Police Hot Spots, Free Essay Sample for Everyone

Major cities across the globe have continued to experience increasing trends in crime, prompting the need for security departments to enhance their security strategies and approaches to criminality. They have adopted various technological advancements breaking away from the traditional policing approaches that involved implementing the law reactively and broadly, principally making the use of police resources (Weisburd & Eric, 2004). Security departments could increase the number of security officers, conduct random and unfocussed patrols, intensify follow-up investigations by detectives and general arrests policies to suspected criminals. However, these methods have over time been superseded by an increasing and emergent wave of crimes necessitating the need for technology-driven approaches such as crime mapping among others. Crime mapping could thus be explained as the approach by security officers to use conduct spatial analysis within crime investigation and other security-related matters aided by the use of geographic information systems (Markovic, 2002). Its use has been very effective in democratic societies such as in the United States where the police uphold a direct and distinctive correlation with members of the public. Crime mapping has been used as a systematic way to describe the crime, the need for safety and other concerns in a manner that the public, the Federal authorities and the judiciary can comprehend.

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Mamalian & LaVigne (2009) observe that crime mapping has tremendously helped security departments to evaluate, administer and evaluate information than they experienced earlier on. Officers are adequately informed of crime locations and the cheapest routes to use to address it. Through computerized mapping, investigators too are acquainted with the patterns of crimes, understand the particular times during the day, analyze geographical locations that they frequently happen and also get the social data of the involved. More importantly, mapping technologically expedites the statistical and visual analyses around the spatial nature of a crime as well as link unlike information sources together established on the likely geographical variables (Markovic, 2002). Locals of a given town or are area able to see what is happening in their locality and surrounding neighborhood. They get more involved and assisted security officers to reduce crime. Additionally, security departments and their investigators reliably use the maps drawn out the mapping process to relay analysis results.

In a close case study of Orlando town, Florida State of the United States, crime mapping has been effective and has drastically reduced crime levels. For instance, in Seminole and Orange counties crime reduced by up to 4 percent and 6% in Osceola County. According to the crime map (Orlando Police Department, 2018) crime map, property-related crimes such as theft motor vehicle robberies and burglary cases are common accounting for nearly 90% of the cases recorded. In last three months, no homicide incidences have been reported. Property crimes. Parramore and Orange Blossom Trail streets have suffered more criminal activities compared to the central and eastern regions. Many of these theft and burglary cases have occurred along the Jeff Fuqua BLVD road near the Orlando International Airport. Assult and robberies have been established to be on the rise and are mostly conducted at the wee hours of the night at around 3 AM. The crime map also indicates that between 8 and 9 PM the citizens are also insecure mostly facing burglary atrocities. Orlando Police Department, 2018 reveals many life quality related cases such as drug trafficking happen during the night from 9 PM to around 1 AM. In fact, from 5 Am to 10 Am such activities have not been recorded. Police presence along this mapped areas have continued to increase over time. The department acknowledges the underlying security needs and is prompt in their responses.

Orlando city being tourism and a vacation hub for many families in Florida, attracts many people along the streets, especially near the airport, a fact that has been attributed to the rising cases of theft in the regionCITATION Orl18 \l 1033 (Orlando Police Department, 2018). Pickpockets are popular and are known for snatching handbags from their unsuspecting targets. It happens any time of the day especially when the streets become quite busy.The high crime rates in the western region of the town have been attributed to the dense population around Orlando City Hall. Other than theft, car related cases are high. Nearby streets of Orange blossom, Pine Hill, Parramore and Disney Park are quite unsafe compared to the rest of the city. The region between State 50 and 436 are prone to drug-related criminal cases. This is attributed to a high population of young people and a low police presence. The security department is advocating for after school platforms to allow for more opportunities to the youth who engage in criminal vices.

The Orlando police department acknowledges the need of the mapping and urges members of the public to continue reporting criminal activities to reduce crimes in areas mapped as hot spots. As (Haberman, 2014) argues, with more focus on crime mapping approach, police can significantly achieve crime control while evading conflicts with the community.

References

Cynthia A. Mamalian, N. G. (2009). The Use of Computerized Crime Mapping by. National Institute of Justice Law Enforcement: Survey Results.

David Weisburd, J. E. (2004). What Can Police Do to Reduce Crime, Disorder, and Fear? 42-46.

Haberman, E. R. (2014). Satisfaction with police in violent crime hot spots: Using community surveys as a guide for selecting hot spots policing tactics. Crime and Delinquency.

Markovic, J. (2002, March). CRIME MAPPING AND THE POLICING OF DEMOCRATIC SOCIETIES. Retrieved March 26, 2018, from http://faculty.uml.edu/jbyrne/44.203/markovic_stone_mapping_and_policing%5B2%5D.pdf

Orlando Police Department. (2018, March 24). Retrieved March 26, 2018, from Crime Reports: https://www.crimereports.com/agency/orlando-police-department-fl#!/dashboard?incident_types=Assault%252CAssault%2520with%2520Deadly%2520Weapon%252CBreaking%2520%2526%2520Entering%252CDisorder%252CDrugs%252CHomicide%252CKidnapping%252CLiquor%252COther%2520