GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATIONSYSTEMS

A Feasibility Study for the City ofDuluth Police Department

August 1993

CURA has supported the work of the?:uthor(s) of this report but has notreviewed it for fina! pubtication.Its content is solely the

responsibility of the author(s) andis not rrecessarUy endorsed by CURA.

Graham TobinWilliam Fleischman

Karen Kroll

Center for Community and Regional ResearchUniversity of Minnesota - Duluth

Duluth Police Department

The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer

CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3

GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS 4Introduction 4Needs Assessment 7

Current Environment 10

Data 11

EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS 15CIS Software 15Capabilities 18GIS Hardware 19

RECOMMENDATIONS 21

REFERENCES 26

CONTACTS 27

EXECUTFVE SUMMARY

A Geographic Information System (GIS) does not currently exist in theDuluth Police Department. The objective of this project is to determine thefeasibility of employing a GIS to unprove the Duluth Police Department's abilityto identify patterns of criminal activity, to represent those patterns graphically,

and to use the information to facilitate the management of departmental resources.

As a result of this study, we recommend the implementation of a

Geographic Information System. This recommendation is based on our findings

which reveal that: (1) the Duluth Police Department's data capturing and analysissystems utilize outdated hardware and software that will soon be obsolete, (2) the

current records management system is reasonably compatible with a

geographically based management system, (3) the emergency managementsystems are structured in such a way so as to make the transition to a GIS

oriented process manageable, and (4) GIS based procedures are being used byother agencies as efficient and effective means for managing crime prevention andcrime resolution and for managing agency fiscal, material, and personnel

resources.

The present systems can be modified to a GIS, since they have the basic

elements already in place. Both those systems associated with the Duluth Police

Department and those connected with the 911 System can be used for developing

a GIS that will provide for the needs of DPD and will provide a basis for use byother agencies dispensing emergency related services in the area.

GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS (GIS)A Feasibility Study for the City of

Duiuth Police Department

INTRODUCTION

Much of the information and data recorded in the daily activities of a police

department is spatially referenced. The use of a pin map has been a time-honored

means of analyzing the distribution of crunes by location and providing a basis

for allocating fiscal, material, and personnel resources. While this practice has

often proven highly successful in utilizing the skills of individual police officers,

technological innovations have certain advantages over this manual system. It is

the purpose of this study, therefore, to (1) determine the feasibility of

constructing a Geographic Information System (GIS) for use by the City of

Duluth Police Department, and (2) demonstrate how such a GIS would enhance

the Duluth Police Department's effectiveness in meeting its primary objectives of

serving and protecting the people in the Duluth community.

GIS is a term used to describe

^ "...an information system that is designed to work with data referencedby spatial or geographic coordinates. In other words, GIS is both adatabase system with specific capabilities for spatially-referenced data, aswell a set of operations for working with the data. " Star and Estes

(1990).

A GIS allows the user to input, update, store and retrieve (in the form of maps,

charts, and/or other report formats) data that are location specific. All of these

capabilities, inherent in a high-quality GIS, are very useful to the law

enforcement agencies because they permit the study of emerging crime patterns.

This is accomplished by connecting criminal activity to specific geographic

locations throughout a defined geographical area. Furthermore, the analytical

programs associated with the GIS can be used to generate both numerical and

map reference reports in seconds. These reports can provide mformation that

would immediately identify "problem" areas and facilitate police decision-making

regarding the reallocation of material and human resources (Miller 1993). In

combination with traditional police knowledge and experience, therefore, a GIS

provides a greater capacity to direct field efforts more effectively and efficiently.

When police officers come on duty, they need to know what crunes have

occurred in their particular areas of responsibility as well as in adjacent areas.

Historically, this would mean reading through a pile of file folders and written

reports or attending oral briefings. Once again, such methods have proven

beneficial in sharing information and are hnportant to intra-office

communications. However, this process can be enhanced through a GIS Falbo,

Queen and Blinn 1991). For instance, using a GIS, maps and reports can be

J?

produced that display the types and locations of crimes within various sectors in

areas as small as a block or as large as the entire data base - in most cases, the

entire city or county.

