Use of the Mapping System by Patrol and Tactical Officers

Abstract

The crime mapping research project was primarily concerned with conceptualizing, developing, and refining MAPADS as a system for use by police. Thus, it was not also possible to perform a formal evaluation of its capabilities, yet we do have strong indications of the benefits of MAPADS for patrol and tactical use. In order to explain the way in which the mapping system was used by patrol and tactical officers, this chapter describes the way they were assigned to anticrime patrols prior to the advent of the mapping system. A number of typical examples of MAPADS use are then given, showing how patrol deployment has been affected by MAP ADS. This chapter then describes one of the most important benefits of MAPADS in police patrol—its use as a beat’s memory.