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 stakeholders.
In this topic, you will learn how to use the solution by assuming the role of a user and performing the following workflows.
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 and 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 here.
See the following references for additional information:
- Goldstein, Herman. 1979. "Improving Policing: A Problem-Oriented Approach." Crime & Delinquency (April): 236–43.
- Eck, John, and William Spelman. 1987. Problem Solving: Problem-Oriented Policing in Newport News. Washington, DC: Police Executive Research Forum.
- Ratcliffe, Jerry. 2019. Reducing Crime: A Companion for Police Leaders. New York: Routledge.
- Santos, Rachel B. 2023. Crime Analysis with Crime Mapping. 5th ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
- Santos, Roberto G., and Rachel B. Santos. 2020. Stratified Policing: An Organizational Model for Proactive Crime Reduction and Accountability. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
Document problems
After crime analysts identify problems through routine tactical and strategic analysis, they 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 supervisors 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 police supervisor can initiate a new crime problem, complete basic details, and refer the problem to a crime analyst for additional analytical work. You will learn how to perform each crime problem documentation process in the following workflows.
Document problems with ArcGIS Pro
Crime analysts perform routine analysis of crime and calls for service data. When they identify a problem via analysis, they document the problem and share it with police supervisors so that a response can be initiated.
In this workflow, you will assume the role of a crime analyst who wants to use the Crime Problem Analyst ArcGIS Pro project to document crime problems and associated incidents.
Note:
You must complete the Configure the Crime Problem Analyst project workflow before beginning this one.
- Browse to and open the Crime Problem Analyst 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 Crime Problem Analyst task item.
Each task includes a set of steps for performing the corresponding workflow.
- To create a new crime problem, double-click Create new problem and follow the instructions in the task steps.
- To update an existing crime problem, double-click Update existing problem and follow the instructions in the task steps.
Document problems with the Crime Problem Manager app
While crime analysis is the most common way problems are identified, police supervisors may learn of problems from the public, elected officials, or other stakeholders. Supervisors can use the Crime Problem Manager app to document the location and initial details of a problem to add it to the problem management process.
In this workflow, you will assume the role of a police supervisor who wants to use the Crime Problem Manager to document a new crime problem.
- Sign into your ArcGIS organization and browse to the Crime Problem Manager app.
- Click to open the item details page, then click View.
- Zoom the map to the extent of the crime problem by rotating the wheel or using the map zoom buttons.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.
- In the Active problems header, click Add problem.
The Edit widget appears on the right side of the app.
- Under Create features, click Crime problem.
- 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.
In the editing panel, attribute fields for the new crime problem appear.
- Complete the following required attribute fields and as much additional information as possible.
The following fields are required:
- Problem Name
- Problem Status
- Date Problem Identified
- District Responsible
- Optionally, add any relevant attachments.
- Click Create.
- After you finish, close the browser window.
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 of the editing panel until you see the option to discard your edits.
Plan problem response
After a crime problem has been identified, police supervisors need to plan a response. To work efficiently, they must research and apply strategies proven by empirical evidence to effectively reduce the type of problem that they face.
In this workflow, you will assume the role of police supervisor who wants to use the Crime Problem Manager app to plan and implement a response to a crime problem.
- In a browser, browse to the Crime Problem Manager app.
The app displays active problems color-coded by status on a list and map as well as problem counts by status. Active 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; their status is controlled by the Problem Status field in the Crime Problems layer.
Tip:
For help with this app, click the information button in the top right corner.
- To filter the app by district, click the Filter button at the top of theActive problems list, select a district from the District Responsible is filter, and click Apply.
Tip:
The list can also be filtered by problem status, priority, and type. To find a specific problem, type your search terms or a keyword into the search bar and press Enter. To clear the filters, click the Filter button, and then click the Reset filters button at the bottom right.
- To view details about a problem, click the problem in the Active problems list.
The problem details appear in the panel on the right. You will only see information that is pertinent to the problem's current state.
- To create a response plan or update details about a problem, click the problem in the Active problems list, and then click Edit.
The Edit crime problem and response plan panel appears on the right.
- Update fields as necessary, and then click Update.
