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Gang Hot Spots Policing in Chicago: An Evaluation of the Deployment Operations Center Process

NCJ Number
239207
Date Published
March 2011
Length
117 pages
Annotation

This study evaluated whether the Chicago Police Department's (CPD's) Deployment Operations Center (DOC) could implement a process that was able to affect crime reductions.

Abstract

Qualitative data indicated that CPD was successful in implementing the DOC process as designed. Based on interviews with CPD administrators and observations of meetings, researchers identified six main steps in the DOC logic model that were successfully implemented: 1) communication of a department-wide mandate to focus on gang, drug, and gun-related crime, 2) analysis of intelligence and crime data, 3) identification of hot spots, 4) communication of hot spot locations to CPD personnel, 5) redeployment of officers to hot spots, and 6) engagement in suppression activities. However, despite considerable evidence that the DOC process was implemented as designed, quantitative analyses demonstrated that the DOC process was not associated with violent crime reductions. Contrary to expectations, although there were significant declines in violent crime across police beats, the declines were not significantly related to DOC coverage from 2002 to 2004. Tables, figures, and references

Date Published: March 1, 2011