Use Crime Problem Management—ArcGIS Solutions

The Crime Problem Management solution delivers a set of capabilities that help you manage incident data, identify crime problems, manage evidence-based responses, evaluate response effectiveness, and share results with internal and external stakeholders.

In this topic, you’ll learn how to use the solution by assuming the role of a user and performing the workflows below.

Note:

Use your organization's data or configured apps to follow these workflows.

Crime problem management process

To reduce crime effectively, modern law enforcement agencies employ a management process focused on identifying and responding to crime problems and patterns with proven strategies. Leading organizational models that employ such a process include Stratified Policing (Santos & Santos, 2020), the PANDA model (Ratcliffe, 2019), and the SARA model (Eck & Spelman, 1987) of problem-oriented policing (Goldstein, 1979). In these models, discrete geographically-bounded problems with unique victim, offender, and time characteristics are identified through crime analysis. Response strategies informed by existing research are then planned and implemented to combat the problem. After a problem response is complete, the strategy implemented is evaluated to determine crime reduction effectiveness. The Crime Problem Management solution is intended to support such processes, whether your agency is implementing its own process or adopting one of the management models mentioned above.

References:

Eck, J., & Spelman, W. (1987). Problem solving: Problem-oriented policing in Newport News. Police Executive Research Forum.
Goldstein, H. (1979). Improving policing: A problem-oriented approach. Crime & Delinquency (April 1979):236-243.
Ratcliffe, J. (2019). Reducing Crime: A companion for police leaders. Rutledge.
Santos, R.B.(2023). Crime Analysis with crime mapping (5^th Edition). Sage.
Santos, R.G., & Santos, R.B. (2020). Stratified Policing: An organizational model for proactive crime reduction and accountability. Rowman & Littlefield.

Document problems

After problems are identified by crime analysts through routine tactical and strategic analysis, the analysts must document and share their analytical findings with response staff to begin the crime problem management process.

Note:

The Crime Problem Management solution is intended to help law enforcement agencies manage the response to crime problems. Crime analysts are expected to conduct their own problem analysis using capabilities in ArcGIS Pro and the Crime Analysis solution.

In some cases, problems are identified through means other than crime analysis. Police leadership may receive notification from community members, elected officials, or other stakeholders about a problem that leadership feels obligated to respond to. In these situations, a district captain can initiate a new crime problem, complete basic details, and refer the problem to a crime analyst for additional analytical work. You'll learn about each crime problem documentation process in the following sections.

Document problems with ArcGIS Pro

District captains must be aware of problems within their command ares to being to plan a response. These problems can be identified by analysis.

In this workflow, you will assume the role of a crime analyst who will use the Problem Identification ArcGIS Pro project to document crime problems and associated incidents.

Note:

Ensure that you have completed the Configure Problem Identification project workflow before beginning this one.

Browse to and open the Problem Identification ArcGIS Pro project.
If you do not see the Catalog pane, from the View tab, in the Windows group, click Catalog Pane.
Expand the Tasks folder and then double-click the Problem Identification task group.
In the Tasks pane, expand the Document problems task group to see the collection of tasks.
To create a new crime problem, double-click the Create new problem and follow the instructions in the task steps.
To update an existing crime problem, double-click the Update problem and follow the instructions in the task steps.
To print a hard-copy report of a documented crime or calls for service problem, expand the Create crime problem reports task group, double-click the corresponding task, and follow the instructions in the task steps.

Each task group includes a set of steps for using the solution.

Document problems with the Problem Response Planner

District captains are typically responsible for documenting the basic elements of a crime problem and associated incidents.

In this workflow, you will assume the role of a district captain who will use the Problem Response Planner to begin the crime problem management process.

Verify you are signed in to your ArcGIS organization and browse to the Problem Response Planner dashboard.
At the bottom of the dashboard, click Add new crime problem.
The Add new crime problem app appears in a new browser tab.
Review the help instructions in the Using this app window and click Okay.
Rotate the wheel button, or use the map zoom buttons to zoom to the map extent of the crime problem you want to create. As you zoom in, the Crimes and CallsForService layers appear.

Tip:

To hide these layers, go to the sidebar, click Layers, and click each layer to hide it on the map. Click Layers again to hide the panel.

On the sidebar, click Edit to open the editing pane.
Under Create features, click CrimeProblems.
Click a point on the map to position the first corner of your crime problem area, click to place additional corners, and double-click to finish a problem area polygon.
Note:
The .

