To Map Or Not To Map:
Assessing The Impact Of Crime Maps On Police Officer Perceptions Of Crime
Summary:
Geographic
Information Systems (GIS) technology allows the user to utilize computer-mapping
systems to spatially analyze data such as crime incidents (Paulsen, 2004). The purpose of this software is to spatially
analyze information from crime incidents in order for policing efforts to put
more resources towards higher at risk areas within their jurisdictions. Law enforcement highly values crime-mapping
technology to conduct intelligence-led policing. Intelligence-led policing gives law
enforcement the ability to act more proactively towards criminal activity. However, to perform intelligence-led policing
requires the law enforcement agency to have an accurate understanding of the
crime patterns in their jurisdictions and ability to understand what the crime
maps inform the officers about hotspots in their jurisdiction (Paulsen,
2004). Paulsen (2004) conducted an
experiment to evaluate the effects of crime maps on officers’ perceptions of
crime patterns and how it affected their patrol activities to perform
intelligence- led policing.
To collect data for the experiment Paulsen
(2004) utilized a police department from a post of the Kentucky State Police. The post of the Kentucky State Police agreed
to be apart of the researcher’s program called Tactical Mapping and Analysis
Program (TMAP), which provided both police executives and patrol officers with
up to date crime maps on crime incidents in their jurisdictions. The goal was for both groups to use the data
provided by the crime maps to lead intelligence-led policing efforts to develop
proper strategies in which to target current and emerging crime problems. Crime maps were able to give daily, weekly,
and monthly maps with no lag time for officers of the Kentucky State Police
(Paulsen, 2004).
To determine police perception
of crime and if crime maps influenced their intelligence-led policing efforts Paulsen
(2004) used a test and control group, along with pre-test and post-test
experimental measures. Prior to
beginning TMAP, the 40 officers in the Kentucky Police Department were split
into a test and control group and asked pre-test questions that dealt with
their background, sources of main crime information, and perceptions of crime
patterns within their jurisdictions (Paulsen, 2004). Additionally, the officers were given a map
of their jurisdiction and were asked to label the five most crime ridden
areas. Officers from the test group
received daily, monthly, and weekly crime maps for two months. After two months Paulsen (2004) analyzed if
there were any changes to the spatial perceptions of crime by each group of
officers with the use of crime maps over a two-month duration.
The analysis
of the experiment expressed that police officers do not have a good
understanding of crime patterns within their respected their jurisdictions, with
most only able to identify two of the top five highest crime areas in their
jurisdiction (Paulsen, 2004). As
compared to the control group who didn’t receive crime maps, those officers who
did receive crime maps proved no more accurate than those officers who were not
given crime maps over the duration of the two month study to identify the
highest area of crime within their jurisdictions (Paulsen, 2004).
Critique:
The study conducted by Paulsen
(2004) expressed that intelligence-led policing efforts that utilize the
information displayed with crime mapping software does very little to guide intelligence
efforts to shape jurisdiction policing strategies if officers are not educated
on how to properly use these sources.
Just giving officers crime maps does not give them the analytical skills
necessary to interpret what is presented in the crime maps and apply it to
intelligence-led policing efforts.
Furthermore, the study suggests that the culture surrounding police
officers’ perception of where high-risk crime areas are located is highly
engrained in the studied patrol officers’ daily experiences of patrolling and
officers demonstrated an unwillingness to acknowledge what the analyzed data of
crime maps conveys. Moreover, it is
necessary that police officers are educated on the proper analytical techniques
to understand crime maps. For
intelligence-led policing to be effective it must go beyond the officers
perceptions of what the real threat is in their jurisdictions and a proper
analysis of crime maps will allow officers to be more successful in their
intelligence gathering and policing efforts.
However,
even though the study conducted by Paulsen (2004) expressed important
implications of the use of crime mapping among patrolling officers and its
effect on the successfulness of intelligence-led policing, the results should
be taken with some speculation. The
police agency that was used as a sample for this study was mostly in a rural
area of Kentucky. A future study would
be needed to determine if crime mapping practices are different in urban areas
and if police perceptions of where high crime areas are incorrect in urban
areas as well. Moreover, a larger sample size and pulling
officers from different areas of the country would be needed to provide increased
support for the outcome of the experiment.
Predominantly, the states in the south of the United States have higher
crime rates so it would be interesting to conduct this experiment comparing law
enforcement in northern and southern states and their perceptions of where the
hotspots of crime are in their respected jurisdictions.
Lastly, it
is important to affirm that this study did not avow police officers were less
effective with their current understanding and utilization of crime maps, or
that with crime maps intelligence-led policing increased the effectiveness of
the police agency. However, in terms of
the benefits of intelligence-led policing the study delved into the possibility
that it is a much-needed intelligence gathering strategy for law enforcement
agencies to implement to be able to combat not just current crime issues, but
emerging risks in their jurisdictions.
Properly analyzing trends will allow law enforcement agencies with the ability
to make crime analysis that is future orientated, the main goal of intelligence
gathering allowing for a reduction of uncertainty for law enforcement
decision-makers.
Source:
Paulsen, Derek J. (2004). To Map Or Not To Map: Assessing
The Impact Of Crime Maps On Police
Officer Perceptions of Crime. International
Journal of Police Science &
Management, 6(4), 234-246. Retrieved
from http://ehis.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=75d3db08-d830-49d4-831c-47050e61df7b%40sessionmgr10&vid=1&hid=3&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=15073048
Posts
This study was especially interesting in terms of the results, but as you stated, it's scope is too limited to apply the findings across the board at this stage. You rightly pointed out that the methodology of crime mapping had little utility likely due to the fact that the test group was not taught the methodology, rather they merely received the maps. I certainly agree that this would affect the utility of any methodology, I'm particularly surprised by its affect on a GIS methodology as we are constantly taught that most decision makers are visual learners, leading me to believe that even without understanding the entire ideology behind crime mapping, the maps would still prove useful in police perceptions and policing strategies. Do you think it is possible the data used to compose the maps added to the inexpedience of crime mapping in this particular study?
ReplyDeleteMk,
ReplyDeleteI think that the overall reason why the patrolling officers found that the crime maps proved ineffective was mainly due to the officers' perceptions of where they believed the hot spots in their jurisdiction were. From reading the study the data for the maps did distinguish where the hot spots in the jurisdiction were, but the patrolling officers experiences of where they thought the problem areas in their jurisdiction seemed to trump the crime map analysis. However, the study was done in rural area so I wonder if the results would have been different for a urban setting law enforcement agency, as opposed to a law enforcement agency that operates in a rural setting.