Crime mapping training offered to law enforcement

DENVER, Colo. -- In November of 1999, the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center -- Rocky Mountain (NLECTC-RM) celebrated one year since its Grand Opening. One of four regional centers in the U.S. funded by the National Institute of Justice, the Rocky Mountain Center hosts free interactive training sessions for its Crime Mapping and Analysis Program (CMAP).

“Historically, policing was reactionary,” Noah Fritz, director of the Crime Mapping and Analysis Program at NLECTC-RM told POLICE. “Under traditional policing you waited for someone to call for help. Today, through mapping and through crime analysis, what we’re trying to do is be more proactive and understand the scope and nature of crime.”

After lectures and interactive sessions, students even get a chance to analyze and present their own data. “That’s the uniqueness of the training,” Fritz told POLICE. “They actually begin working on their own projects and the cities that they are familiar with.”

The program is open to all state and local law enforcement and corrections agencies, but there is currently a six-month waiting list. Applicants should already own mapping software, said Fritz, who added that the program is intended for those who have already made a commitment to crime mapping. For more information contact Alisa Anthony at (800) 416-8086 or see www. nlectc.org/nlectcrm/cmap.html.

-- Amy Schmidt, editorial assistant