GIS based procedures are being used by many law enforcement agencies. A

recent issue of The National Institute of Justice Journal (April 1993), describes

the way in which a GIS is bemg used in Dmg Market Analysis programs (DMA)

in a number of cities (Hartford, CN; Jersey City, NJ; Kansas City, MO;

Pittsburgh, PA; and San Diego, CA. For details, see Herbert 1993). The

computer generated maps "...provide more detailed information over tune,

including building and property outlines and public record data on property

ownership..." (p6) Furthermore, names of suspects can be linked to other data

includmg locations of previous arrests and place(s) of residence, and other

criminal activities. Maps can then be generated to compare individual suspect

data with incident/informant data.

Many other data manipulations can be undertaken through the GIS that are not

dependent upon spatial attributes. For example, crimes can be analyzed

temporally by tune of day or by type of "victim" (either person or property) and

then correlated with location. In addition, current crime patterns can be linked

to earlier ones, or crime patterns in one area linked with patterns in another. The

data base can be built so that virtually any combination of analysis can be

accommodated. However, GIS works on the principle that crune and criminal

behavior have location components.

NEEDS ASSESSMENT

The spatial configuration and extent ofDuluth stretching along the shores of Lake

Superior, the steep hillsides, and the relatively large population add to the

management problems faced by the police department. Considerable tune must

be devoted to the efficient distribution of resources in responding to emergencies.

The department, for example, receives approximately fifty-five thousand calls

each year that require attention. In addition, there are high expectations from the

public to solve crunes. These issues, therefore, along with many others, support

the need for a GIS in the police department.

The power of a GIS lies in its ability to assist in decision-making. In this way,

the system can expedite the analysis of relationships to facilitate the distribution

of scarce resources. For instance, the distribution of squad cars and officers is

often based on the immediate response to reports rather than on any analysis

which might show locations where problems might be expected. The GIS can

add to the police officer's "arsenal" for combatting crime by providing these

readily available data.

Police officers can ask questions based on location-related incidents that are

reported to the department. For example, such questions as: Where have the

automobile thefts occurred in the last week? Where have thefts occurred over the

last six months? What kinds of vehicles have been stolen? Where were the

stolen vehicles recovered? Are there any likely suspects at either location? Are

there any other specific characteristics of these locations such as parking lots,

abandoned buildings, etc.? The level of analysis is only lunited by the spatial

extent of the geographic base and the temporal length of the data. It is apparent,

however, that some of the most critical information is tied to locational attributes.

GIS supports this type of analysis.

A second set questions may deal with specific spatial conditions. For instance,

a police officer might ask why are there more traffic violations occurring on a

particular street? The answer may relate to speed of traffic flow, rates of traffic

flow, sign locations, or even types of businesses in the area. Once again, the

spatial attributes and the analytical techniques of the GIS can permit such analysis

very rapidly. Another example may include an analysis of increases in residential

break-ins in a neighborhood over the last 3 months. The result may be a change

in the nature, amount, and timing of patrols in the area. These, and many other

type of questions can be raised and output formatted to provide relevant

information.

^

An additional benefit of GIS allows users to ask "what if...?" types of questions,

not just locationally based inquiries. This ad hoc analysis may be it's most

powerful benefit. When using standard reports and files these relationships may

be difficult, if not impossible to identify, and consequently can lead to inefficient

8

or ineffective use of time. The GIS can expedite these analytical techniques by

allowing visual representation of the information and the selection of only

pertinent data. However, this does not replace the regular work of police officers

but seeks to enhance their decision-making opportunities. Hypotheses (hunches)

can be acted on freely without undue loss of time. These opportunities extend to

all administrative levels.

Consequently, it is very important that the department decide what data should

be maintained within the database. In a way, the questions generated by officers

can serve as an impetus for the data needed. If an officer wants to ask a question

"What is the most common type of burglary in Duluth?" then that information

must be entered into the database. Similarly, demographics may be considered

a significant aspect of managing a database. In an emergency evacuation or

natural hazard, it would be pertinent to know where elderly and very young

reside, or where schools are for example. Are there areas of non-English

speaking residents? Who are the victims of burglaries or thefts? Answers to

these, and many other types of questions can be resolved by inspecting the maps

and reports that can be produced through the GIS.

