Alumni News

DeMotto - Criminal Justice and GIS

Nicole DeMotto was hired under a CoMMunity Oriented Policing grant at the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department in 2001. In Kansas City, she helped define the role of spatial analysis of crime and using GIS for crime analysis. The results of her analysis allowed the police department to allocate resources more effectively and led to a decrease in the most-violent crimes. The department was awarded the Best of Wyandotte Award in 2004 for reductions in violent crime. DeMotto’s GIS skills have not only opened the door for awards, but also provided an array of opportunities. DeMotto is currently a doctoral student at the University of Missouri – Kansas
City in Geography and Economics. Her research is focused on understanding the spatial relationships between poverty, disorder and gun violence. She has been offered several opportunities ranging from the FBI to state government and local law enforcement. Her professional expertise has been recognized through a number of invitations to make public addresses concerning crime analysis. “I came to Saint Mary’s without any GIS skills,” DeMotto said. “I would not have these opportunities without the analytical skills cultivated in the GIS program at Saint Mary’s.”

DeMotto is currently employed by the Madison, Wis., Police Department, in the Criminal Intelligence Section. She is researching alcohol-related violence and youth related crime as MPD’s problem analyst and assistingthe chief of the Madison Police Department to identify, prioritize and resolve crime issues. “I truly love what I do,” DeMotto said. “It’s fascinating, challenging and meaningful. People appreciate my work.”