NCJ Number
62522
Date Published
1978
Length
29 pages
Annotation
BASED ON A 1977 SURVEY OF POLICE SERVICES IN NEW YORK, THIS STUDY PRESENTS THE RESULTS OF A PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF 21 NEW YORK COUNTY AND MUNICIPAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS.
Abstract
JURISDICTIONAL POPULATIONS (EXCLUDING NEW YORK CITY) RESPONDING TO THE QUESTIONNAIRES RANGE FROM 13,000 TO 1.2 MILLION. LAND AREAS, STREET MILES, AND TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS IN THESE AREAS ARE ALSO DISCUSSED. BUDGETS RANGE FROM $150,000 TO $100 MILLION, MOST MONEY ALLOCATED FOR WAGES AND OTHER PERSONNEL EXPENSES. NUMBERS OF PERSONNEL RANGE FROM 24 TO OVER 3,000. THREE-FOURTHS OF THE VEHICLES USED BY ALL DEPARTMENTS ARE PATROL CARS, AND MOST POLICE WORK INVOLVES PATROLING BY CAR. ONLY 7 OUT OF 19 DEPARTMENTS REPORT THE USE OF FOOT PATROLS. A TOTAL OF 4 DEPARTMENTS REPORT HANDLING FEWER THAN 10,000 CALLS FOR SERVICE A YEAR, WHILE 3 REPORT OVER 300,000. ALTHOUGH RATES VARY WIDELY BY DEPARTMENT, MOST CALLS ARE NOT CRIME RELATED. IN ADDITION, 12 OF 19 DEPARTMENTS REPORTED LESS THAN 1,000 ARRESTS PER YEAR. STATISTICS ARE ALSO GIVEN ON CASES CLEARED AND BROUGHT TO TRIAL, SUMMONSES, AND RECOVERY OF STOLEN PROPERTY. PER-CITIZEN EXPENDITURES RANGE FROM LESS THAN $1.00 TO $114.00 PER YEAR, BUT THERE IS LITTLE CONNECTION BETWEEN JURISDICTIONAL AREA AND SUCH EXPENDITURES. DEPARTMENTS MAINTAIN AN AVERAGE OF TWO-THIRDS OF ALL POLICE AS PATROLMEN, BUT ONLY TWO DEPARTMENTS REPORT OVER 30 PERCENT OF POLICE ON PATROL DURING HIGH-CRIME HOURS. SERVICE EFFICIENCY STATISTICS, PERFORMANCE QUALITY STATISTICS BASED ON CITIZEN COMPLAINTS ABOUT POLICE, AND DATA ON EFFECTIVENESS IN PROVIDING PUBLIC SAFETY ARE ALSO PRESENTED. TABULAR DATA ARE INCLUDED. (PAP)