Data-Driven Approach to Crime and Traffic Safety: An Operational Model of Evidence Based Policing

Police organizations are under intense pressure to effectively decrease crime and increase public safety. Police administrators are given a variety of different tactics to accomplish their mission, but many of these tactics have shown to be unsuccessful. Evidence based policing is an approach to police practices that utilizes the best available research and evidence to formulate the methods to effectively deliver police services. Hot spot targeting has proven to effectively decrease crime and disorder. Hot spot targeting utilizes crime data, police dispatched calls for service, and other data to identify the small locations such as a city block, street corner, or specific address that has a disproportionate amount of crime and disorder. Once the targeted locations are discovered, police leaders develop strategies to effectively address the issues related to the specific locations. The data driven approach to crime and traffic safety (DDACTS) is an operational model based upon hot spot targeting that has proven results in decreasing crime and traffic accidents. Multiple agencies throughout the country have developed an infrastructure of DDACTS instructors to provide the resources necessary for the successful implementation of the model to meet the specific needs of their community. The DDACTS model is rooted in evidence based policing and should be implemented by all agencies throughout the country