NCJ Number
80490
Date Published
1981
Length
292 pages
Annotation
The Management of Demand (MOD) Program, operating in Wilmington, Del., is described and analyzed in this document. The MOD program tested the effectiveness of handling noncritical calls for police service through methods other than the timely onscene response of a patrol unit. The alternatives included formal, 30-minute delay onscene response, telephone reporting and adjustment, walk-in reporting, and scheduled appointment response.
Abstract
Evaluators of the Wilmington MOD program employed a quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest design entailing 'before and during' comparisons for the 9-month monitoring period, from January 1 through September 30, 1979. An input, process, outcome, and systemic measures framework was also developed in which the system considerations included the transferability of the MOD concept. The measurement methods were personnel questionnaires, telephone surveys of police clients before/during the program, formal interviews, observations, and analysis of call-for-service and related crime data. The analytic techniques included use of statistical tests, some simple structural models, and two computer-based patrol car allocation models. The Wilmington Police Department was able to implement the MOD program with relative ease. In terms of effectiveness measures on a 'before and during' comparison basis, the Index crime rate in Wilmington increased, but well within the increases recorded in comparably populated cities. Wilmington residents continued to be satisfied with police services. The efficiency measure, stated in terms of calls for service per effective 8-hour officer, increased by a significant 15.8 percent, and thus response productivity also increased. However, all alternative response strategies were underused. Tables, footnotes, flow charts, and graphs are included. Appendixes present 36 references, a glossary, and personnel and client surveys. (Author summary modified)