Many larger police departments have computer systems designed to track crime in near real-time. These geographic information systems (GIS) can be used to aid in making decisions about where to deploy police officers based on where crimes are predicted to occur based on where and when crimes previously occurred.
But do these systems reduce crime rates?
The short answer is: no one really knows. A new study (subscription required for access to full study) released by researchers at Sam Houston State University found that “no empirical work links GIS to police deployment effectiveness.”
“There is a near total lack of independent evaluations of GIS effect in police organizations,” said professor and study co-author Yan Zhang in a press release. “Since GIS represents a significant element of both strategic and tactical decision making for law enforcement agencies, purposeful, focused and relevant evaluations would contribute to maximizing GIS efficacy.”
