DECISION-AIDING TOOLS IN URBAN PUBLIC SAFETY SYSTEMS

• NCJ Number: 13827
• Author(s): R C LARSON
• Date Published: 1973
• Length: 19 pages
• Grant Number(s): GI38004
• Sponsoring Agency: National Science Foundation
• Corporate Author: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS. REPRINTED FROM SLOAN MANAGEMENT REVIEW (WINTER 1972-73)

Annotation

SURVEY OF DECISION-AIDING TOOLS DEVELOPED FOR GOVERNMENT SERVICE SYSTEMS BY MANAGEMENT SCIENTISTS AND THE RELATIONSHIP OF THESE TOOLS TO THEIR COUNTERPARTS IN MILITARY AND INDUSTRY.

Abstract

FOLLOWING A REVIEW OF THE HISTORY OF THE USE OR NONUSE OF QUANTITATIVE TOOLS FOR URBAN PUBLIC SAFETY SYSTEMS, THE AUTHOR DISCUSSES SEVERAL RELEVANT TOOLS. COMMENTS ARE MADE ON GEOMETRIC PROBABILITY, MULTISERVER QUEUING THEORY (INTERRELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SPACIAL POSITIONS OF SERVERS AND DEMANDS, AND THE TIME SEQUENCE OF ARRIVAL TIMES AND SERVICE COMPLETIONS), NETWORKS AND ALGORITHMS, AND SIMULATION. THE DISCUSSION THEN GOES ON TO A SIMULATION OF URBAN POLICE PATROL AND DISPATCHING WITH COMMENTS ON OVERALL MODEL STRUCTURE, GEOGRAPHICAL STRUCTURE, TIME SEQUENCE OF EVENTS, LOCATION ESTIMATION, SIMULATION VARIABLES, AND ON-LINE INTERACTIVE CAPABILITIES. IMPLEMENTATIONS OF THE SIMULATION MODEL FOR BOSTON, WASHINGTON, D.C., NEW YORK CITY, AND THE NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL OF CANADA ARE THEN DISCUSSED.