DATA COLLECTION AND COMPUTER ANALYSIS FOR POLICE MANPOWER ALLOCATIONS - WORKING PAPER

• NCJ Number: 32344
• Author(s): J P JARVIS; M A MCKNEW
• Date Published: 1975
• Length: 30 pages
• Grant Number(s): GI38004
• Sponsoring Agency: National Science Foundation
• Corporate Author: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

A COMPUTER MODEL, BASED ON MULTISERVER QUEUING THEORY, WAS APPLIED TO THE PROBLEM OF POLICE SECTOR DESIGN IN ARLINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

Abstract

THE NECESSARY DATA INPUTS CONCERNING SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL CALL FOR SERVICE PATTERNS, DISPATCH STRATEGIES, AND AVERAGE SERVICE TIMES WERE GENERATED BY CREATING A SIMPLE REPORTING SYSTEM TO MONITOR FIELD ACTIVITIES. WHILE COLLECTING INFORMATION REQUIRED FOR THE COMPUTER MODEL, SEVERAL BENEFICIAL INSIGHTS INTO DEPARTMENTAL OPERATIONS WERE DISCOVERED IN THE AREAS OF DISPATCH PROCEDURES AND JUVENILE DISTURBANCES. AN EXAMPLE OF THE SECTOR DESIGN PROCESS IS PRESENTED USING 1974 CALL-FOR-SERVICE DATA AND SIX SECTOR CARS. THIS SAME DATA BASE WAS USED BY ARLINGTON POLICE COMMAND PERSONNEL ON A REAL TIME VERSION OF THE COMPUTER MODEL TO DESIGN A SIX SECTOR CONFIGURATION FOR THEIR DEPARTMENT. THIS DESIGN WAS IMPLEMENTED EARLY IN 1975. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)