ALTERNATIVE APPROACH IN POLICE PATROL - THE WILMINGTON (DE) SPLIT-FORCE EXPERIMENT

• NCJ Number: 57366
• Journal: Police Chief Volume: 44 Issue: 11 Dated: (NOVEMBER 1977) Pages: 58-64
• Author(s): J T NOLAN; L SOLOMON
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 7 pages
• Corporate Author: International Assoc of Chiefs of Police
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THE WILMINGTON, DEL., SPLIT-FORCE EXPERIMENT IN PATROL ORGANIZATIONAL ARRANGEMENTS TAKES INTO ACCOUNT AND CORRECTS ADMINISTRATIVE PROBLEMS RELATING TO POLICE PRODUCTIVITY, EFFECTIVENESS, AND BUDGET LIMITATIONS.

Abstract

ALTHOUGH TRADITIONAL PATROL ARRANGEMENT HAS HAD TWO MAIN TASKS, RESPONDING TO CALLS AND COMPLAINTS AND CONDUCTING CRIME PREVENTION ACTIVITIVES, LOCAL POLICE AGENCIES GENERALLY HAVE NOT ORGANIZED THEIR PATROL OPERATIONS IN TERMS OF SUCH A DIVISION OF LABOR. INSTEAD, THEY RELY ON GEOGRAPHICALLY SEGMENTED STRUCTURAL ORGANIZATION OF PATROL OPERATIONS, ALLOCATE RESOURCES AND MANPOWER ON THE ASSUMPTION THAT THESE SEGMENTS HAVE SIMILAR NEEDS, AND DEFINE TEMPORAL APPORTIONMENT OF PERSONNEL IN WORK SHIFTS AND SCHEDULES AS IF THE SEGMENTS WERE EQUAL. THE WILMINGTON SPLIT-FORCE PROJECT WAS DESIGNED TO ELIMINATE THESE PROBLEMS. THE PATROL FORCE IS DIVIDED INTO A PAIR OF FUNCTIONALLY DISTINCT AND OPERATIONALLY SPECIALIZED PERSONNEL--A STRUCTURED PATROL FORCE (SPF) AND A BASIC PATROL FORCE (BPF), THE FIRST HAS THE CRIME PREVENTION AND DETERRENT RESPONSIBILITY AND THE LATTER ANSWERS POLICE CALLS AND COMPLAINTS. THIS SPLIT ARRANGEMENT ADDS AN ELEMENT OF INCREASED ACCOUNTABILITY AND OPERATIONAL FLEXIBILITY. A COMPUTER MODEL OF THE OPERATIONAL DAY BY SHIFT, STAFF PLATOON, AND SIX TIMES A DAY SEQUENCES WERE GENERATED TO PRODUCE BASIC COMPLAINT AND SERVICE RESPONSE CONFIGURATIONS. SHIFT AND PERSONNEL SCHEDULING DECISIONS ARE MADE ON THE BASIS OF THESE CONFIGURATIONS, AN ACTIVITY THAT PROVIDES A CONTINUITY OF AVAILABLE PATROL PERSONNEL TO SERVICE THE COMMUNITY THROUGH THE DAY WITHOUT DISRUPTIONS IN SERVICES OCCURING FROM SHIFT TRANSITIONS. THE PROJECT ALSO COORDINATED THE ACTIVITIES OF THE BUREAU'S EXISTING CRIME ANALYSIS UNIT WITH THE OPERATIONS OF THE TWO PATROL GROUPS BY INITIATING A DAILY REPORT ON ALL CRIMES OF CERTAIN KINDS COMMITTED DURING THE PAST 2 WEEKS ACCORDING TO THE NUMBER OF INCIDENTS, TYPE OF CRIME, AND CRIME TIME AND LOCATION. TABLES ILLUSTRATE PROJECT ACTIVITIES. (DAG)