Block by Block, Oak Park to Analyze Crime

will take a new approach to analyzing crime, turning their focus to the hyperlocal level.

According to Wednesday Journal, the department will begin tracking crimes in a database broken down by block — roughly 625 in total. Here's WJ:

The department typically breaks down its crime statistics by beat, but getting down to the block level will allow them to see where it is most concentrated, which could then affect how officers in each of the eight beats are deployed, [Police Chief Rick] Tanksley said.

It's an approach to crime prevention lauded by George Mason University professor David Weisburd, who's crime "hot spot" tracking research has proven effective in places like Sacramento, Calif. and Seattle, Wash.

Evidence-based policing, as its known, encourages investigators to get away from hunches and gut feelings and instead focus on the data. For much more on the topic, see the university's Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy.