New Tool Helps Communities ID Crash 'Hot Spots'

SHAWNEE, KS - National Highway Traffic Safety Deputy Administrator Ron Medford on Wednesday, Aug. 11, joined Shawnee Mayor Jeff Meyers and Police Chief Jim Morgan for a demonstration of a new law enforcement resource to help police pinpoint local crash and crime "hot spots." 

The new tool, called Data-Driven Approaches to Crime and Traffic Safety (DDACTS), helps communities like Shawnee concentrate their limited police resources on reducing crashes, crimes and traffic violations.  

Medford joined Mayor Meyers and Chief Morgan in observing firsthand the efforts that are being made to improve traffic safety in a selected DDACTS enforcement area in Shawnee. 

"With this innovative technology, police can now focus valuable resources on preventing crashes and fighting crime in areas where they are most prevalent," said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood. 

Medford echoed the view. "Analytic and mapping technologies are among the most important tools available to law enforcement today. Using these tools to spotlight which areas in a community are most at-risk for crash and crime incidents will help thinly spread police forces to place their limited resources where they can do the most good."  

DDACTS was developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance and the National Institute of Justice.