REINVENTION EXPRESS

July 19, 1999 Vol. 5, No. 4
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An Information Sheet for Federal Communicators, Managers, Workers, and Their Partners - Pass It On

BELOW:
* Gore and Reno Announce Report on High-Tech Crime Reduction

* Network Calls for Expressions of Interest in SafeCities Performance Partnerships

* Hammer Award Applications Due July 31

* Sponsor Says Conference Was a Success

Gore and Reno Announce Report on High-Tech Crime Reduction

Vice President Al Gore and Attorney General Janet Reno released a report on July 12 on how the federal government can help communities and police departments use information-age tools to reduce and prevent crime. "Mapping Out Crime," an electronic publication, can be found at: http://www.npr.gov/library/papers/bkgrd/crimemap/content.html.

"Crime mapping and other information-age tools are changing the face of law enforcement in the United States," Vice President Gore said. "The recommendations in this report will put better tools in the hands of police departments and better information in the hands of communities."

"Crime Mapping technologies are a wonderful tool to help law enforcement agencies get one step ahead of the criminals and help prevent crimes before they are committed," said Attorney General Janet Reno.

The report was prepared by a task force co-chaired by Associate Attorney General Raymond C. Fisher and Morley Winograd, Director of the National Partnership for Reinventing Government. The report describes practical examples of how police departments are using crime mapping, and sets forth a vision of how this technology will help change the face of law enforcement in the next century.

What the Report Recommends
The report recommends a number of steps to make crime mapping software, training and technical support more widely available to police departments. It urges the Congress to increase funding for information technology by appropriating funds for the 21st Century Policing Initiative. The report also encourages investment in basic information that will help communities better protect public safety in the next century.

"Mapping Out Crime" also calls on federal law enforcement agencies to make greater use of these tools in national efforts to reduce gun violence, fight against drugs, and other priority areas.

Justice Will Make Electronic Tools Available
The Department of Justice also announced that it will make several crime mapping tools available at no cost to law enforcement agencies, including the following resources:

Crime analysis tools that will support police departments which are seeking to make use of crime data, map "hot spots," and generate maps;
An Electronic Community Policing Beat Book that will let front-line officers generate and personalize maps on laptops in their squad cars, mapping such information as the names and locations of businesses, neighborhood associations, and resources on their beats; and
QuickMap, a tool that will generate maps for police officers, detectives, and managers, part of a Regional Crime analysis Geographic Information System that will help police departments share information and solve multi-jurisdictional crimes.

For more information, contact Pamela Johnson at pamela.johnson@npr.gov.

Network Calls for Expressions of Interest in SafeCities Performance Partnerships
The SafeCities Network announces the formation of performance partnerships between the federal government and community-based partnerships to reduce gun violence. This initiative is not a grant program. The Network will connect communities and law enforcement agencies with peers working on similar issues. The head of a community-based partnership, local government, network of local governments, state or local law enforcement agency, or network of state or local law enforcement agencies may submit a brief statement of interest in joining this Network.

NPR must receive Expressions of Interest by close of business on August 15. For more information, visit http://www.npr.gov/library/announc/rfp.html or call Jeff Slowikowski, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, (202) 307-5929.

Hammer Award Applications Due July 31
Nominations for the next cycle of Hammer Awards are due at NPR by July 31. NPR receives nominations continuously, but reviews the submissions on a quarterly cycle. Check with your agency or Federal Executive Board about any internal deadlines in the Hammer Award process.

Hammer Awards are Vice President Gore's recognition of teams of federal employees and their partners who have made significant contributions to reinventing government. For more information, visit http://www.npr.gov/library/awards/hammer/ or contact Sandra Eubanks Brown at (202) 694-0040 or sandra.brown@npr.gov

Sponsor Says Conference Was a Success
The Excellence in Government '99 conference was a huge success, according to Timothy B. Clark, Editor and President, Government Executive magazine. "My thanks go to all of you for sharing your enthusiasm, your provocative ideas and your commitment to better government." Reinventors can visit the website, http://www.excelgov.com, to see the Electronic Town Hall Wall and continue the online discussion. Several of the speakers' slide presentations will be posted. Save July 11-13, 2000 for Excellence in Government 2000.

Reinvention Express. To submit reinvention stories or calendar items or ask about content, contact Pat Wood, National Partnership for Reinventing Government, 750-17th St., NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20006, (202) 694-0063; e-mail: pat.wood@npr.gov