Data and Maps Aiding Police

This article from Governing looks at how police departments are taking crime and traffic data and using it to improve their services and save time.

"After mapping, they quickly noticed an overlap: Where crime is high, traffic incidents are often high as well. "You don't hear of walk-by shootings," says Michael Alexander, commander of the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. "Most of the time the criminal element is either riding or driving in the car."

To address the overlap, the pilot agencies targeted specific areas, and stepped up their police presence and traffic enforcement in these places. The result? Decreases in robberies, vandalism, theft and many other crime categories, and increases in vehicle stops, warnings, traffic citations and DUI/DWI arrests."