Information Technology: Police Policing
Predictive Policing
Information Systems Decision Making CIS500
October 21, 2013
To efficiently compare and contrast the application of information technology (IT) to optimize police departments’ performance to reduce crime versus random patrols of the streets, we first have to look at exactly what information technology is available to police today. One popular technology that is used by police departments is COMPSTAT abbreviated for computer statistics. Compstat is a "strategic control system" designed for the collection and feedback of information on crime and related quality of life issues. The COMPSTAT process can be summarized in one simple statement: "Collect, analyze, and map crime data and other essential police performance …show more content…
Namely are input, processing, output, and feedback. Information is placed into computer systems using geographic information systems to map the locations of where crimes occur, indentify “hotspots”, and map problem areas. Also historical data is used to predict future crimes for police departments, known as predictive policing. The processing process takes place once the data has been inputted and the system begins to make predictions. The output is in action once the data has been processed. Officers follow up on the predictions and go to the exact locations where the model has predicted the crime to take place. It’s been proven that crimes have actually been prevented. Feedback from the system is the actual results. Zach Friend, a crime analyst of the Santa Cruz PD said burglaries were down 27 percent in a years’ time, suggesting that targeted policing may have a deterrent effect (Goode, …show more content…
The ability to quickly gather, process and analyze large amounts of crime information creates many new opportunities for examining crime and crime trends, for developing effective strategies to reduce crime and improve quality of life, and for focusing personnel deployment and enforcement activities. Commanders have the technological capacity to analyze events on practically a real-time basis, and a wealth of crime intelligence can be rapidly communicated. These technological advancements dramatically altered the way the NYPD and other agencies deal with crime. Deployment strategies have been refined and carefully focused, and members of the department learned how detailed crime pattern analysis can point to appropriate strategies to reduce crime. Personnel at every level of the organization also saw how detailed analysis could be used to test the effectiveness of crime reduction strategies worked under specific conditions. In other words, the technology utilized in COMPSTAT revolutionized the way members of the NYPD and other agencies think about crime, crime control, and strategic policing
Information Systems Decision Making CIS500
October 21, 2013
To efficiently compare and contrast the application of information technology (IT) to optimize police departments’ performance to reduce crime versus random patrols of the streets, we first have to look at exactly what information technology is available to police today. One popular technology that is used by police departments is COMPSTAT abbreviated for computer statistics. Compstat is a "strategic control system" designed for the collection and feedback of information on crime and related quality of life issues. The COMPSTAT process can be summarized in one simple statement: "Collect, analyze, and map crime data and other essential police performance …show more content…
Namely are input, processing, output, and feedback. Information is placed into computer systems using geographic information systems to map the locations of where crimes occur, indentify “hotspots”, and map problem areas. Also historical data is used to predict future crimes for police departments, known as predictive policing. The processing process takes place once the data has been inputted and the system begins to make predictions. The output is in action once the data has been processed. Officers follow up on the predictions and go to the exact locations where the model has predicted the crime to take place. It’s been proven that crimes have actually been prevented. Feedback from the system is the actual results. Zach Friend, a crime analyst of the Santa Cruz PD said burglaries were down 27 percent in a years’ time, suggesting that targeted policing may have a deterrent effect (Goode, …show more content…
The ability to quickly gather, process and analyze large amounts of crime information creates many new opportunities for examining crime and crime trends, for developing effective strategies to reduce crime and improve quality of life, and for focusing personnel deployment and enforcement activities. Commanders have the technological capacity to analyze events on practically a real-time basis, and a wealth of crime intelligence can be rapidly communicated. These technological advancements dramatically altered the way the NYPD and other agencies deal with crime. Deployment strategies have been refined and carefully focused, and members of the department learned how detailed crime pattern analysis can point to appropriate strategies to reduce crime. Personnel at every level of the organization also saw how detailed analysis could be used to test the effectiveness of crime reduction strategies worked under specific conditions. In other words, the technology utilized in COMPSTAT revolutionized the way members of the NYPD and other agencies think about crime, crime control, and strategic policing