The fundamental difference m how the police department currently handles these

data and how it would operate after the implementation of GIS is that information

will be location based, rather than incident based. Each incident will be

referenced to a particular address. The address will have been previously defmed

within set spatial coordinates. That is, in addition to having an address, the data

will be located as a specific point (location) in the geographical data base. That

means that in order to query the system, the operator does not need to know

specific addresses. The query can be made for a range of addresses (area) or for

a type of incident. In either case, the output will be information that can be in

the form of points (locations) on a map.

This new system would go hand in hand with the current Records Management

System (RMS). This information becomes a resource, as a public service, and

facilitates information across departments and local agencies. At the same time,

it can be secured from unwanted access to retain confidentiality.

CURRENT ENVIRONMENT

Since 1982, the police department has been using a Texas Instruments

mimcomputer with dual 474 MB drives. The system is presently miming at about

90% capacity and is approxunately 20 years old. It runs on a proprietary

operating system called DX10 and has streamer tape backup. By most current

standards this is obsolete.

The Records Management System (RMS) software, called ENFORS, is from

MaSys Corporation in St. Paul, MN (Masys Corporation 1992). This system

10

works very well for the needs of the police department and the satisfaction level

is quite high. The RMS includes information, such as, incident, name(s),

property, perpetrator(s), offense, and type of crime, in what is labeled, "Calls for

Service" modules. One module is for offenses (eg. crimes), another for names

(adults and juvenile), one for property, and another for pawn shops. This

information is compiled from calls received from dispatches and written reports.

Each case is given a number, either at the time of dispatch or when the report is

entered. The current 911 System with a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD)

capacity is the source of most of the reported incidents and there is a need to

provide an effective and efficient interface between the RMS and the CAD.

Based on the strength of the existing system, it is recommended that the ENFORS

'•—J

be integrated into a new GIS. For this integration to occur, some cooperation

with the MaSys Corporation will be essential.

DATA

A long term goal associated with the implementation of a police GIS, should be

the integration of a number of local units of government, including the City of

Duluth, St. Louis County and Emergency Services. In addition, consideration

^

should be given to other GIS operations within the state. There is every reason

to recommend that data and information be shared and an integrated GIS

framework be developed for all emergency services. This will reduce redundancy

in data capture and in the efforts to produce information. The benefit from this

11

is a stronger system and considerable saving of material and human resources.

The costs occur in greater management obligations.

Preprocessing, or the establishment of a base map and the coordinating of data,

is a significant portion of implementing any GIS. With this in mind, software

architecture, and hardware platforms are pertinent to ongoing growth, upgrading

and expansion. GIS holds its spatial and attribute information (non-spatial data)

in different files that may be considered as "layers" in the mapping and analysis

procedures. These layers are "piled" on top of each other so that queries can be

performed to provide information that is location based. Identifying and

specifying the data layers represent the most important steps in creating a good

GIS. In addition, identification and specification of the data layers are the most

time consummg and costly stage in the development of a GIS.

The data acquisition stage needs to be well-planned because it determines the

success of the system. There are various ways to acquire these data layers.

These involve:

(1) In house development. This would involve creation of the layers

^

and databases from within the police department, by someone

working within.

12

(2) Contract data layer development to another party. This alternative

would involve paying another agency to work closely with the

department to develop the layers needed.

(3) Purchase third party data. This selection involves pre-packaged

layers of data to be used, and would involve some refinement.

Deciding which of these options to take depends on the funds available, staff, and

time constraints. Each alternative has its strengths and shortcomings that are

determined by further commitment to the GIS life cycle.

As stated above, the sharing of data which comprise the basic location coordinates

would benefit cooperative organizations. Further, layers and data held by others

(eg. data on utilities, buildings, or streets) could be passed on to the police

department. Development of these data layers may be shared, decreasmg costs

and thus saving time and usmg resources more efficiently.

