NCJ Number
203757
Date Published
November 2003
Length
158 pages
Annotation
This phase two report presents an overview, description, and recommendations of four States and their development of enhanced information systems to increase the utilization of information and information technology within their police departments, specifically community policing through participation in the Information System Technology Enhancement Project (ISTEP) funded by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS).
Abstract
The Information Systems Technology Enhancement Project (ISTEP), a project funded by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), U.S. Department of Justice was established to develop written documentation, software systems, and procedures that will increase the utilization of information and information technology in police departments across the United States, particularly regarding the implementation of community and problem-oriented policing. In this report, four case studies are presented which represent what information system technology enhancements have been developed in four States to support community- and problem-oriented policing. The first case study describes the police management technique known as COMPSTAT. Under COMPSTAT (periodic meetings on crime trends), computerized crime maps and other data analyses are used extensively during police management meetings as a way to highlight and discuss specific areas and problems. This report discusses the software application developed to be used during COMPSTAT meetings initially designed for use in the Arlington County, Virginia Police Department. The second case study focuses on the role that information technology can play in enhancing safety at elementary and secondary schools. It focuses on a single site, the Montgomery County, Maryland Public School System. It uses information technology to support the implementation of safe school strategies and tactics. The third case study examines the prostitution problem-solving efforts of a high crime police precinct in Phoenix, AZ. Three site visits in late 2000 and during the first quarter of 2001 were used to identify the problem-solving application for study and identify data sources, uses, and problems. The fourth and final case study describes the application of information technology to problem solving for the crime of auto theft in Reno, NV. Auto theft was selected because of its relatively high prevalence and low clearance rate in Reno. In addition, little was known about the patterns and characteristics of auto theft. References