NCJ Number
25825
Date Published
1973
Length
21 pages
Annotation
THE BENEFITS AND LIMITATIONS OF SEVERAL METHODS FOR ALLOCATING POLICE PERSONNEL ARE DESCRIBED, AND ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF POLICE MANPOWER ALLOCATION ARE PROPOSED.
Abstract
THE CURRENT METHODS DISCUSSED INCLUDE COMMAND DISCRETION, HAZARD FORMULAS, AND THREE OPERATIONAL COMPUTER-ASSISTED METHODS. THE FIRST INVOLVES ALLOCATION OF FORCES WITHOUT THE BENEFIT OF FORMALIZED QUANITATIVE INFORMATION. HAZARD FORMULAS ASSIGN VALUES TO FACTORS THOUGHT TO BE RELEVANT TO DETERMINING NEED FOR POLICE SERVICES TO ARRIVE AT A 'HAZARD RATING'. COMPUTER ASSISTED METHODS, WHICH CAN BE USED TO PREDICT DEMAND FOR POLICE SERVICES BASED ON PAST DEMAND DATA WITH TIME, SEASONAL AND AREA VARIATIONS, ARE DESCRIBED AS WELL. EXAMPLES OF MANPOWER ALLOCATIONS USING DIFFERENT METHODS ARE PROVIDED. TWO ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES ARE THEN DESCRIBED. IN THE FIRST, ANALYTIC MODELS ARE USED IN PREDICTING THE PERFORMANCE OF A SPECIFIED MANPOWER LEVEL AND POLICE DEPLOYMENT IN TERMS OF DISPATCH DELAY, RESPONSE TIME, PATROL FREQUENCY, AND TIME AVAILABLE FOR PREVENTIVE PATROL. THE MEASURES USED ARE FLEXIBLE AND ANY SET OF CRITERIA WHICH CAN BE ANALYTICALLY RELATED TO PATROL MANPOWER CAN BE USED. THE SECOND METHOD INVOLVES THE SIMULATION OF PATROL ACTIVITIES ON A COMPUTER AND WOULD BE USEFUL IN SITUATIONS WHERE SOME CRITICAL PART OF THE PATROL OPERATION CANNOT BE MATHEMATICALLY ANALYZED. DATA REQUIREMENTS, ISSUES, AND OUTPUTS OF THESE METHODS ARE DISCUSSED.