{
  "id": "1999-januaryfebruary-neighborhood-rap-sheet",
  "slug": "1999-januaryfebruary-neighborhood-rap-sheet",
  "url": "https://dwillis.github.io/uplink/article/1999-januaryfebruary-neighborhood-rap-sheet.html",
  "year": 1999,
  "month": "January/February",
  "monthNum": 1,
  "headline": "Neighborhood rap sheet",
  "kicker": "FIRST VENTURES",
  "author_name": "Pete Basofin",
  "author_title": "Reporter",
  "affiliation": "Sacramento Bee",
  "summary": "Sacramento Bee reporters analyzed police crime data by subdistrict to identify neighborhood crime patterns and trends, then conducted community interviews to provide context and depth to their findings.",
  "keywords": [
    "crime",
    "data",
    "neighborhoods"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Crime & Justice",
    "Investigative Methods",
    "Data & Databases"
  ],
  "technologies": [
    "World Wide Web"
  ],
  "full_text": "The idea to examine crime patterns in Sacramento came from the city police Web site, where citizens can examine current neighborhood crime statistics. Initially, Bee reporter Nancy Weaver Teichert and I thought we would gather older data to support a story about neighborhood crime trends. We also wanted to rank neighborhoods in terms of crime patterns.\n\nBut it quickly became apparent that Sacramento neighborhoods could not be compared with any accuracy. Besides the great variation in size and population, the boundaries of the geographic areas employed in police crime reporting did not fit exactly with accepted neighborhood boundaries. While per capita comparisons might have worked, we did not have easy access to population figures for such segments of the city.\n\nFortunately, the reported crime data could be analyzed for a smaller, more uniform geographic parcel. The police subdistrict is an administrative unit less than a square mile in size. Although the population density does vary, we felt comparisons and sorting were valid for these 520 subdivisions. By ranking subdistricts, we could identify specific trouble spots in the city.\n\nTerminology translation\n\nPolice provided the Bee with annual data (1991-1997) in seven files. To simplify the process of creating crime categories, we followed police practice in translating California penal code numbers into common terminology - homicide, kidnapping, auto theft, etc. For summary purposes, we then grouped these crime categories into broader crime types - property crime, violent crime and weapons/narcotics. We used the latter to rank police subdistricts and display historical data for each area.\n\nPolice estimated a 10 percent error in the reported crime statistics. Since the material originated from busy cops on the beat, errors did creep into the complex reporting form. Officers must make quick, complicated judgements about the exact nature of the crime and its assignment to a penal code number.\n\nClose examination of the data revealed occasional inaccuracy in the identification of police subdistrict numbers. In general, it was important to discuss the accuracy of field information with the police. For example, we were told that the tagging of gang-related crimes should not be used because it was done so erratically.\n\nSubdistrict statistics\n\nThe project published in the newspaper was inspired - but not dominated - by statistics. Reporters used the data to identify parts of the city that suffered from high crime or enjoyed low crime. Then they went into the community to speak with many sources, including police, crime victims, shopkeepers, homeowners, apartment residents, commuters, and neighborhood activists. These interviews breathed life into the series.\n\nThe series uncovered particular conditions fostering various types of crime. Neighborhood profiles identified specific problem spots, such as malls, bus stations, and convenience stories, which attract criminals. A commonly held belief about the relative high crime in one inner-city neighborhood was dispelled by the data presented.\n\nBecause of heavy emphasis on police subdistricts, the project featured large maps locating the regions of high property and violent crime. It was clear at the onset that we couldn't display locator maps and statistics for all 520 subdistricts. So we turned to the Bee's Web site to create a permanent database with which readers can call up historical data on the area immediately surrounding their home or business.\n\nThe biggest challenge in displaying data on the Web was helping users find their police subdistricts. News artist Mitchell Brooks gave the Bee's New Media department a highly detailed map showing the streets bordering each parcel. These were divided into twelve smaller maps, which the user navigates through a clever \"zoom-in, zoom-out\" feature. Once the subdistrict of interest is found, the user simply enters the four-digit code into a box to get total numbers of property, violent and weapons/narcotics crimes for the years 1991-97.\n\nPete Basofin can be reached by e-mail at pbasofin@sacbee.com.",
  "provenance": {
    "extracted_by": "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6",
    "extracted_at": "2026-07-05",
    "verified": true
  },
  "similar": [
    {
      "slug": "1997-march-crime-connections",
      "score": 0.327
    },
    {
      "slug": "2002-november-december-data-boosts-crime-stories",
      "score": 0.281
    },
    {
      "slug": "1997-march-quick-hits",
      "score": 0.262
    },
    {
      "slug": "2005-january-february-readmetxt",
      "score": 0.244
    },
    {
      "slug": "2005-january-february-readmetxt-2",
      "score": 0.239
    }
  ],
  "html_url": "https://dwillis.github.io/uplink/article/1999-januaryfebruary-neighborhood-rap-sheet.html",
  "json_url": "https://dwillis.github.io/uplink/article/1999-januaryfebruary-neighborhood-rap-sheet.json"
}