- The crime plotting example shows the crimes.
- When it asks for a cluster, you would look for a certain crime and decide if there is a cluster and in what section of the town it would be located.
- When it pertains to suggestions to the chief for shifts, you do this by time.
- The time plotting example shows the same crimes by shift.
Individual Portion
Download Weekend Crime Reports. You are to map each crime reported over the weekend in 2 separate Excel files. One map is to plot the time reported, and the other will map the specific crime.
Complete your 2 maps using the Plotting Map Template given below, and submit them to the team leader.
Download Plotting Map Template.
Further Information on Crime Maps
|
Standard Shift Hours |
|
| 1st Shift | 7 AM to 3 PM |
| 2nd Shift | 3 PM to 11 PM |
| 3rd Shift | 11 PM to 7 AM |
- There are North, South, East, and West designations on the map.
- Central Avenue splits the town into a north and south area. Although the West section of Central Avenue holds industrial buildings, it then travels east and has mostly businesses (shops, bars, etc.).
- The northeast section of town is the downtown harbor area in which people of higher means are living.
- The southeast section of town contains people of less than normal monetary means.
- The northwest section of town is a median-income area but has gangs.
- The southwest section of town has more of a residential feel.
- The west section at Central Avenue holds industrial buildings.
Please add your file.
Group Portion
Your chief is asking for an analysis of the crime over the weekend. He has been receiving complaints from citizens that their area is not being covered to combat crime. He would like answers to the specific questions listed below.
Discuss the following questions on your group Discussion Board so that the team leader can compile the information to be used in the team paper. The answers to these questions are based on the crime and time mapping that you have finished for the team work.
- Is there an excess of suspicious person reports in one area? If so, why do you think that may be happening?
- Is there a lack of suspicious person reports in one area? If so, why do you think that may be happening?
- Is there a certain time for burglaries? If so, why do you think that may be happening? Is there a cluster for the following:
- Homicides
- Burglaries
- Robberies
- Carjacking reports
- Domestic reports
- Home invasions
- Driving under the influence
- Are domestics related to one area? Why or why not?
- The chief needs to allocate his officers to certain areas. At what day and time would he or she increase patrol car activity and in what area?
- Give reasons to your chief as to why it would be advantageous to the department to have a computer-generated mapping system.
The team leader will take the crime map that the team deems correct and add it to the team paper along with the answers to the questions above.
Members of the team will address these questions using the crime mapping and time mapping that they made up for this group project. When you submit your replies to the team discussion board, upload your 2 files so that others can see your mapping.
