Abstract

GIS Solves Crimes
Track: Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice
Authors: Ilyas Hamidzai

Looking for patterns is the key to solving and capturing serial arsonist and serial bombers. Spreadsheets do not provide an easy method of find patterns. ATF’s Bomb Arson Tracking System (BATS) uses GIS by overlaying arson and bombing incidents, enabling investigators to visually find patterns and connecting the dots. Investigators can look for specific devices and find connections between unrelated incidents to increase changes to solving cold cases and to communication with other agencies to share information. BATS employs searching incidents via GIS map and integrates with services to find results with incident types, devices, people and vehicle. Proximity and heat map is used to find basic crime patterns. Using GIS mapping for solving crimes provides a new tool to arson and bombing investigators in quickly find the perpetuators when every second counts. The audience will benefit from understanding that GIS is an integral part of law enforcement case management system and will speed up any investigation.