Gun Violence Prevention Strategies: Identifying Hot Spots
Problem-solving policing often uses crime analysis to locate concentrations of crime called "hot-spots." Hot spot analysis helps police identify high-crime areas, types of crime being committed, and other information that will help craft the most effective response. For instance, mapping local crime hot spots together with emergency room data has proven useful in many gun violence interventions.
NIJ offers a wealth of resources about hot spots and crime mapping:
- Read "Targeting Crime in Hot Spots and Hot Places (pdf, 16 pages)," in NIJ's Geography and Public Safety Bulletin.
- Learn more about using emergency room data from the Georgia Firearm Injury Notification, better known as "Cops and Docs."
- Learn more about crime mapping from NIJ's Special Report: Mapping Crime: Understanding Hot Spots.
Date Entered: June 30, 2008