Assessment of an Information Sharing Technology (ARJIS): Examining its Potential Contribution to Improved Performance Through the Eyes of Street Level Officers

• NCJ Number: 210487
• Author(s): Martin J. Zaworski
• Date Published: 2005
• Length: 53 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2001-RD-R-061
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)

Annotation

This study examined the impact of the Automated Regional Justice Information System (ARJIS) on the performance of law enforcement officers in the San Diego County Sheriff's Office.

Abstract

ARJIS is a network of criminal justice agencies that share information through a Web-based enterprise. All municipalities in San Diego County are member agencies of ARJIS, which gives all the agencies access to countywide crime cases, arrest citations, field interviews, traffic accidents, fraudulent documents, photographs, gang information, and information on stolen property. This assessment of the impact of ARJIS on officer performance used surveys, interviews, and direct observation of a sample of 588 officers to assess their attitudes and perceptions of the value of ARJIS information to patrol officers and detectives. This information was supplemented with a review of agency records. The comparison group consisted of officers from a sheriff's office in the southeastern part of the United States who did not have access to regional information-sharing technology on the scale of ARJIS. The study found that ARJIS provided patrol officers and detectives information that helped them in conducting investigations, clearing cases, and improving productivity. There was also some evidence that information from ARJIS helped improve officer safety; however, ARJIS did not seem to increase the number of arrests. A comparison of agency features and resources showed that the presence of a strong management accountability system was more significant in influencing case clearances and arrests than the nature of the information technology available to an agency. An officer's level of computer training also apparently influenced officer satisfaction with ARJIS. 14 tables and a 24-item bibliography