NCJ Number
137344
Date Published
1992
Length
82 pages
Annotation
This futures study analyzes how emerging computer technology can be applied to police report writing, and it notes that police report writing has evolved with changes in technology, especially the use of laptop computers.
Abstract
The study includes a review of the literature, environmental scanning, interviews with experts, personal experiences, and modified conventional delphi techniques. Trends and events likely to impact the issue of report writing related to voice recognition technology, cost-effectiveness, training, ability to write, customer resistance, retraining, and funding are all considered. Events projected to occur by 1997 included windfall funding, the selection of a new sheriff, transportation system failure, and technological breakthrough. A strategic management plan was developed that portrayed the implementation of voice recognition technology including expert system preliminary investigation and foreign language translation. A transition management plan was proposed that called for the sheriff's department to play a strong leadership role and develop a partnership between public and private sectors. It is concluded that rapid advances in voice recognition technology have reduced costs, improved the technique, and provided new services such as language translation. Police executives should examine ways of making their departments cost-effective through the use of expert systems, artificial intelligence, and voice recognition data entry. The creation of a fully automated report writing and recordkeeping system will not occur until voice recognition technology is implemented. Appendixes contain supplemental information on the trend and event analysis. 16 references and 3 tables