PARTITIONING OF POLICE DISTRICTS INTO OPTIMAL PATROL BEATS USING A POLITICAL DISTRICTING ALGORITHM - MODEL DESIGN AND VALIDATION

• NCJ Number: 2238
• Author(s): N B HELLER; R E MARKLAND
• Date Published: 1971
• Length: 29 pages
• Corporate Author: University of Missouri, St Louis
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: PRESENTED AT THE 40TH NATIONAL MEETING OF THE OPERATIONS RESEARCH SOCIETY OF AMERICA, ANAHEIM, CA.

Annotation

OPERATIONAL RESEARCH USED TO PARTITION POLICE DISTRICTS INTO PATROL BEATS WHICH MAKE EFFICIENT USE OF AVAILABLE MANPOWER.

Abstract

ONE VERY CHALLENGING AND COMPLEX ASPECT OF POLICE RESOURCE ALLOCATION CONCERNS THE PARTITIONING OF POLICE DISTRICTS INTO PATROL BEATS. THIS MUST BE DONE IN SUCH A WAY THAT POLICE EFFECTIVENESS IS MAXIMIZED, THAT BEATS ARE CONVENIENT TO PATROL, AND THAT BEATS CONTAIN APPROXIMATELY EQUAL SHARES OF THE WORKLOAD. THIS PAPER SUMMARIZES THE RESULTS OF THE STUDY IN WHICH A COMPUTERIZED POLITICAL DISTRICTING ALGORITHM HAS BEEN EMPLOYED TO DESIGN POLICE PATROL BEATS, USING INPUT DATA PROVIDED BY THE ST. LOUIS METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT. THE COMPUTERIZED MODEL HAS BEEN USED TO DERIVE PATROL BEATS WHICH ARE OPTIMALLY DEFINED IN TERMS OF BEING COMPACT, CONTIGUOUS, AND HAVING A PROPORTIONAL AMOUNT OF GEOGRAPHICAL AREA, CRIMELOAD, AND WORKLOAD. THE MODEL OUTPUT IS VALIDATED BY COMPARING THE COMPUTER DESIGNED PATROL BEATS TO THE PATROL BEATS WHICH ARE PRESENTLY COMPUTED MANUALLY, AND BY CRITICALLY EVALUATING THE COMPUTER DESIGNED PATROL BEATS WITH RESPECT TO CONFLICTS CONCERNING STREET LAYOUTS, TRAFFIC PATTERNS, AND EASE OF PATROL. BIBLIOGRAPHY (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)