DATA REQUIREMENTS FOR CRIME ORIENTED PLANNING (FROM PROJECT SEARCH - INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE INFORMATION AND STATISTICS SYSTEMS - PROCEEDINGS, 1972, BY GARY COOPER - SEE NCJ-09380)

• NCJ Number: 48321
• Author(s): G E HALL
• Date Published: 1972
• Length: 7 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice; Project Search (See Search Group Inc)
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

DATA REQUIREMENTS FOR CRIME-ORIENTED LAW ENFORCEMENT PLANNING ARE SPECIFIED. COMPREHENSIVE, METHODICAL PLANNING BASED ON APPROPRIATE INFORMATION CAN AID IN REDUCING CRIME AND DELINQUENCY.

Abstract

ALTHOUGH MOST OF THE INFORMATION REQUIRED FOR CRIMEORIENTED PLANNING EXISTS ON POLICE INCIDENT REPORTS AND ARREST RECORDS THIS RAW INFORMATION NEEDS TO BE FURTHER ORGANIZED AND DETAILED. DIFFERENT TYPES OF CRIMES REQUIRE THE COLLECTION OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF DATA. TO LIMIT THE DISCUSSION, THEREFORE, BURGLARY AND STRANGER-TO-STRANGER CRIMES (I.E., MURDER, RAPE, ROBBERY, AND ASSAULT WHERE VICTIM AND OFFENDER DO NOT KNOW EACH OTHER) AND EMPHASIZED. THE DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTERISTICS OF TARGETED CRIMINAL EVENTS ARE DETERMINED, AND THE DISTRIBUTION OF OFFENSES IN TIME AND SPACE ARE ASSESSED TO DESIGN PROGRAMS TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM AND DETERMINE RESOURCE ALLOCATION NEEDS. IN ADDITION TO DESIGNATING THE GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION OF THE CRIME IN TERMS OF CITY BLOCKS OR BEATS, INFORMATION ON THE TYPE OF PLACE (LIQUOR STORE, APARTMENT BUILDING, ETC.) AND NEIGHBORHOOD CHARACTERISTICS SHOULD ALSO BE INCLUDED. POPULATION DENSITY OR ZONING AND CENSUS DATA ALSO MIGHT BE HELPFUL. QUALITY CONTROL OF BOTH ARREST AND INCIDENT DATA IS ESSENTIAL FOR EFFECTIVE CRIME-SPECIFIC PLANNING. SAMPLING METHODS APPLIED TO EXISTING INFORMATION CAN PROVIDE REPRESENTATIVE BASELINE INFORMATION FOR PLANNING PURPOSES. UTILIZATION OF MODERN DATA PROCESSING TECHNIQUES ALLOWS DIRECT INPUT INTO SUCH AREAS AS RESOURCE ALLOCATION AND COMMAND AND CONTROL. THE ARREST RECORD CAN PROVIDE OFFENDER IDENTIFIERS AND COUPLED WITH INCIDENT REPORT DATA CAN BE USED TO GENERATE AREA CRIME-SPECIFIC ESTIMATES OF TARGET POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS. INFORMATION OBTAINABLE THROUGH THE INCIDENT REPORT INCLUDES OFFENSE TYPE, TIME OF OFFENSE (HOURS, DAYS, MONTHS, SEASONS), SPECIFIC OFFENSE LOCATION, AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE INCIDENT INCLUDING SINGLE/MULTIPLE OFFENDERS, OFFENDER AGE GROUP, WEAPONS AND OR STOLEN/PROPERTY INVOLVED, AND OTHER RELATIONSHIPS SUCH AS DRUG/ALCOHOL-RELATED, GANG-RELATED, OR ORGANIZED CRIME-RELATED OFFENSE. TABLES TO BE USED FOR CROSS-REFERENCING DATA ELEMENTS IN A MANNER USEFUL TO CRIMINAL JUSTICE PLANNERS ARE PROVIDED FOR CRIMES BY GEOGRAPHIC AREA, ARRESTS AND PROSECUTIONS, AREA PROFILES, AND AREA PROFILE ARRESTS. (JAP)