NCJ Number
7125
Date Published
1972
Length
112 pages
Annotation
A STUDY OF MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS DESIGNED TO SUPPORT LONG-RANGE PLANNING IN AN URBAN POLICE DEPARTMENT IS REPORTED.
Abstract
THE BUFFALO, NEW YORK, POLICE DEPARTMENT WAS SELECTED AS THE SITE FOR THIS STUDY, AND A RESEARCH TEAM FAMILIARIZED ITSELF EXTENSIVELY WITH THE DEPARTMENT, ITS PERSONNEL, AND OPERATING PROCEDURES THROUGH INTERVIEWS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT AND WITH VARIOUS MUNICIPAL AND EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS. A LIBRARY RESEARCH EFFORT WAS MOUNTED AND A LIBRARY ESTABLISHED FOR USE BY PROJECT MEMBERS. THIS DATA COLLECTION EFFORT WAS SUPPLEMENTED BY ONSITE AND TELEPHONE CONTACT WITH POLICE DEPARTMENTS IN OTHER CITIES AND WITH OTHER RESEARCH TEAMS. A PLANNING DECISION INVENTORY WAS DEVELOPED TO SERVE AS A FRAMEWORK FOR EVALUATING THE EXISTING PLANNING SYSTEM AND FOR DESIGNING A NEW PLANNING SYSTEM AND PLANNING-RELATED MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM. TWO AREAS -- BUDGETING AND POLICY MAKING -- WERE EVALUATED IN DETAIL USING METHODOLOGY DEVELOPED AS A PART OF THIS STUDY. A CONCEPTUAL MODEL OF A PLANNING SYSTEM WAS DEVELOPED TO PROVIDE A FRAMEWORK FOR THE DESIGN OF A DETAILED MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. THE ESSENTIAL ASPECTS OF THE MODEL ARE A SYSTEM OF PLANS, A PLANNING PROCESS, AND A DESIGN FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF PLANNING. A STRATEGY FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND OPERATIONAL IMPLEMENTATION OF MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS WITHIN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT WAS ALSO FORMULATED; THE STRATEGY CENTERS ON THE DESIGN OF SYSTEMS WHICH UTILIZE COMPUTERS IN AN INTERACTIVE MODE. THE INTEGRATION OF THE BUDGETING AND POLICYMAKING AREAS WAS THE PRIMARY GOAL OF THIS DESIGN EFFORT AND WAS ACCOMPLISHED WITH THE DESIGN OF A DETAILED MANAGEMENT SYSTEM WHICH PROVIDES POLICE DECISIONMAKERS WITH INFORMATION NECESSARY FOR THE RATIONAL ASSESSMENT AND DEVELOPMENT OF BUDGETS AND POLICY. AN INFORMATION ANALYSIS WAS CONDUCTED TO ASSESS THE DATA BASE REQUIREMENTS MANDATED BY THE DESIGN OF THE BUDGETING AND POLICY SYSTEMS, AND PROCEDURES WERE DEVELOPED FOR THE COLLECTION OF BOTH THE SUBJECTIVE AND OBJECTIVE INFORMATION NECESSARY FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE OVERALL SYSTEM. EXTENSIVE METHODOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS RESULTED FROM THE EVOLUTION OF THE OPERATIONAL SYSTEM. A TECHNIQUE FOR MODELING POLICE DEPARTMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS BASED ON THE CONCEPT OF A LINEAR RESPONSIBILITY CHART, AN OPERATIONAL APPROACH TO INTEGRATING THE DESCRIPTIVE MODEL WITH THEORETICAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS TO PROVIDE AN OVERALL SYSTEM WHICH IS AN OPERATIONAL AND PRACTICAL BLEND OF AN IDEAL SYSTEM AND THAT SYSTEM CURRENTLY IN USE, A MODEL-BASED APPROACH TO THE DETERMINATION OF INFORMATION REQUIREMENTS IN PRACTICAL TERMS WHICH OBVIATE MANY OF THE PROBLEMS INHERENT IN OTHER APPROACHES, AND A POLICY-ORIENTED METHOD FOR DEFINING A PLANNING DATA BASE WHICH SHOULD SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE BOTH THE EFFECTIVENESS AND COST EFFICIENCY ASSOCIATED WITH DATA BASE DEVELOPMENT ARE AMONG THE INNOVATIVE TECHNIQUES DEVELOPED IN THE COURSE OF THIS STUDY. THESE DEVELOPMENTS ARE ALSO REFERENCED IN WORKING PAPERS PROVIDED IN APPENDIX I. ADDITIONAL APPENDIXES CONTAINING A SAMPLE INTERVIEW GUIDE, A BIBLIOGRAPHY, AND PROJECT WHITE PAPERS ON ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS IN POLICE DEPARTMENTS AND THE USE OF MANPOWER MODELS TO DEFINE INFORMATION REQUIREMENTS ARE ALSO PROVIDED. (KBL)