Interjurisdictional Law Enforcement Data Sharing Issues: Benefits of the Use of Geo-Spatial Technologies and Barriers to More Widespread Cooperation

Abstract

This chapter discusses the use of geographic information systems (GIS) to create and disseminate geospatial data among multiple law enforcement agencies in the same metropolitan area, county, region, state and nation. Cooperation between different agencies of government, such as between a municipal police department and a comprehensive-planning, information technology or public works department, with GIS expertise will be discussed. The benefits derived from sharing human and technical resources, from using a common set of geospatial data and a common crime records database schema, and from the centralization of activities, such as geocoding, will be emphasized. Issues impeding interjurisdictional use of GIS, such as technical issues of interoperability, confidentiality concerns and cost-sharing problems, are presented. Multiple examples drawn from the United States and several other countries illustrate the universality of interjurisdictional issues and the value of using GIS to facilitate data sharing and cooperation among multiple law enforcement and government agencies.