While the most critical data layers are those related to the geographical base file,

what is available in the way of current and accurate data layers for the City of

Duluth is limited. The Planning Department has encoded a base map, developed

on an Ultimap system and based on the Carson Atlas, that could be used for the

purposed GIS. However, it is already about 15 years old, and would need to be

updated and vastly improved for police operations. The City also holds a

property map, although it has no parcel information in the digital form necessary

13

for the GIS. In spite of its limitation, though, it could provide some useful

information. A cooperative project with 911 emergency system would also be

beneficial to the police department in developing an address/street data base.

Another layer that is needed includes transportation networks. For this the

TIGER line files from the Bureau of Census could be used. These are readily

available and include detailed information on addresses and will be necessary to

perform the address-matching tasks in any analysis. However, these files would

need to be corrected for the needs of the department. This would include the

addition of street centerlme data. Also, the address ranges, set by the

Department of Commerce, will need some work.

Additional information should include data from the Census Bureau about

demographics throughout the city. Zoning mformation would be useful so that

the police department could analyze types of property that may be related to

specific categories of crimes, such as arson and dmg-related activities. St. Louis

County's Emergency 911 system has all the streets and roads contained in a geo-

file. This file is updated constantly and is available to the police department. It

^

is very likely that most all of this information can be used for the department's

purposes. Cooperation with the County will serve to reduce the implementation

time and expenditures mvolved in the development of this system.

14

Layers that are department specific would contain incident related data and

offender/suspect/victim file data. Once again, these files could have restricted

access to protect confidentiality. The mcident data are available from the 911

CAD system and from department files. Attention will have to be given to

identifying the variables and the data format and to the nature of the GIS files and

the procedures for making data accessible to the GIS operating system.

EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS

GIS SOFTWARE

There are a number of GIS software applications available on the market. It is

beyond the scope of this study to specify all the hardware and software

combinations available. The hardware or software products that are identified are

those recommended for departmental consideration. It should be noted that they

may not accurately reflect very recent changes m the current market. However,

the leading technology resides with a company called Environmental Systems

Research Institute (ESRt), makers of Arc/Info. Arc/Info is the standard GIS

software package adopted by the State of Minnesota and has been endorsed and

is currently being used by numerous governmental agencies and organizations.

J?

Because of this, along with its power and flexibility in GIS applications, it is

recommended as the software package of choice for this project. Its overall

architecture and design complement the needs of the police department. The For

instance, ESRE states that Arc/Info,

15

"accepts new functionality, flexibility to adapt to virtually anyapplication or technology, and presents information through a

sophisticated, yet easy-to-use, style of interaction." (ESRI 1992,

p.l)

The same publication makes repeated reference to how Arc/Info can be used by

police departments for crime analysis.

Arc/Info is functional with the four major classes of computers: PCs,

engineering workstations, minicomputers, and mainframes. It also runs on more

than 20 different hardware platforms. It's general cost ranges from $5,000 to

$18,000, depending on optional packages and customization. ESRt has also

established re-seller relationships which allows the proposal of pre-packaged GIS

with hardware vendors, if so desired by the department. It is designed not only

to be an "open" architecture vital to this industry, but evolutionary and

technologically advanced. It has proven its worth in other police departments

around the country, with its crune analysis functionality. The Seattle Police

Department has used a GIS-based crime analysis mapping system since 1988

ESRI 1992). Among others, GIS are also currently operational in the police

departments of Kansas City, Missouri; Detroit, Michigan; Tacoma, Washington;

and Ontario, California.^

A layered product, Arc View, is also recommended for those who want to query

existmg databases created by Arc/Info, without being GIS experts. See Figure

1 for a breakdown of possible layers within a GIS. Because officers and

16

Figure 1: Layering Capabilities of a GIS.

Layers

(& ^A

'"~. ^^'^ ^-' ^

t

I

\.

street netwotk

addref

range fltos

Poltee file*•f

-State

PoficeAdministration

Boundaries

transportatton

network

17

administrative staff do not have the time to become technicians, ARC/INFO

provides this optimal way for analyzing crune related data.

CAPABDLITffiS

Once the data layers are set up there are any number of questions that can be

asked. For example:

• What types of crimes have occurred in a particular precinct between the

hours of 10:00 pm and 2:00 am?

