The Lawrence Police Department has a unit specifically dedicated to crime analysis. The Crime and Disorder Analysis Unit (CDAU) has existed for several years and is responsible for gathering, analyzing and disseminating the COMPSTAT figures. COMPSTAT is only a portion of the crime analysis work for the Lawrence Police Department.

What is crime analysis?

Crime analysis is a process by which data from numerous sources is examined and turned into useful information a police department can use not only to reduce, prevent, and solve crime, but also to tackle disorder and quality of life issues. According to John J. Romero, Chief of the Lawrence Police Department, “ The proper use of a crime analysis unit is one of the key elements to successfully fighting crime. The processing of timely and accurate data provides the department with the information necessary to reduce and prevent crime and improve the quality of life for the Citizens of Lawrence.”

The term “crime” analysis is almost misleading when so many other things that are not necessarily “criminal” in natural are tracked by the unit. The CDAU looks at all information coming into the Lawrence Police Department. Since many factors contribute to crime, the CDAU looks at many of the non-criminal issues that can contribute to crime in an area. This includes not only the worse crimes like murder, but also Calls for Service, Sex Offender locations, Prisoner Release information, Recovered Firearms, Census information and many other things. All this information is brought together and centrally housed in the CDAU, so it is readily available should patrol officers, investigators, commanders or the chief need it.

Crime analysis works on several levels. It is not just about solving crimes. Crime analysis seeks to assist police in prevention efforts, prediction of future crime and trend spotting. Crime analysis starts with information that is looked at, combined with other pieces of information and turned into something that is useful to a department. In Lawrence, the average patrol officer is too busy assisting residents and chasing criminals to stop and read every police report from the day before. The CDAU reads all reports, enters information into databases, analyzes current activity and sends that information out to officers regularly, so they are well informed and better prepared. This information is turned into charts, graphs and even maps to give officers the best picture possible of activity in Lawrence.

The CDAU looks at activity in Lawrence on a Spatial and Temporal level. Spatial analysis means activity is analyzed in relation to where it is physically occurring in the city. Temporal analysis looks at the time of the incident. Crime converges in time and space, so both levels should be looked at to gain the best picture possible. When this is done, sometimes “Hotspots” emerge.

What is a hotspot?

A Hotspot is a location or an area where more than one incident has occurred within a certain amount of time. Hotspots change over time and space. A business parking lot with many cars during the day would probably have more car breaks than the same location at 3 in the morning when there are no cars in the lot. At 3 in the morning, an offender might target an apartment complex parking lot because all the residents are asleep. This shows how hotspots change based on the time of day and the location. This type of analysis is used heavily in Lawrence’s COMPSTAT process.

Hotspots can often be visually displayed in maps. Crime analysis uses several types of graphical displays of information. Crime maps are particularly useful. They allow officers to see the location of incidents. A picture is worth a thousand words and crime maps are worth even more. They give officers the chance to recognize locations that have had increases in activity, which they can then target with increased patrol or other tactics.

Pin Map of Auto Theft August 2004

Contact Information

Related Pages and Documents

The COMPSTAT Process

Massachusetts Association of Crime Analysts