In the editing pane, attribute fields for the new crime problem appear
Complete the New Crime Problem section with as much information as possible.
The following fields are required:
- Problem Name
- Problem Status
- Date Problem Identified
- District Responsible
Optionally, add any attachments that are relevant to the problem.
To associate crimes or calls for service incidents to this crime problem, you will first filter for the incidents that you want to associate.

Note:

As you zoom in, the Crimes and CallsForService layers will appear. To hide these layers, go to the sidebar, click Filter.

Use filters to select specific incidents to associate to the crime problem.

Tip:

To reset filters to their original state, click Reset Filter.

On the sidebar, click Edit.
In the Editor pane, click Select.
On the map, click an incident you want to associate to the crime problem. In the Problem Name field, typethe name of the crime problem exactly as it is displayed on the label of the problem area on the map, and then click Update.
Repeat these steps to associate the remainder of incidents to the crime problem.

Note:

If you make a mistake during the editing process, you can cancel your edit any time by clicking the Back Arrow in the upper left corner of the edit pane, then clicking Discard edits.

After you finish, close the browser window.

Plan problem response

After a crime problem has been identified, district captains need to plan a response. To work efficiently, they need to research and apply strategies proven by empirical evidence to effectively reduce the type of problem they face.

In this workflow, you will assume the role of district captain who wants to use the Problem Response Planner to plan a response to a crime problem and then assign a lieutenant to coordinate the implementation of the response.

In a browser, browse to the Problem Response Planner dashboard. The dashboard displays open problems. Open problems can be new problems in need of a response plan, problems that are actively being responded to, or problems where the response has ended and is in need of an evaluation. Evaluated problems are not displayed. This status is controlled by the Problem Status field in the Crime Problems layer.
On the left, click the arrow to open the Help Sidebar for this app.

Tip:

Click the arrow again to hide the sidebar.

On the Stats tab, review a list of open problems and their high-level metrics.
At the top, in the header, adjust the District selector to filter open problem.
Use the graphs for additional filtering of the open problems list.
Note:
Dashboard charts are linked. If you click a column on the Problems by status, Problems by type, or Problems by priority chart, related details are filtered and updated in other elements in the dashboard. To reset all dashboard filters click the Reset button.
In the Open problems list, click a problem.
At the bottom of the dashboard, click the Details tab to learn more about the problem.
Click Map tab to see the problem location and view related crimes, calls for service, and attachments.
In the Related crimes list, click a crime incident to learn more about it and see the its location.
In the Related calls list, click a calls for service incident to learn more about it and to see its location.
In the Attachments list, click an attachment to view it in a new browser window.
Click the Response plan tab to document a response plan for the problem.
In the Plan response form, complete the fields displayed according to the instructions on the form.
The following fields are required and must be completed before the form can be submitted:
- Priority
- Response Goals
- Response Strategies
- Response Resources Required
- Response Coordinator
- Response Start Date
- Response End Date
- Problem Status
In the form, the Problem Status field controls visibility of the problem response for users in other solution apps.

Set the value in this field to the appropriate status, as defined in the following table.

Analysis and Planning	Planning a response, plan is not complete.
Active Response	Plan is complete, response is ready to begin or active
Response Ended	Response is complete, evaluation is ready to begin or active

To save changes made to the Plan response form, scroll to the bottom of the form and click Submit.
Note:
You must click Submit any time you edit a field in the form. Otherwise, your edits will not be saved.
After a response plan has been completed, you can create an email to send to your assigned response coordinator notifying them about their response coordination assignment. To create a notification email, scroll to the bottom of the Plan response form and click Email coordinator.
In your default email client, a draft email opens containing the details about the problem and the response plan.
Modify the email text as required, type the email address of the coordinator, and send the email.
The Plan response form also includes links to resources to help users discover research about responses evaluated to be successful for addressing various types of crime problems. Clicking any of the links opens the website in a new browser tab. In addition to the links in the form, users can also use the Evaluated problem responses app to research which strategies have previously been implemented and evaluated at their agency.
To view the app, scroll to the bottom of the Plan response form and click Evaluated problem responses. The Evaluated problem responses app opens in a new browser tab.
On the left, click an evaluated problem response to view its location, evaluation results, and response details
To filter evaluated problem responses, use the header selectors or type a full or partial word into the search bar above the list.
On the left, click the arrow to open the Help Sidebar for this app.
Tip:
Click the arrow again to hide the sidebar.
When you have finished using the Evaluated problem responses app, close the browser tab to close the app and return to the tab showing the Problem Response Planner app.

