NCJ Number
19283
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 2 Issue: 3 Dated: (FALL 1974) Pages: 235-238
Date Published
1974
Length
4 pages
Annotation
DESCRIPTIVE DISCUSSION OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SPECIALIZED POLICE DEPARTMENT PLANNING SECTION WHICH HAS RESULTED IN AN IMPROVED PATROL OPERATION FOR THE CITY.
Abstract
A POLICE PLANNING SYSTEM CALLED APIS WAS ESTABLISHED BASED ON A DATA FILE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (AIV) WHICH HAS THREE INPUTS - DISPATCH TICKETS, TRAFFIC ACCIDENT REPORTS, AND CRIME REPORTS. AN APIS PLANNING MODULE FORECASTS THE NUMBER OF CALLS FOR SERVICE IN A GIVEN GEOGRAPHIC AREA USING A VERSION OF EXPONENTIAL SMOOTHING, EMPLOYS A QUEUING MODEL TO CALCULATE THE PROBABILITY OF DELAY AND THE AVERAGE WAITING TIME OF A CALL, AND USES LARSON'S TRAVEL TIME MODEL TO ESTIMATE TRAVEL TIME WITHIN THE PATROL AREA. (THE QUEUING MODEL IS A MULTISERVER THREE-PRIORITY MODEL WITH NO PREEMPTION AND FIRST-COME, FIRST-SERVED DISPATCHING BY PRIORITY. THE TERM 'NO PREEMPTION' MEANS THAT PATROL UNITS ARE INTERRUPTED ON A CALL OF LOW PRIORITY TO RESPOND TO A CALL OF HIGHER PRIORITY.) BASED ON ITS FORECAST, THE APIS PLANNING MODULE CALCULATES THE NUMBER OF PATROL UNITS NECESSARY TO SATISFY PERFORMANCE NORMS AND THE MAXIMUM REQUIRED FOR ANY OF THE NORMS IS THE ACTUAL NUMBER REQUIRED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)