The Upstate Crime Analysis Center at the University of South Carolina Upstate is collaborating with Microsoft and Simsi to advance community-centered crime prevention through evidence-based training and free resources. The initiative is funded by a grant from the Microsoft Community Safety and Justice Reform Initiative, running from March 2025 through February 2026.
“This project not only expands the UCAC’s capacity as a training hub, but also creates opportunities for our students, community partners, and agencies to engage in both the education and practice of evidence-based crime analysis,” said Breanna Haney, M.S., director of UCAC and instructor of criminal justice, sociology, and women’s and gender studies at USC Upstate. “At the UCAC, our mission has always been to bring evidence-based crime analysis into the hands of communities, agencies, and students. With the support of Simsi and Microsoft, we are able to deliver free resources and training that make crime prevention more effective and more equitable.”
The project aims to build data capacity, pilot technology solutions, and support the responsible adoption of artificial intelligence to improve public safety. The UCAC will develop learning content, tools, and technological resources for a range of stakeholders, delivered through Simsi’s ActionHub Learning Center, a public platform built on Microsoft Azure. Topics include career development for crime analysts, embedding analytics into agency operations, and a three-course series on crime analysis for police executives.
The UCAC will also host free webinars and in-person training workshops for public safety leaders, government agencies, nonprofits, and community stakeholders. Upcoming events include a full-day workshop in Greenville, SC on Dec. 11, 2025, titled Data Informed Community Engagement in Action: Collaborative Crime Prevention Training.
In addition, the UCAC is sponsoring one USC Upstate criminal justice student and a local crime analyst to attend the Carolinas Crime Analysis Association (CCAA) Conference in March 2026, further supporting professional development and knowledge sharing in the regional crime analysis community.
Through the initiative, the UCAC will also engage USC Upstate students in applied learning opportunities, including marketing and social media efforts for the December workshop. The program is designed to expand the UCAC’s role as a regional hub for evidence-based crime analysis and strengthen collaboration between communities, students and law enforcement in the Upstate region.
More information and registration for the Dec. 11 workshop are available at Simsi.com.
For more information about future UCAC events and initiatives, visit uscupstate.edu/ucac.