Public Crime Mapping in Canada: Interpreting RAIDS Online

The capacity for the mapping of crime data has shifted to the digital world, allowing online public crime mapping and the dissemination of information to a broader audience. While the field of critical cartography has questioned the elements and underlying assumptions of various map types, public crime mapping has not been analyzed in the same manner. Through analysis of the design choices and omissions in online public crime maps that pertain to Hamilton, ON and London, ON, the concepts of critical cartography are applied to the largely ignored field of crime maps. While the existence of online public crime maps can potentially facilitate data sharing and analysis to better allow police forces to reduce the incidence of crime, there are also consequences of maps presenting incomplete or inaccurate information to their audiences, as was found to be the case for both cities that were analyzed. These consequences include effects on the public perception of crime, changing attitudes toward crime-induced fear, and negative implications for economic development in areas that might be seen as too high-risk.