Coordinate response activities

After a district captain has formulated a problem response plan, the lieutenant assigned to coordinate the response must use the personnel resources designated in the response plan to implement the various strategies. To perform this role in such a way that the response can be evaluated, the lieutenant must document the activities assigned to various operational resources, and the results of those activities. For example, if focused patrols are part of the response plan, the coordinator must document which days and times they occurred, which officers performed them, and what, if any, outputs (arrests, illegal guns, drug recoveries, and so on) were generated. These response activities can be documented by shift, day, or as needed, but they are critical to ensuring that the organization is able to understand what was done and that it was consistent with the planned response.

In this workflow, you will assume the role of a lieutenant who wants to use the Problem Response Coordinator dashboard to document response activities for a crime problem response plan they have been assigned to coordinate.

Verify you are signed in to your ArcGIS organization and browse to the Problem Response Coordinator dashboard.
The dashboard displays active problem responses by priority and the associated response activity reports that have been completed in furtherance of each response. Responses shown in the dashboard have a status of Active Response in the Problem Status field of the Crime Problems layer.
On the left, click the arrow to open the Help Sidebar for this app.
Tip:
Click the arrow again to hide the sidebar.
In the Active problem responses list, click a problem to view its analytical details and response plan.
At the top, in the header, adjust the selectors to filter the Active problem responses list by district or coordinator name .
At the bottom of the dashboard, click the Map tab to see the problem location and view related crimes, calls for service, and attachments.
In the Related crimes list, click a crime incident to learn more about it and to see its location.
In the Related calls list, click a calls for service incident to learn more about it and to see its location.
In the Attachments list, click an attachment to view it in a new browser window.
To complete a new response activity report for the selected record in the Active problem responses list, go to the bottom of the dashboard, and click the New report tab.
Complete the New response activity form fields according to the instructions on the form.
To save changes made to the New response activity form, scroll to the bottom of the form and click Submit.
In some cases, a lieutenant will want to start a response activity report and finish reporting activity results at a later time. To update existing response activity reports for the selected record in the Active problem responses list, go to the bottom of the dashboard, and click the Update report tab.
For the selected problem response, the Update report tab displays a count of activity reports and what percent have been completed (meaning results have been reported), as well as a chart displaying reports by day and a list of the activity reports.
In the Response activity reports list, click a report to update, and the, iIn the Update response activity form, update fields as necessary.
To save changes made to the Update response activity form, scroll to the bottom of the form and click Submit.

Monitor problem response

To ensure that their organization is effectively reducing crime, command staff, must monitor the crime problem management process to enforce accountability and ensure that responses are appropriate to the problem and are being implemented as intended.

In this workflow, you will assume the role of a member of the command staff who wants to use the Problem Response Monitor to monitor the status of current agency-wide problems and responses.

Verify you are signed in to your ArcGIS organization and browse to the Problem Response Monitor dashboard.
The dashboard displays all open problems and responses evaluated within the last 28 days. With this information, you can have a complete picture of the current problem environment, monitor active responses, and discuss the results of responses that have recently been evaluated.
On the left, click the arrow to open the Help Sidebar for this app.
Tip:
Click the arrow again to hide the sidebar.
On the left, review the Open problems and recent evaluations list.
On the Stats tab, view charts displaying high-level metrics.
At the top, in the header, adjust the District selector to filter records in the Open problems and recent evaluations list.
Use the charts for additional filtering of the Open problems and recent evaluations list.
Note:
Dashboard charts are linked. If you click a column on the Problems by status or Problems by district chart, related details are filtered and updated in other elements in the dashboard. To reset all filters click the Reset button at the bottom-right corner of the dashboard.
In the Open problems and recent evaluations list, click a problem. At the bottom of the dashboard, click the Details tab to view analysis details, and if applicable, a response plan and evaluation summary.
Click the Response Reports tab to view response activities associated with the selected problem.
For the selected problem response, the Response Reports tab displays a count of activity reports and what percent have been completed (meaning results have been reported), as well as a chart displaying reports by day, and a list of the activity reports.
At the bottom of the dashboard, click the Map tab to see the problem location and view related crimes, calls for service, and attachments.
In the Related crimes list, click a crime incident to learn more about it and to see the its location.
In the Related calls for service list, click a calls for service incident to learn more about it and to see its location.
In the Attachments list, click an attachment to view it in a new browser window.

Evaluate problem responses

To be a modern, evidence-based organization, police agencies must evaluate their operational responses to crime problems. Evaluations serve two critical purposes- first, to determine whether responses are effectively reducing crime, and second, when responses do not reduce crime, understanding why, so that the organization can learn and grow to improve future response efforts. To answer these questions, evaluations must assess outcomes (reductions in crime or disorder incidents) as well as process (was the response implemented as intended) to gain a full picture of its success.

