Clear and I-Clear: A Report on New Information Technology in Chicago and Illinois

• NCJ Number: 222493
• Author(s): Jill DuBois; Wesley G. Skogan; Susan M. Hartnett; Natalie Bump; Danielle Morris
• Date Published: August 2007
• Length: 55 pages
• Grant Number(s): 03-DB-BX-0037
• Sponsoring Agency: Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA); Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority
• Sale Source: NCJRS Photocopy Services; Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Downloaded April 29, 2008

Annotation

This is the fourth evaluation report on the status of new information technology enterprise systems under development by the Chicago Police Department (CPD) and the Illinois State Police (ISP), specifically the Citizen and Law Enforcement Analysis and Reporting (CLEAR) system.

Abstract

In the nearly 6 years of evaluating the Citizen and Law Enforcement Analysis and Reporting (CLEAR) system, it has made commendable progress in its quest to become an information-driven organization. However, the department has missed several opportunities to enhance, nurture, or fully exploit existing systems. Personnel changes, new divisions of responsibility, budget realities, and the demand of finding new ways of reducing crime have had variable effects on development of the enterprise system. Two fundamental areas that are believed to need attention in order to ensure continued progress include; an impartial governance body to enhance the conflict resolution process and additional work in the area of succession planning. CLEAR is part of the Chicago Police Department’s (CPD’s) ongoing quest to “police smarter” and be “intelligence driven”. CLEAR is designed to provide anytime, anywhere access to vast repositories of centralized regional data. The system still under development is called I-CLEAR, with the “I” designating that it will serve all of Illinois. I-CLEAR represents an unprecedented partnership between the Illinois State Police (ISP) and the CPD, positioning Illinois well in the regional data-sharing arena. This evaluative report, supported by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is presented in two parts. The first looks at CLEAR application development and usage, as well as its impact on offices using the various modules. It also provides a look at CLEARpath, the CPD’s newest suite of applications that aim to strengthen the city’s police-community partnership. The second part of the report showcases I-CLEAR development and the ISP-CPD partnership that has guided the construction of the I-CLEAR case management system. Observations and recommendations complete the report. This fourth evaluative report covers progress and activities through the end of April 2007. Figures, tables