NCJ Number
57717
Date Published
1976
Length
13 pages
Annotation
FOCUSING ON THE LOS ANGELES, CALIF., POLICE DEPARTMENT'S USE OF A PATTERN RECOGNITION AND INFORMATION CORRELATION (PATRIC) SYSTEM, THIS PAPER EXAMINES THE ROLE OF MAN AND COMPUTER IN SUPPORTING BIG CITY INVESTIGATORS.
Abstract
THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY, INVESTIGATORS ARE FACED WITH A COMMON PROBLEM--THEY DO NOT HAVE AN EFFICIENT METHOD OF EXAMINING AVAILABLE DATA ON METROPOLITAN CRIME. DEFICIENCY HAS THE FOLLOWING EFFECTS: (1) INVESTIGATIONS ARE BASED ON A PORTION OF AVAILABLE DATA; (2) EXCESSIVE FIELD TIME IS SPENT PROCESSING DATA; AND (3) BRINGING TOGETHER DATA FROM DIFFERENT PARTS OF POLICE DEPARTMENTS IS DIFFICULT. AS AN OPERATIONAL INTERACTIVE INVESTIGATOR-SUPPORT SYSTEM, PATRIC HELPS OVERCOME SUCH PROBLEMS. THE LOS ANGELES POLICE SUCCESSFULLY USE THE SYSTEM TO CORRELATE THE MODUS OPERANDI, PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION, AND VEHICLES OF KNOWN PERSONS WITH THOSE RELATIVE TO AN UNSOLVED CRIME. THE PATRIC SYSTEM, WHICH INCLUDES TRAINED ANALYSTS AND A COMPUTERIZED DATA MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, HAS BEEN CREDITED WITH SOME 50 ARRESTS AND THE CLEARING OF 106 CRIMES. AFTER DESCRIBING THE SYSTEM COMPONENT, PEOPLE, DATA, SOFTWARE, AND HARDWARE, THIS PAPER STUDIES THE GENERALIZED CORRELATION STRATEGY AND PROVIDES EXAMPLES OF SUCCESSFUL CORRELATIONS. PARTICULAR EMPHASIS IS GIVEN TO IDENTIFYING THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE PATRIC ANALYST TO THE SUCCESS OF THE CORRELATION. THEN THESE EXPERIENCES ARE CONTRASTED WITH ON-LINE, NONINTERACTIVE APPROACHES AND TO EARLIER EXPERIMENTS WITH TOTALLY AUTOMATIC CORRELATION. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT THE PATRIC ANALYST, INTERACTING WITH THE MACHINE, IS THE SOURCE OF PATRIC'S SUCCESS. REFERENCES AND ILLUSTRATIONS ARE INCLUDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--KBL)