Students at the High School for Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice collected data and created maps during an investigation of juvenile crimes committed in the Houston metropolitan area for a presentation at Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Day in the City of Houston.

Students from HSLECJ and Houston Academy for International Studies in addition to Lee, Waltrip, and Wheatley high schools participated in the grassroots effort on Nov. 21 at Texas Southern University to learn about geography and the uses of GIS in society. HSLECJ students were the only group to make a GIS presentation at the event.

“They wanted to explore the idea that juvenile criminal activity stems from teenagers who come from low-income families,” said Valgene Holmes, who teaches courses such as GIS and principles of law at HSLEJ.

Holmes’ students did research on gangs, drug trafficking, teen prostitution and other crimes committed by Houston teens. They are also creating an interactive 3D model of their high school using GIS tools. Throughout the project, the students received mentoring and training from GIS specialists with the City of Sugar Land and Maricopa County in Arizona.