NCJ Number
87093
Journal
Criminal Justice Review Volume: 7 Issue: 2 Dated: (Fall 1982) Pages: 68-73
Date Published
1982
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article describes a procedure to map the frequency and location of calls to the police. It presents an empirical application of the procedure (an evaluation of the effects of an intervention program) and discusses the system's strengths and weaknesses, as well as problems in applying this computer technology.
Abstract
The Atlanta Bureau of Police Services uses a computer-aided dispatch system (CADS) to record information from calls that are either citizen-initiated or field-initiated and to track patrol cars assigned to calls. To transform the information contained in the CADS file so that citizens' calls and police activity could be summarized and plotted, the information was reformatted and geographic coordinate information added by city computer (using ADMATCH and a DIME file). Mapping programs were written and then used to plot the incidence of calls. The procedure was applied to the Atlanta force to help police understand the extent and distribution of domestic violence in the city. Although successful, the procedure is limited to cities that maintain records of calls and is fairly expensive in terms of computer time. Sample computer maps and nine references are supplied. (Author abstract modified)