If you’re moving into a new city or neighborhood, or starting a new job in a new area of town, or perhaps you’re looking
to invest in some property, you may be interested in using what police are using today called ‘Crime Mapping‘, a way of geographically keeping track of various crimes that occur so that you are able to analyse and predict crime trends and trouble spots.
Crime Mapping Technology
This technology is very important for police because it gives them an easier understanding of determining where the majority of crimes are happening, changes in patterns, and keeping an eye on areas that need more police presence. For example, if police notice an upswing of drug busts in a particular neighborhood or a rise in burglaries or rapes in one particular area in their district, they can conclude that a more thorough and tactical approach is needed to stop it from becoming regular incidents. Likewise, if police are focusing for long stretches of working on particular locations and ignore rises and increases in crime in other ones, then they are obviously neglecting targeting those areas from the get-go and ensuring it doesn’t turn into a regular occurrence in that zone. And if there is a rise in things like organized crime, it’s easier for law enforcement to track patterns so they can disrupt them and get to the top of the operation faster because they have the blueprint of their operation already mapped out. Upon further analysis of the data, they can predict and prevent future sprees from sprouting up in other similar districts by comparing their setting to those that enduring the problem currently and put in place measures and regulations. It can help to understand why certain crimes happen in certain places, and help put together socio-economic statistics that make it easier to rehabilitate and incarcerate those who break the law.
For residents, there are also many benefits, from being able to keep an eye on crime trends in your area and taking action
to not only prevent it but stop it, but you are also able to able to foresee the areas to avoid and vicinities that are most vulnerable. If you are in the business of providing social services, for example legal, educational or rehabilitation services, then knowing what regions are in demand of such services is greatly beneficial not just to you but those who are wanting and needing your help.
By looking at Spot Crime, as one example, you can view in chronological order the confirmed and verified crimes that have happened around the city.
These are the crimes listed for January 5th, to choose one date, to give you an idea of what you would see:
- Theft 1000 BLOCK S 52ND ST
- Theft 6500 BLOCK OXFORD AV
- Theft 500 BLOCK UNRUH AV
- Theft 11200 BLOCK ACADEMY RD
- Robbery 5500 BLOCK YOCUM ST
- Robbery 700 BLOCK RITNER STREET
- Robbery CHEW AVE AND E CHELTEN AVE
- Robbery 7800 BLOCK OF HORROCKS ST
Now if you live in one of these zones, you may take special note that robberies are up and to be extra cautious with your security. Or you could take the information by further researching around the string of assaults that have been occurring and find out if it’s something that could affect your own personal security and if there is a pattern in particular with the type of victim that you may fit. Essentially, you can really use crime mapping to ensure you are safe as well as those you care about most, whether it’s family members, co-workers, children, and it allows you to be a more pro-active member of your community.
Safe In The City
In Philadelphia, where the Law Office of David P. Thiruselvam has been defending victims of crime in the area as well as New Jersey for over 20 years, you can see by pulling up a crime map of the city not just the particular crimes but their exact location. If you or someone you know is a victim of a crime, please visit our website or call us anytime to discuss what course you want to take. You may be entitled to compensation and you can be certain that the culprit will have their own defender to challenge you in court, so having someone on your side that supports you fully as soon as possible is important.
