The existing handwritten form was maintained and used in the Wilshire division, which served as the control condition. In a pilot project, the Hollywood division used a software version of the same report form, which was sorted in laptop computers that the officers carried on patrol. The two divisions were selected for their similar characteristics of workload and location. Personnel at the control and experimental sites were asked to complete questionnaires before and after the implementation of the automated system. In addition, police officers, supervisors, and detectives evaluated the automated system for ease of use. Detectives and attorneys were asked to compare handwritten and automated reports for quality and accuracy. The six data files describe patrol officers' evaluations of the laptop computer system, the amount of time spent handling both handwritten and automated reports, detectives' evaluations, prosecuting attorneys' evaluations, and supervisors' ratings of police officer performance. Tables and coding information
Automated Reporting System Pilot Project: A User's Guide to the Machine-Readable Files and Documentation, Codebook, and Original Instrument
NCJ Number
146237
Date Published
1992
Length
110 pages
Annotation
These volumes present background and coding information and the study instruments for a data set collected for a comparison of the quality of preliminary investigation reports written between June and December 1990 in two divisions of the Los Angeles Police Department.
Abstract
Date Published: January 1, 1992