Perform statistical evaluation

High-quality statistical evaluations of operational responses can be a significant challenge for law enforcement agencies. Most organizations lack in-house researchers capable of designing randomized control trials, the benchmark of evaluation methods, much less dealing with the political and operational challenges of assigning treatment and control areas. Law enforcement agencies need quasi-experimental designs that practitioners like crime analysts can easily perform on their own, enabling evaluation to be incorporated into standard operational practice. Andrew Wheeler, Ph.D. and Jerry Ratcliffe, Ph.D., devised a statistical method, Weighted Displacement Difference, to help law enforcement agencies evaluating the effectiveness of a response in a crime problem area. The statistical test compares the response area to a control area, comparing the period of response treatment to the immediate pre-treatment period. Since a common criticism of police operational responses is that they simply move crime rather than prevent it, the statistical test also accounts for a buffer around each area to test for displacement. The output of the test provides, in plain language, an understanding of whether, accounting for displacement, crime in the response area was reduced relative to the control area, and if that reduction is statistically significant. In this way, the test provide simplicity and flexibility, enabling law enforcement organizations to incorporate evaluation into their regular operational practice.

To facilitate the use of this statistical test, the Crime Problem Management solution includes a custom geoprocessing tool, Weighted Displacement Difference, in the ArcGIS Pro Problem Identification project.

In this workflow, you will assume the role of crime analyst who wants to use the Weighted Displacement Difference tool in the Problem Identification project to evaluate a crime problem.

Ensure you have completed the Configure Problem Identification project workflow..

Browse to and open the Problem Identification ArcGIS Pro project.
If you do not see the Catalog pane, from the View tab, in the Windows group, click Catalog Pane.
Expand the Tasks folder and then double-click the Problem Identification task group.
In the Tasks pane, expand the Evaluate problems task group to see the collection of tasks.
To evaluate a crime problem response, double-click Evaluate problem response and follow the instructions in the task steps.
To print a hard-copy report of a response evaluation, expand the Create crime problem reports task group, double-click the corresponding task, and follow the instructions in the task steps.

Perform implementation evaluation

While crime analysts are responsible for performing a statistical evaluation of a response's outcomes, the district captain who created the response plan is also responsible for evaluating the process of implementing the response and documenting lessons learned about what worked and what did not.

In this workflow, you will assume the role of district captain who wants to use the Problem Response Planner to document their assessment of the implementation process of the crime problem response.

In a browser, verify that you are signed in to your ArcGIS organization and browse to the Problem Response Planner dashboard.
In the Open problems list, click a problem with a status of Response Ended.
At the bottom of the dashboard, click the Response plan tab to document your implementation evaluation of the crime problem selected in the previous step.
In the Plan response form, complete the Were Response Goals Achieved?, and Implementation Evaluation fields.
If you answered yes for Were Response Goals Achieved?, complete the Public Problem Summary, Public Response Plan, and Public Evaluation Summary fields.
Note:
Public summary fields only display in the Plan response form when the answer to the Were Response Goals Achieved? question is set to Yes. These fields are used in the Problem Response Successes app--which displays only successful problem responses--to share summarized versions of the problem, response, and evaluation that exclude sensitive information and are suitable for sharing with the public.

The Strength of Statistical Evidence, Statistical Evaluation, Evaluation Analyst, and Evaluation Date fields should have been completed by the crime analyst who evaluated the response.

If these four fields have been completed by the crime analyst, change the value in the Response Status field to Response Evaluated.
If one or more of these fields are incomplete, ensure that the value remains Response Ended.
Scroll to the bottom of the Plan response form and click Submit.

Share successes with the public

Once problems have been successfully addressed, it is important for law enforcement agencies to share results with the public to demonstrate accountability and promote their good work. After problem responses are evaluated, the Crime Problem Management solution can be used by community members to view a summarized version of successful problem responses.

In this workflow, you will assume the role of a member of the public who wants to use the Problem Response Successes app to learn more about successful responses to crime in your community.

In a browser, browse to the Problem Response Successes dashboard.
On the left, click the arrow to open the Help Sidebar for this app.
Tip:
Click the arrow again to hide the sidebar.
In the Successful problem responses list, click a problem to learn more about it and to see its location.
At the top, in the header, adjust the Evaluation Date selector to filter the Successful problem responses list by the date an evaluation occurred.
Click the graph to filter Successful problem responses list by problem type.

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