Data-Driven Approaches to Crime and Traffic Safety (DDACTS) is a law enforcement operational model supported by a partnership among the Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and two agencies of the Department of Justice, the Bureau of Justice Assistance and the National Institute of Justice. DDACTS integrates location-based crime and traffic crash data to establish effective and efficient methods for deploying law enforcement and other resources. Using geo-mapping to identify areas through temporal and spatial analysis, that have high incidences of crime and crashes, DDACTS employs targeted traffic enforcement strategies. By saturation locations with high crime and crash incidences with highly visible traffic enforcement, DDACTS communities play a simultaneous dual role: fighting crime and reducing traffic crashes and traffic violations. Drawing on the deterrent value of highly visible traffic enforcement and the knowledge that crimes often involve the use of motor vehicles, the goal of DDACTS is to reduce the incidence of crime, crashes, and traffic violations in communities across the country. The model’s focus on collaboration with law enforcement, community members, and organizations reinforces the crucial role that partnerships play in reducing social harm and improving quality of life. Building on this collaboration, DDACTS positions traffic enforcement as a logical rationale for a highly visible law enforcement presence in a community. (Author/publisher)
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