The Problems with Nomeclature and Crime Classifications
http://www.popvssoda.com/ Is it Soda or is it Pop? Is it a Theft or a Burglary ? You’d describe both objects the same, but depending on where you live in the country, you will call the same object by a different name. Soda vs Pop; Gumband vs Rubberband; Dad vs Pop; Clicker vs Remote vs TV Changer; Ya’ll vs Yins vs Yous; Pocketbook vs Purse vs Handbag; Monkeyball vs Gumball; feels like the list is never ending! This can also be applied to words when describing crimes on a crime map . In categorizing thefts and burglaries, this word conundrum also happens. For example, cars. When someone steals something from a car - is it a theft or burglary? For SpotCrime , we usually rely on the agency to classify these. Most Universities classify them as burglaries and many police agencies use theft. Shootings , however, are a different story for us. Most often a shooting is lumped into a category of aggravated assault. We break out shooting when we can - because our maps are designed for a