McHenry County GIS Department Creates Crime Map

A press release from McHenry County government:

County Departments collaborate to create MCSO Crime Mapping Program

WOODSTOCK, IL – McHenry County is recognized as a good steward of taxpayer funds through conservative budget practices.

This has allowed the County to obtain and maintain a Aaa bond rating through Moody’s Financial Services.

The strength behind the County’s success is not only the result of the policies set by the elected officials but also the innovative, dedicated and creative employees that make up the McHenry County Government workforce.

McHenry County Government employees are continually finding ways to challenge the status quo of service delivery by working collaboratively with fellow employees across department lines and other local governments.

A recent collaboration that exemplifies this is the development of the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Crime Mapping Program.

The development of a mapping system with an outside vendor could have potentially cost thousands of dollars.

The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) instead chose to challenge the McHenry County Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Department to create this program.

Over the span of a six month period, the GIS Department took a complicated idea from conceptualization to a crime mapping program that allows the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office to fight crime smarter.

The MCSO Crime Mapping Program includes a public use site where the general public can review crime trends in County jurisdiction and send tips to CrimeStoppers anonymously.

“Tips from the public have always been an important part of fighting crime,” stated Undersheriff Andy Zinke.

“This new website, created by the County’s GIS Department provides the public a powerful new tool in their efforts to help law enforcement.”

The MCSO Crime Mapping Program also includes an internal crime map that is very user friendly and is now used to create monthly crime trend reports in minutes (saving the MCSO Intelligence Unit about 30 man hours each month).

It is also used to create daily and weekly crime reports that each shift commander can use to allocate their resources more efficiently to provide the citizens of McHenry County with even higher quality public safety.

The McHenry County Emergency Telephone System Board also worked on this collaboration by providing data for the MCSO Crime Mapping Program.

The MCSO Crime Mapping Program can be found on the Sheriff’s website (www.mchenrysheriff.org) under the “Crime Mapping” tab.

Here is what the “Crimes against Persons” part of the map looks like for the last thirty days. Makes is look dangerous to live in McHenry County, doesn’t it? Each of the red dots, when clicked upon, gives a short description of the crime and a Sheriff’s Department’s reference number.  Remember that incorporated areas are not included in the data base yet.

= = = = =

This is a powerful tool that the McHenry County GIS Department has developed.  Above I have spliced the property crimes for the last thirty days for Wonder Lake.  Only crimes from the unincorporated areas are included.   It would be so useful if municipalities were included in the data base.


Comments

McHenry County GIS Department Creates Crime Map — 6 Comments

  1. Great for the dissemination of information, but what’s the cost to benefit ratio? Ok, common sense indicates more dense a population (inherently the lower the socio-economic demography as well), the more crime-so there’s really no “Aha” moment in reviewing this GIS data…

    What’s the proposition, that now there’s more proof of crime around Wonder Lake/Lakemoor?

    Sorry, but I just don’t really get it. Now, there’s a database to maintain, which is only as accurate as the data entered into it. I assume there have been training and classes on this new program and data entry. What is really going to be done with this information? Are MCSO deputies going to be redeployed based upon crime trends? Are detectives going to be assigned to high crime areas? Or is this just a feeling good program that looks flashy, is easy to push crime data to the public and nothing else?

    Really, could have the same benefit from a pushpin map and at 1/100 th the cost.

  2. @really- I would suggest spending 5 or 10 minutes learning about GIS before commenting on GIS.

    You’d be surprised to learn that most public agencies have been maintaining databases that are compatible with GIS applications.

    Ever hear of Microsoft Excel?

    The database application so complex that grade schoolers have no problem using it?

    That’s the complex ‘database’.

    And if the MCSD doesn’t already enter information into a spreadsheet?

    Another reason for the County Board to excise the rotting flesh there.

    Your comments about pushpins is quaint.

    Do you need any buggy whips?

    I can direct you to a shop in Iowa- they still make buggy whips.

    GIS, if you would take the time to inform yourself, can take, literally hundreds of maps, and hundreds of thousands of ‘pushpins’, and analyze them in ways that would otherwise require dozens of people sitting around with maps and pushpins.

    Don’t get me wrong- I’m confident the county paid too much for the software and implementation.

    The Moody’s comment in the press release?

    That’s funny right there- sort of like someone saying ‘the homeless man at the train station says I have a pretty mouth…’

  3. John, axe to grind?

    Is this GIS your baby?

    I guess you can educate me on what the real purpose for this program is…I’ll wait for you.

    Like I said-how much $ paid and for what?

    To tell us (any better than a press release), where the crime is?

    Do you really need GIS to tell you that?

    Get real.

    My pushpin comment was quaint by design.

    What, aside from an unreported, but suredly astronomical cost, does GIS do?

    Is the Sheriff going to realign beat maps to target high crime areas?

    Create special patrols?

    Designate Detectives along beats?

    Please give me more than “[it] can take, literally hundreds of maps, and hundreds of thousands of ‘pushpins’, and analyze them in ways that would otherwise require dozens of people.”

    Analyze for what purpose????

    My excel spreadsheet can analyze data in thousands of ways, but I only need it to add/subtract-so where is the real, actualized benefit of this program?

    It’s easy to just thrust this program out there because its really sexy and flashy, but what for? So a County Board Member can rant and rave that MCSO needs more Deputies to cover WL and Lakemoor?

    Even you question the cost of this program.

    If I can be educated on what is expected out of it (other than noting higher density population = higher crime rate), then please do so…

    Until then, it’s just another (I’m sure pricey as can be) computer program like my adobe reader-I use it every so often but word would do just fine…

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