NCJ Number
203966
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 71 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2004 Pages: 33-37
Date Published
January 2004
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article offers guidance for law enforcement agencies attempting to implement the CompStat model.
Abstract
Ten basic questions are presented that should be considered by any agency implementing CompStat. The first involves the type of leadership required by a police chief under the CompStat model. In order to effectively lead under CompStat, a police chief should be able to coach commanders in the development of innovative strategies to reduce crime. It is therefore important to have a full knowledge of the principles and program elements of CompStat before implementing the model. The second question involves how to begin implementing the model. Specific suggestions are given for selecting three to five clear, crime-specific objectives and desired outcomes in order to begin the CompStat process. The third question involves the use of data, which is an integral part of the CompStat program. CompStat helps to identify emerging crime patterns in particular geographic areas so that law enforcement can devote appropriate resources and strategies to preventing crime. The fourth question focuses on how to identify the important characteristics of crime data, which are identified as accuracy, completeness, availability, timeliness, and visibility. The fifth question considers whether crime problems or geographic areas are more important to focus on under the CompStat model. Focusing on a specific crime problem within a well-defined geographic area has been shown to provide the best policing results. The sixth question considers the primary functions of leadership, which is to ensure that the CompStat process focuses high-energy strategies at reducing crime. The seventh question grapples with the necessity of holding regular CompStat meetings. The important elements of the CompStat meeting are defined and the importance of maintaining a regular meeting schedule is underscored. The eighth and ninth questions focus on how the city administrator and the public should be involved with the CompStat process. In both cases, it is imperative to keep city administrators and the public informed and involved in the process. Finally, the article considers how the CompStat process is related to community policing efforts. A textbox contained in the article reviews the NYPD CompStat basic principles.