NCJ Number
18464
Date Published
Unknown
Length
34 pages
Annotation
THE DESIGN AND USE OF A FULLY AUTOMATED, COMPUTERIZED SYSTEM FOR IDENTIFYING CRIME PATTERNS OR TRENDS IS PROPOSED TO REPLACE THE CITY'S MANUAL MODUS OPERANDI FILE SYSTEM.
Abstract
THE AUTHOR SUGGESTS A CRIME ANALYSIS SYSTEM WHICH WOULD COMPUTERIZE TEN MAJOR CLASSIFICATIONS AND UP TO 100 SUB-CLASSIFICATIONS OF BURGLARY PATTERN CHARACTERISTICS. THE MAJOR CLASSIFICATIONS OUTLINED INCLUDE BEAT OCCURRENCE, DAY OF WEEK, TIME, TYPE OF PREMISES, POINT OF ENTRY, AND EVIDENTIARY MATTER AVAILABLE. THE SYSTEM'S POTENTIAL AS A POLICE-COMMUNITY RELATIONS PROGRAM FOR INCREASING PUBLIC AWARENESS OF BURGLARY SUSCEPTIBILITY AND VULNERABILITY IS ALSO DISCUSSED. THE AUTHOR CONTENDS THAT SINCE CRIME ANALYSIS WOULD IDENTIFY CRIME TRENDS AND PATTERNS AND PREDICTIVELY PROJECT POTENTIAL CRIME TARGETS, THIS INFORMATION COULD BE PASSED ON TO THE COMMUNITY IN THE FORM OF POLICE ADVICE AND WARNINGS AS TO AREA AND/OR INDIVIDUAL VULNERABILITY TO CRIME AND RECOMMENDED CRIME PREVENTION MEASURES. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PUBLIC SUSCEPTIBILITY, AWARENESS OF CRIME, AND CRIME RATES (IN RELATION TO BURGLARY) IS ALSO EXPLORED. THE AUTHOR SUGGESTS THAT THE DEGREE OF PUBLIC SUSCEPTIBILITY TO CRIME VARIES WITH ITS INCIDENCE OF AWARENESS. HE, THEREFORE, CONCLUDES THAT CHICAGO'S HIGH BURGLARY RATE (40 PER CENT OF THE SERIOUS CRIME INDEX) IS DUE TO A LOW DEGREE OF PUBLIC AWARENESS. AN EXPERIMENT, INVOLVING THREE OF THE CHICAGO POLICE DEPARTMENT'S SIX BURGLARY UNITS, IS PROPOSED TO TEST THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A FULLY AUTOMATED CRIME ANALYSIS SYSTEM IN LOWERING THE BURGLARY RATE. EXPANSION OF THE SYSTEM TO INCLUDE OTHER CRIMES, SUCH AS AUTO THEFT, ROBBERY, AND RAPE, IS ALSO SUGGESTED.