NCJ Number
82695
Date Published
1978
Length
140 pages
Annotation
This volume of the police management information systems (MIS) study defines the basic elements of a police MIS in the Canadian municipal environment and identifies the major tasks involved in the development and implementation of such systems.
Abstract
It provides descriptions of some basic MIS concepts, including MIS as a tool for controlling information resources, information supply and demand conditions, the computer as a technology alternative, and MIS master planning. It describes the organizational aspects of MIS and the reasons why a police department should consider the development of computer-based information systems. The concepts of information supply and demand conditions are described within the context of police command levels and functions. Some of the MIS-related problems in Canadian police departments and the need for change are discussed. Descriptions of a suggested police MIS, the Targeted Information Processing Systems (TIPS), focus on its components and files. The five major phases involved in a system development program are identified: feasibility study, setup, system construction, facility selection, and operations and systems maintenance. Descriptions of the cost elements of a development plan using TIPS as an example are included. A glossary is included. For a summary of the study, see NCJ 82691. For the other volumes in the series, see NCJ 82692-94 and 82696. (Author summary modified)