CANADIAN POLICE COMPUTER USAGE - AN HISTORICAL SURVEY, COMPARISONS AND LESSONS (FROM MAPPING AND RELATED APPLICATIONS OF COMPUTERS TO CANADIAN POLICE WORK, 1977, BY J E WATKIN AND F R LIPSETT - SEE NCHJ-47416)

• NCJ Number: 47428
• Author(s): D H MEAD
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 10 pages
• Corporate Author: National Research Council
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Historical Overview
• Language: English
• Country: Canada

Annotation

THE GROWTH IN CANADIAN POLICE COMPUTER USAGE IS TRACED, WITH PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO THE PAST DECADE.

Abstract

THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS REPORT WAS GATHERED BY MEANS OF A QUESTIONNAIRE SENT TO ALL MUNICIPAL POLICE FORCES IN CANADA DURING FEBRUARY 1977. EIGHTY-TWO PERCENT OF THE FORCES REPLIED, AND BASED ON THE RESPONSES IT WAS DETERMINED THAT 58.5 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL SWORN POLICE STRENGTH IN THE COUNTRY HAVE RECOURSE TO SOME FORM OF COMPUTER IN THEIR POLICING EFFORT. ALMOST ALL MUNICIPAL USAGE COMMENCED IN THE LATE 1960'S OR THE EARLY 1970'S. ALL BUT THREE OF THE RESPONDENTS HAD THEIR COMPUTER SYSTEM OPERATIONAL BEFORE THE ADVENT OF THE CANADIAN POLICE INFORMATON CENTRE. GENERALLY, THE COMPUTER SYSTEMS ARE BATCH-ORIENTED, AGGREGATIVE AFTER THE FACT HOUSEKEEPING TYPES OR ONES WHICH HAVE A HIGH VISIBILITY IN TERMS OF PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT. SEVERAL REASONS CAN BE ADVANCED FOR THE FAIRLY UNSOPHISTICATED STATE OF LOCAL DATA PROCESSING. FIRST, THERE IS THE MATTER OF THE USE AND CONTROL OF HARDWARE AND RESOURCES. SECOND, A LOOK AT THE BUDGET AVAILABLE FOR MUNICIPAL POLICE DATA PROCESSING INDICATES THAT THE LIMITATION IS DUE ALSO TO THE LACK OF RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO POLICE FORCES FOR THIS PURPOSE. THIRD, THE USE OF HUMAN AND TECHNICAL RESOURCES WITHIN DEPARTMENTS IS EXTREMELY LOW. FOURTH, THE TECHNICAL RESOURCES AVAILABLE FOR COMPUTER DEVELOPMENT ARE EXTREMELY LIMITED. THE RESULTS OF THE SURVEY ALSO REVEALED THAT TRAINING AND ORIENTATION WAS LIMITED STRICTLY TO IMMEDIATE REQUIREMENTS AND WAS GIVEN ONLY TO THOSE HAVING DIRECT INVOLVEMENT WITH THE SYSTEM. REGARDING PLANNING, THREE RESPONDENTS INDICATED THAT MUCH WORK HAD GONE INTO THE DEVELOPMENT OF A LONG RANGE STRATEGY FOR MEETING THEIR INFORMATIONAL NEEDS THROUGH THE USE OF COMPUTERS; HOWEVER, THESE RESPONSES WERE BY FAR THE EXCEPTION. IN GENERAL, APPLICATIONS FORESEEN BY THE RESPONDENTS TENDED TO BE AN EXTENSION OF THOSE ALREADY IN EXISTENCE, (I.E., BATCH-ORIENTED, AGGREGATIVE COLLECTIONS OF DATA ABOUT GENERAL POLICE ACTIVITIES). WITH VERY FEW EXCEPTIONS, THE FORCES GENERALLY DID NOT USE THEIR COMPUTER SYSTEMS FOR MANAGEMENT AND RELATED APPLICATIONS, AND ONLY ONE RESPONDENT -- THE CITY OF VANCOVER -- USED ITS COMPUTER FOR MAPPING PURPOSES. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT THERE APPEARS TO BE MANY FRUITFUL AREAS FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT IN A PRESENTLY LIMITED FIELD OF APPLICATION; THAT THE APPLICATION OF STANDARDS FOR LEVELS OF SYSTEMS WOULD BE A STIMULATING AND NECESSARY PROGRAM; AND THAT IT WOULD APPEAR THAT POLICING SYSTEMS ARE OPERATING ENTIRELY IN A VACUUM. (KBL)