CrimeView

CrimeView is a crime analysis, mapping and reporting software extension to ArcGIS that was first created by The Omega Group in 1996. It allows for the detailed study of patterns of crime as they relate to geography and time. In addition the services provided, CrimeView provides for a vast array of automation capabilities to improve a law enforcement agency's ability to serve pertinent information to decision-makers in a timely manner. The first working CrimeView application was installed at the Indio Police Department in California in August 1996. Since that time over two hundred and fifty agencies in forty different states have implemented CrimeView applications, making it one of the most popular crime mapping solutions in the world. CrimeView was originally created in Avenue, ESRI's open source language. The software has since undergone numerous transformations and is currently based in the .NET environment. Plans are under way to migrate the crime analysis utility to the ArcGIS Server environment in 2008. This will enable high end analyses to be performed through any Web browser through the use of a server based application.

Background
CrimeView connects to an agency's existing crime records or reporting system and automatically converts tabular data into locations on a map. This allows for timely analysis and reporting. Many police departments use CrimeView as part of their COMSTAT process and Watch Commanders utilize the software in order to help determine the placement of officers in the field. Additional resources can be placed where they are most needed to prevent or most efficiently react to crime. The Lincoln Police Department in Nebraska has been successful in apprehending several repeat offenders through the use of CrimeView's "Hot Spot", "Cyclical Reporting" and Threshold Alert routines.

Servers
CrimeView can also be implemented through any law enforcement agency's Intranet as CrimeView Web or be shared with the general public through the Internet as CrimeView Community. These two server based versions of the software are compatible with most standard Web browsers and have been effective with Community Oriented Policing efforts throughout the United States.

Functions
Some of the different CrimeView functions include:

Queries - by any attribute, geographic boundary, or proximity to an address or landmark feature.

Density Maps - standardized density, hot spot maps, repeat calls.

Cyclical Reports - combines and saves queries, reports, and graphs to run anytime.

Exception Reporting – create COMSTAT style comparison reports.

Threshold Alert – e-mail alerts (including maps and reports) when activity thresholds have been reached.

Analyses - crime rate generator, spatial trends.

Order Labels - plots specific incidents in the order they occur with directionals.

Statistical Profiler - profiles a data series to help determine where and when the next event is most likely to occur.

Discussion
The Omega Group has built hundreds of CrimeView applications for agencies throughout the US and Canada. San Juan Police Department in Puerto Rico recently implemented CrimeView Desktop. The San Juan application was launched in 2007 and represents the first CrimeView database implemented in a Spanish speaking region. Geographic Mapping Technologies was integral in bringing CrimeView to San Juan.

CrimeView's Threshold Alert function is currently being used by Lincoln Police Department as a daily reporting mechanism. The Threshold Alert routine allows the end user to set a threshold for any type of crime by any geography. If the threshold is exceeded during a specified time period an e-mail alert is sent out to designated recipients. By setting the threshold to one (1) Lincoln Police Department has been able to create daily reports that are utilized by command staff in the decision making process.

The Virginia Beach Police Department was able to apprehend a serial rapist in 2006 through the use of CrimeView's hot spot and reporting functions. Hot spots maps were created showing where and when the most incidents were occurring. The department placed additional officers at these locations during peak activity times and were able to catch a sexual predator just before he struck again.