• Is there an increase m juvenile offenses near schools between March

and April?

• Show me where the most thefts are occurring?

• What are the demographics of the victims?

• Who is the most likely to start a fire, and where?

• Locate all incidents of crimes where a witness was described as 5'10",

white, male, having a tatoo? Are these crimes linked?

• Is the work evenly distributed among police officers? Should different

patrol areas be established?

• What is the relationship between property damage and unoccupiedJ5

buildings?

• Why has one officer responded to fewer calls in the last 30 days than

•>

other officers?

18

• How many incidents have involved a handgun, and where are these

located? Could there be a connection?

• Which shifts could use more patrolling and can we adjust to use our

officers more wisely?

• Where does a suspect live? Are there any related incidents in that

geographic area?

These and many other inquiries can be answered quickly and produced on a map

or report (See Figure 2).

GIS HARDWARE

The existing hardware in the department is functional for the records management

system, however, it is not suitable for operating a GIS. The current equipment

is being used to full capacity and lacks power and storage room to efficiently

operate GIS analysis. However, it is possible to download data from the current

system directly to other types of hardware by a simple connection device. The

effectiveness of the down loading will depend on the type of hardware that is

selected to mn the GIS.

19

Figure 2: Crime Analysis System - Sample Data.

CRIME ANALYSIS

The Crime Analysis System is an AML menu-driven application providingfunctionality for graphically selecting, displaying/ and analyzing criminalactivity in a municipality.

The menus .in this application allow the user to easily select subsets ofcrime data based on incident characteristics and to display the data asmaps in a variety of formats. Reports of the selected incidents can also

be generated.

COL ITEM NAME WDTH OPUT TYP N. DEC ALTERNATE NAME159

1317253341444654586670788283848586909495969799

107117125133141149209

117.25

44

AREAPERIMETERCRIMES*CRIMES-IDINCIDENT. NOINCIDENT. TYPE1INCIDENT. TYPE2REPORTDISTBEATDATE. REPORTEDTIME.REPORTEDDATE.OCC.FRTIME.OCC.PRDATE. OCC. TOTIME.OCC.TODAY. OCC. PR

DAY.OCC.TOSHIFT. OCC.FRSHIFT. OCC. TOINVEST.OFFASSIGNED.DETSUSPECT. FLAGEVIDENCE'.FLAGPRINT. FLAGCLEARANCE. CODECLEARANCE. DATEPREM5S.TYPEMO.DESCRIPT1.1MO.DESCRIPT1.2MO.DESCRIPT2.1MO.DESC1RIPT2.2ADDRESSQUANTITY

** REDEFINED ITEMSMOINCIDENT. TYPEDISTRICT

44448883284848411114411128

108888

605**

3216

1

1212

6688832

104

104

10411114411128

108888

605

3216

1

FFBBcccccDcDcDccccccccccccccccccI '

ccc

33

20

RECOMMENDATIONS

There are some specific and some more general recommendations that this study

can provide to the department. First and foremost, a Geographic Information

System would greatly enhance the abUity of the department to analyze crime

patterns over time and space. Second, it would improve resource allocation

decisions. Installing one of these systems also fits into an overall emergency

management system consistent with other local units of government. The

combination of hardware, software, and emergency management capacity that

already exists in the department is quite functional and has proven effective in

times of stress (for example the evacuation of the city during the toxic chemical

spill in 1992). However, as the public demands a certain level of service, as the

crime patterns become more complicated, as resources become harder to come

by, this system could greatly improve the level of efficiency.

After careful consideration of the current environment, a system built around the

following software and hardware is recommended:

1. A UNIX-based workstation should be purchased to handle the

current volume of records. This type of workstation would not

J?

become outdated in a short period of time.

($15,000 - $23,000).

2. A color plotter and a laser printer should be linked to the UNIX-

based workstation. The plotter would be necessary to draft maps

21

^

of crime patterns and a laser printer would be available to print

reports from the statistical analyses.

($400 - $15,000).

3. The software that is recommended is Arc/Info. This software,

produced by Environmental Systems Research Institute is the

standard for the State of Minnesota, and has a crime analysis

package available.

