NCJ Number
52917
Journal
Schriftenreihe der Polizeifuehrungsakademie Volume: 5 Issue: 2 Dated: (1978) Pages: 89-111
Date Published
1978
Length
20 pages
Annotation
THE USE OF POLICE STATISTICS AS AN INSTRUMENT FOR PLANNING POLICE ACTIVITIES IS DISCUSSED.
Abstract
IN ADDITION TO PRODUCTION OF PLANS, PLANNING SHOULD INVOLVE COORDINATION OF PLANS, IMPROVED SOLUTIONS FOR COMPLEX PROBLEMS, A MECHANISM FOR EVALUATION BUILT INTO PLANS, MOTIVATION OF EMPLOYEES THROUGH DEFINITION OF GOALS, AND REDUCTION OF ORGANIZATIONAL UNCERTAINTY. PLANNING AREAS EXTEND TO POLICE ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING ORGANIZATIONAL FACTORS SUCH AS ADJUSTMENT OF UNITS TO DISTRIBUTION OF CRIME, LOCATION OF STATIONS, GEOGRAPHICAL CONCENTRATION OF OFFICERS, DISTRIBUTION OF OFFICERS WITHIN STATIONS, AND DEVELOPMENT OF ORGANIZATIONAL MODELS. PLANNING ALSO ENCOMPASSES INFORMATION GATHERING, GOALS AND THEIR EXPRESSION IN SPECIFIC PROGRAMS AND MEASURES, AND METHODS FOR PUTTING A PARTICULAR DECISION INTO ACTION USING SUCH INSTRUMENTS AS PLANNING NETWORKS AND PROGRAM EVALUATION. POLICE SERVICES CRUCIAL TO OTHER ORGANIZATIONS ARE COORDINATION OF CRIMINAL AND JUDICIAL STATISTICS TO FORM A UNIFORM INFORMATION SYSTEM, PARTICIPATION IN URBAN PLANNING AS A MEANS OF AVOIDING BUILDING CONSTELLATIONS CONDUCIVE TO CRIME, AND PLANNING PROCEDURES TO FACILITATE PROSECUTION OF PARTICULAR CRIMES (E.G., INFORMATION ON OFFENDER AND OFFENSE TYPES AND ON DAMAGES FOR ECONOMIC CRIMES). AS EFFECTIVE PLANNING IS DEPENDENT ON INFORMATION, CRIME PREVENTION REQUIRES COMPUTERIZED DATA STORAGE ON POLICE ORGANIZATION AND PERSONNEL; PERSONAL INFORMATION ON SUSPECTED OFFENDERS; DATA RELATED TO THE CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING PARTICULAR CRIMES (TIME, LOCATION, WEAPONS, DAMAGES, VICTIM INFORMATION); AND INFORMATION ON POPULATION MAKE-UP, BUILDING USE, EMPLOYMENT, BEHAVIORAL PATTERNS OF SUSPECTS, VICTIMS AND POLICE, PUBLIC ATTITUDES TOWARD POLICE AND CRIME, AND THE APPLICATION AND EFFECT OF LAWS, PROGRAMS, AND MEASURES. IT IS EMPHASIZED THAT THE ANALYTICAL FUNCTION OF DATA IS MOST IMPORTANT FOR PLANNING AND THAT OPTIMAL USEFULNESS FOR CRIME PROGNOSIS COULD BE ACHIEVED WITH A COMPUTERIZED DATA SYSTEM WHICH IS ABLE TO PROCESS LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH-QUALITY DATA AND TO COMBINE THE DATA IN A VARIETY OF WAYS. REFERENCES ARE SUPPLIED. --IN GERMAN. (KMD)