Technology crime analysis: methods, information management, and community benefits

Technology in Crime Analysis

Technology used in crime analysis

In the contemporary society, there are various crimes that are experienced and in response there have been varied crime analysis techniques that have been employed to ensure the crimes are reduced to the minimum possible.

One of the most accurate and widely applicable technology used in crime reduction is DNA profiling. This involves taking any material like blood, sweat, saliva or even chunks of flesh from the crime scene and subjected to the DNA profiling process and if the VNTR (variable number Tandem repeats), which are unique to each individual, are found to be matching to that which is in the database, it is a lead to the possibility of the person having committed the crime or being present at the scene (Shanna Freeman, 2012).

Collecting, storing and retrieving information

For effective crime profiling, there are various ways of data collection that are used by the investigating officers and the police as well. One of the methods used in collecting data on crimes is through NCVS (National Crime Victimization Survey). This is a survey conducted by Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). The NCVS involves collecting data from households through the use of surveys. The pros of using this method is that they do not rely on the law enforcement crime reports but collect data through an interview process. It also allows for the gathering of crime information that was not reported to the law enforcement officers there before. It is also preferred since it is victim oriented (Rand, 2006. pg. 300). The other method of data collection on crime trends is called Uniform Crime reporting (UCR) program and is used for measuring official crime data. It is conducted under the FBI which has established an overall crime gathering information system. Currently, the UCR involves reports from the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). This allows for a comprehensive and thorough look at the data. It enables researchers to study crime patterns and criminal behaviors (Lynch & Jarvis, 2008).

There are various ways of storing data that has been collected, one of the methods is on hard disks where the data is input and stored through various means like scanning, data entry, photos and so on. The other method still used in crime data storage is storing data on magnetic tapes and these can be via audio recording or visual evidence stored. Of late there is the use of cloud storage facility where the data is stored over the internet. The use of versatile disks is also a widely used method and the use of paper and filing has not died out yet (IEEE, 2012).

The retrieval process depends on the kind of storage device that was used. For some like the file system could be as easy as identifying the right file and pulling out to read the data. For others like in hard disks will require the availability of computer and the versatile disks will need a DVD player or devices with such capabilities. In the tapes, it will need a tape recorder to play it and the same applies to the visual reels used for storing video data.