($5,000 - $18,000),

4. There is also a graphic display package, called ArcView, which

would be available for those using PCs, and not trained in the

technicalities of a geographic information system.

(PC Arc/Iafo $3,000 - $4,000).

(Arc View $500).

5. It is also the recommendation of this study to create a new position

at approximately 75% time to perform the tasks and management

of this type of system. While the initial set-up may take some

time, once the system is up and miming the 75% tune could be

very efficient.

6. The development of the data layers should include a cooperative

efforts with other emergency services organizations.

7. Other City of Duluth departments should be encouraged to

participate in the accumulation of base maps. The cooperation of

22

these organizations would ensure involvement in the development

of non-fractured envu-onment, further binding all parties to a high

level of standards and cooperation.

8. The shortcoming of the current system, in terms of GIS, is that it

is mcident-driven, rather than address driven. However, case

information could be downloaded from this system into ASCII

format files (American Standard Code for Data Exchange), and

then the ASCII files could become part of the GIS. This would

involve an additional screen (a format modification in the current

RMS software), to be developed by MaSys. This modification

would enable the case data to be converted to a GIS compatible

file. There would also need to be another screen that would make

possible additions or changes to the data (e.g. brand name of

stolen property) that are already in the system. This would

involve an agreement between the police department and MaSys.

It is apparent that MaSys representatives are very willing to assist

in meetmg the needs of the DPD. It is recommended that this

same system with the modifications as recommended continue to

be used to meet the requirements of transferring data to State and

Federal agencies.

23

This same records system is used in many police departments

throughout the State of Minnesota, including Dakota County

Sheriff's Department, the Minnetonka Police Department, and the

departments in Bumsville, Apple Valley, Maplewood, and St.

Cloud.

9. It is recommended that separate maintenance agreements be

established with both the hardware and software

producers/providers to ensure that all equipment is working

properly and the software is functioning as described. The

technical support provided with both of these services is useful and

imperative.

Mamtenance of the databases is an ongoing task. Because there is

so much change and volatility to addresses, business changes, etc.

This is a major reason for a dedicated staff person.

There are various ways in which this system could be integrated into the current

practices of the Duluth Police Department. However, it is recommended that the

certain stages be considered, as shown in Figure 3.

24

Figure 3: Stages to Integrate a GIS into the Duluth Police Department.

Needs Assessment

Stages to Integrate GIS

Hire Staff/Project Manager

Requirement Analysis

Conceptual Design

Physical Design

Base Map Creation

Thematic Layer

^ DevelopmentImplementation

25

REFERENCES

Environmental Systems Research Institute, 1992. ARC/INFO SoftwareHelps Crune Analysis in Seattle. Arc News, Spring:?. 44.

Environmental Systems Research Institute, 1992. ARC/INFO: GISToday and Tomorrow. ESRI White Paper Series, March: pp. 47.

ESRI Inc: New York.

Falbo, D., L. Queen, C. Blinn, 1991. Introduction to Data Analysis

Using Geographic Information Systems. University of MinnesotaNatural resources, Minnesota Extension Service. pp. 11.

Herbert, E.E., 1993. NIJ'S Drug Market Analysis Program. National

Institute of Justice Journal, No. 226, p. 2-7.

Masys Corporation, 1992. ENFORS Public Safety System. Bookletfrom Masys Corporation: Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Miller, T., 1993. GIS Catches Criminals. GIS World, May: p. 42-43.

Star, J. and J. Estes, 1990. Geographic Information Systems: An

Introduction. Prentice Hall: Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.

26

CONTACTS

Duluth Police DepartmentScott Lyons, Chief of PoliceLt. Jeff Grahams

Lt. Dick Smith

Records Management

Wendy Danielson

MaSysEarnest Swartout

911 Emergency ServicesSharon Lewerer

Arrowhead Regional Development CommissionMichelle Hummel

City of DuluthBill MajewskeySandy Sweeney

St. Louis CountyTom Zeisler

Environmental Systems Research Institute

Dan Falbo

Seattle, WA Police DepartmentSergeant Deborah King

27