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Technology and Crime Analysis Research Paper
Crime analysis is a three faceted undertaking that involves the collection of data as well as the analysis of criminal activity, the offender, and the victim or the target of the incident. The primary goal of crime examination is to help the police management to make decisions regarding deployment and allocation of resources after a correct understanding of the scope and nature of the problem. There exists a variety of technologies that are available to police officers and staff in the legal department that aid in accurate crime analysis. The types of technologies used in the analysis range from the use of computers, communication systems, as well as data collection, storage, and retrieval tools. These technologies play different unique roles in crime analysis (Manning, 2001).
Computers are one of the key tools that are used for crime examination. Computers have the capacity to handle massive amounts as well as the complex data that can be collected, stored, and processed with relative ease. Besides, computers ensure that the data gathered, warehoused, processed, retrieved, and disseminated is the same and will be accurate when it is used for analysis. The use of Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD), a specialized system that employs the use of telecommunication in addition to the geographic display, aids in the dispatch and response function of the police. Besides the system dispatching officers to the scene of a crime, it records information from the service calls. Therefore, the communication between the police officers and the dispatchers are registered and stored which will help in the analysis phase. The type of information collected by the CAD system may include the date, time, location and the type of call as may be interpreted by the caller (Santos, 2012).
The computerized databases of written reports provide another essential technology that aids personnel in the police and other criminal justice departments in crime analysis (Manning, 2001). These databases usually begin in paper forms that are manually filled by police officers in the field. Other personnel then enter the written forms into an automated system later. The entire population of the crime incident reports constituted over a given period may then be downloaded for analysis. The use of the records management system (RMS) is as fundamental to crime analysis as it enables the analysis unit to query the data for patterns, relationships, and certain trends (Santos, 2012).
Various software can be used to analyze the collected data include the graphics software, spreadsheets, desktop publishing, GIS software among others. However, the analyzed data is useless until it has been communicated appropriately to the relevant authorities for further action. The tools that are available for transmitting it include PowerPoint presentation, reporting software like Crystal Reports and desktop publishing software like PageMaker. These tools help the officers to prepare both paper and electronic communications (Wortley & Mazerolle, 2013).
The internet, and by extension, the web browser is one of the preferred methods that is used by personnel in disseminating information. Web conferencing is a great tool that is used to distribute briefings to employees and staff in various geographical locations. For this to be made possible, the crime units must have the enabling hardware. Competent personal computers, active connections, maintained and regularly upgraded servers and hosting systems and the communication network are vital hardware components that enable the running of the software (Santos, 2012). Plasma and LCD monitors allow for the display of analytical products and reports like maps. Business-class-color printers are equally an integral technology that helps to produce sufficient quantities of printed documents that are impossible with desktop printers. High-quality color printouts give a beneficial aspect that aids the officers in distilling the information (Wortley & Mazerolle, 2013).
Crime analysis is advantageous to both the community and the police because it enables the police to shift from the traditional way of focusing on crime on a case-by-case and only being reactive. This approach has been discounted as being useful in crime reduction rates. Crime analysis, on the other hand, helps in understanding and predicting criminality patterns from the information obtained. In addition, the facts and reports assist the communities to make the decision on the type of neighborhood to invest and live in. It also helps them predict when a crime is likely to occur and the perpetrators. This will inform them of the precautionary procedures to take to avoid being victims of the crimes (Clarke & Eck, 2005)
Crime analysis helps the police to predict and understand crime patterns to help them strategize on how to prevent future crime by developing appropriate tactical deployment schemes. The analysis can further assist in creating clusters of locations of crimes to give a general direction of preventive patrol efforts. Incident records or arrest archives can be analyzed to determine the possible hideouts of an individual or the best apprehension strategy to be employed. The analysis of officer run sheets can also be used to detect laziness and corruption to help generate internal investigations. Finally, crime analysis can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of police dispatch and deployment strategies as well as assess the performance of police personnel (Clarke & Eck, 2005).
Identify and explain three types of technology that are necessary for accurate crime analysis
