Computers Put Crime Analysts In Hot Pursuit Of Latest Trends

In Florida and across the United States, crime analysts are playing a prominent role in solving criminal cases. Sheena Lovette, for example, a certified crime analyst in the Sheriff’s Office in Orange County, Fla., recently used computer programs to investigate a series of robberies occurring in the same vicinity in Winter Park. The robberies had signs of gang activity, and Lovette used the programs to discover that a local gang member had been released from jail the previous summer. She was also able to identify his current alias and whereabouts. Lovette relies on programs such as mapping tools to obtain a more comprehensive picture of data and make connections between different crimes. Crime analysts can help develop predictions or explanations for particular problems, enabling police to direct more officers to a specific location if necessary. Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary credits crime mapping for reducing county crime rates by 6.1 percent in 2004. The office holds semi-monthly crime control meetings during which sergeants representing different units compare rates of crime and other statistics. Metre Lewis, a crime analyst in Kissimmee, relies on a system called FACTS in conjunction with the state Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles for such data as date of birth, name, gender, residence, relatives, and gang membership.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center(NLECTC) from the Orlando Sentinel (FL) (08/26/05) P. B1; Gencer, Arin