Crime Mapping and Analysis by Community Organizations in Hartford, Connecticut
March 2001Although crime mapping has become increasingly popular among law enforcement agencies, there have been few attempts to make it available to community residents and organizations. The National Institute of Justice sponsored an assessment of one community's efforts to adapt crime mapping technologies for community use, highlighted in this Research in Brief (NCJ 185333). This technologythe Neighborhood Problem Solving (NPS) systemwas implemented in 14 locations throughout Hartford. It was used most often to confirm and quantify known problems, but also revealed problems previously unknown to community organizations and helped to measure the effects of neighborhood initiatives. Analysis found that a key feature of the program's success in Hartford was the extensive infrastructure already in place to support the system, including neighborhood-based problem-solving committees, veteran community organizers, and a supportive environment in the city government and police department.
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