policing
Predictive Policing
By Jamia Yant
April 13th, 2012
In order to effectively 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. The term predictive policing is the name given to “any policing strategy or tactic that develops and uses information and advanced analysis to inform forward-thinking crime prevention”. (Predictive Policing Symposium, 2010) The five elements of predictive policing focusing on are integrated information and operations, seeing the big picture, cutting-edge analysis and technology, linkage to performance, adaptability to changing conditions. There are a very large number of ways technology used to implement these five elements: patrol staffing and resource allocation, time and location of future incidence in a crime pattern, identify individuals who are likely to reoffend/early detection of career criminals, analysis of predatory patterns, threat and vulnerability assessment, city/neighborhood planning, traffic management, crowd control …and the list goes on. In a world where technology is developing and evolving faster than it can be implemented, it is realistic to assume that the police force would adapt and use that technology to place them in a good position to be able to adequately and effectively do its job. The first element, integrated information and operation, removes silos allowing for simpler and timelier access to information. It centers on developing, managing, and operating and integrated information infrastructure. One of the largest IT pitfalls of many businesses is having information isolated with departments. The police are no different, they maintain many multiple databases. Rarely, in the past, were any of those systems connected. This was a huge
By Jamia Yant
April 13th, 2012
In order to effectively 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. The term predictive policing is the name given to “any policing strategy or tactic that develops and uses information and advanced analysis to inform forward-thinking crime prevention”. (Predictive Policing Symposium, 2010) The five elements of predictive policing focusing on are integrated information and operations, seeing the big picture, cutting-edge analysis and technology, linkage to performance, adaptability to changing conditions. There are a very large number of ways technology used to implement these five elements: patrol staffing and resource allocation, time and location of future incidence in a crime pattern, identify individuals who are likely to reoffend/early detection of career criminals, analysis of predatory patterns, threat and vulnerability assessment, city/neighborhood planning, traffic management, crowd control …and the list goes on. In a world where technology is developing and evolving faster than it can be implemented, it is realistic to assume that the police force would adapt and use that technology to place them in a good position to be able to adequately and effectively do its job. The first element, integrated information and operation, removes silos allowing for simpler and timelier access to information. It centers on developing, managing, and operating and integrated information infrastructure. One of the largest IT pitfalls of many businesses is having information isolated with departments. The police are no different, they maintain many multiple databases. Rarely, in the past, were any of those systems connected. This was a huge
References: Predictive Policing Symposium (2010) Technical Breakout http://www.nij.gov/topics/law-enforcement/strategies/predictive-policing/symposium/technical-breakout.htm State of California (2010) CompStat Office of Audits and Court Compliance http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/COMPSTAT/ Godown, Jeff (2012) The Police Chief, The Professional Voice of Law Enforcement: The CompStat Process: Four Principles for Managing Crime Reduction http://www.policechiefmagazine.org/magazine/index.cfm?fuseaction=display_arch&article_id=1859&issue_id=82009 Zink, Robert (2004) The PBA Magazine: The Trouble with CompStat http://www.nycpba.org/publications/mag-04-summer/compstat.html Turban / Volonino (2011) Information Technology for Management: Improving Strategic and Operational Performance 8th Edition