- In the Edit crime problem and response plan panel, scroll to Response Activities, click Add record, and complete the form, and then click Create.
Response activities are the operational actions defined in the response plan. These activities may occur each shift, each day, or on an ad hoc basis. You can use response activities to document the work that has been done in satisfaction of the response plan.
- To view crime or call incidents related to a problem, click the problem in the Active problems list, and then click Incidents.
The Related crimes and Related calls for service lists appear on the right.
- Click a record from either list to zoom to the incident location and view a pop-up of incident details.
Note:
Relating crimes or calls for service to a problem is only supported in the Crime Problem Analyst ArcGIS Pro project.
- To create a report, click the problem in the Active problems list, and then click Reports.
Creating hard-copy reports using the Crime Problem Manager app uses the Feature Report widget in ArcGIS Experience Builder, which consumes credits each time a report is created.
Learn more about credit consumption and the Feature Report widget
- Select the report template that you want to use: Crime Problem Bulletin, Response Plan, or Response Evaluation.
Note:
Report templates can be configured to meet the needs of your organization.
- For Enter report name, type a name for your report.
- For Format, choose your preferred output format (Microsoft Word document or PDF file).
- Click Create report.
Optionally, you can click Show credits before creating the report to determine how many credits will be consumed by creating the report.
Tip:
To view reports that have been previously created, expand Recent reports.
- In the Active Problems header, click the Planning resources button.
The Resources for evidence-based response plan panel opens on the right. Clicking any of the resource links opens the resource in a new browser tab.
- To view the library of evaluated responses, click Evaluated Responses Library.
The Evaluated Responses Library opens.
- On the left, click an evaluated problem response to zoom to its location, and then view details about the evaluation, response plan, and other problem details.
- To filter evaluated problem responses, click the Filter button at the top of the Evaluated Responses list or type a full or partial word into the search bar above the list.
- To return to the Crime Problem Manager app, click Crime Problem Manager at the top right.
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 Crime Problem Dashboard app to monitor the status of current agency-wide problems and responses.
- Sign in to your ArcGIS organization and browse to the Crime Problem Dashboard app.
- From the item page, click Open Dashboard.
- To filter stats by district, click District at the top right and select a district.
Note:
To reset all filters, click the Reset button at the bottom-right corner of the dashboard.
- To view active problems and responses, click the Problems tab at the bottom left.
- In the Active crime problems list, click a problem.
The map zooms to the extent of the problem location, and details about the problem and response appear in a pop-up on the right.
- To filter the map and list by problem status, click a column in the Problem status chart.
- To view evaluations from the last 365 days, click the Evaluations tab at the bottom left.
- In the Evaluations list, click a problem.
The map zooms to the extent of the problem location, and details about the evaluation, problem, and response appear in a pop-up on the right.
- To filter the map and list by year of evaluation, click a column in the Evaluations by year chart.
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 if responses are effectively reducing crime, and second, when responses do not reduce crime, to understand 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 such as 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 evaluate the effectiveness of a response in a crime problem area. The statistical test examines change in crime counts for both the response area and a control area for the duration of the response as compared to the equivalent duration immediately preceding the response. 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 a plain language explanation of the statistical test, helping the reader gain 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 provides 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 Crime Problem Analyst project.
In this workflow, you will assume the role of a crime analyst who wants to use the Weighted Displacement Difference tool in the Crime Problem Analyst project to evaluate a crime problem.
Note:
You must complete the Configure the Crime Problem Analyst project workflow before beginning this one.
- Browse to and open the Crime Problem Analyst 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 Crime Problem Analyst task.
- To evaluate a crime problem response, double-click Evaluate problem response 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 police supervisor 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 police supervisor who wants to use the Crime Problem Manager 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 Crime Problem Manager app.
- In the Active problems list, click a problem with a status of Response Ended.
- Click Edit, and then in the Edit crime problem and response plan panel, scroll to and expand the Evaluation section.
- Complete the Were Response Goals Achieved? and Evaluate Process fields based on your knowledge of how the response was implemented.
- When finished, change the value in the Response Status field to Response Evaluated.