A Model Crime

An ultrachic modeling contest draws Nancy into a beauty of a mystery. A major modeling agency, a designer clothes company, and a popular teen magazine promise to make one girl’s dreams come true. All are sponsors of the Face of the Year contest—and Bess is a finalist. With Nancy at her side, she’s off to Chicago to seek the fame and fortune that awaits the winner.

Nancy Drew meets The Devil Wears Prada in the first title of a new mystery series for girls. MODEL UNDERCOVER introduces teen-sleuth Axelle Anderson, who seizes the opportunity to go undercover as a model during Paris Fashion week to uncover the truth about a top designer's disappearance—and clear her uber-fashionista Aunt's name. Axelle Anderson doesn't care about fashion, in spite of her pushy fashionista aunt, Venetia. All Axelle wants to do in life is solve mysteries. But when top fashion designer Belle La Lune goes missing and Aunt Venetia becomes a prime suspect, Axelle must go undercover as a model to bring the truth into the spotlight. Who knew modeling could be such a dangerous game?

Cites successful examples of community-based policing.

Recent years in North America have seen a rapid development in the area of crime analysis and mapping using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology. In 1996, the US National Institute of Justice (NIJ) established the crime mapping research center (CMRC), to promote research, evaluation, development, and dissemination of GIS technology. The long-term goal is to develop a fully functional Crime Analysis System (CAS) with standardized data collection and reporting mechanisms, tools for spatial and temporal analysis, visualization of data and much more. Among the drawbacks of current crime analysis systems is their lack of tools for spatial analysis. For this reason, spatial analysts should research which current analysis techniques (or variations of such techniques) that have been already successfully applied to other areas (e.g., epidemiology, location-allocation analysis, etc.) can also be employed to the spatial analysis of crime data. This book presents a few of those cases.

Implementing effective crime reduction requires deliberate thought and effort to integrate processes into the police organization, its culture, and the day-to-day work. Stratified Policing: An Organizational Model for Proactive Crime Reduction and Accountability provides police leaders a clear path for institutionalization of crime reduction modeled after current police processes. It sets up an organization to more easily incorporate evidence-based strategies into everyday operations with the goal of changing a police organization from reactive to proactive. Stratified Policing incorporates what works for crime reduction and how to realistically make it work in police practice. The book details the specific and adaptable framework that infuses small changes by rank and division into daily activities that build on each other resulting in a comprehensive and focused approach for crime reduction. It also lays out a multifaceted accountability process that is fair and transparent. Importantly, the book dedicates entire chapters to methods for developing crime reduction goals, addressing immediate, short-term, and long-term crime and disorder problems, and implementing a stratified accountability meeting structure. Chapters include specific recommendations supported by research and grounded in what is realistic in police practice for application of evidence-based strategies, assignment of responsibility and accountability, crime analysis products, and assessment measures for impact on crime and disorder. The book is a culmination of the authors' 15 years of work and will synthesize their research, other publications on stratified policing, and provide new material for police leaders and professionals who are seeking an organizational structure to institutionalize crime reduction strategies into their day to day operations.

Imagine using an evidence-based risk management model that enables researchers and practitioners alike to analyze the spatial dynamics of crime, allocate resources, and implement custom crime and risk reduction strategies that are transparent, measurable, and effective. Risk Terrain Modeling (RTM) diagnoses the spatial attractors of criminal behavior and makes accurate forecasts of where crime will occur at the microlevel. RTM informs decisions about how the combined factors that contribute to criminal behavior can be targeted, connections to crime can be monitored, spatial vulnerabilities can be assessed, and actions can be taken to reduce worst effects. As a diagnostic method, RTM offers a statistically valid way to identify vulnerable places. To learn more, visit http://www.riskterrainmodeling.com and begin using RTM with the many free tutorials and resources.