EVALUATING THE IMPACT OF COMPUTER-BASED TECHNOLOGY - AN EVALUATION FRAMEWORK WITH APPLICATION TO POLICE COMMAND, CONTROL, AND COMMUNICATIONS FROM MORE FOR LESS - ..., P 330-341, 1979, BY ROLF R SCHMITT)

• NCJ Number: 69114
• Author(s): J M TIEN; K W COLTON
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 12 pages
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: PAPER READ AT THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE URBAN AND REGIONAL INFORMATION SYSTEMS ASSOCIATION, AUGUST 19-28, 1979, SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA

Annotation

THE USE OF A THREE-DIMENSIONAL EVALUATION FRAMEWORK FOR EVALUATING THE IMPACT OF COMPUTER-BASED TECHNOLOGY IS ILLUSTRATED IN THE POLICE COMMAND, CONTROL, AND COMMUNICATIONS (PCCC) AREA.

Abstract

THE USE OF COMPUTER-BASED TECHNOLOGY BY AN AGENCY OR ORGANIZATION CAN BE EVALUATED WITHIN A THREE-DIMENSIONAL FRAMEWORK. THE FIRST DIMENSION CONCERNS THOSE ORGANIZATIONAL FUNCTIONS THAT ARE TO BE IMPACTED BY COMPUTER-BASED APPLICATIONS; THE SECOND DIMENSION INCLUDES THOSE COMPUTER-BASED APPLICATIONS THAT ARE DEVELOPED TO EFFECT THE IMPACTS; AND THE THIRD DIMENSION FOCUSES ON THOSE EVALUATION-RELATED MEASURES THAT ARE USED TO ASSESS AND EXPLAIN THE IMPACTS. IN APPLYING THE EVALUATION FRAMEWORK TO THE PCCC AREA, FOUR BASIC POLICE FUNCTIONS ARE IDENTIFIED THAT CAN BE IMPACTED BY A PCCC SYSTEM: NEEDS IDENTIFICATION, STATUS MONITORING, RESPONSE/ADJUSTMENT, AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT. THE FOLLOWING FIVE PCCC APPLICATIONS IDENTIFIED FROM THE LITERATURE AS PRIMARY PCCC APPLICATIONS DURING THE PAST DECADE ARE DESCRIBED AND DEFINED IN TERMS OF THEIR STATED OBJECTIVES: NINE-ONE-ONE (911), COMPUTER-ASSISTED DISPATCHING (CAD), AUTOMATIC VEHICLE MONITORING (AVM), MOBILE DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS (MDC), AND MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS). FOUR SETS OF EVALUATION MEASURES --INPUT, PROCESS, OUTCOME, AND SYSTEMIC-- THAT SHOULD BE USED IN EVALUATION OF THE PCCC OR ANY OTHER PROGRAM USING COMPUTERBASED TECHNOLOGY ARE IDENTIFIED AND DESCRIBED. THREE CONCLUSIONS ARE DRAWN REGARDING FUTURE EVALUATION OF COMPUTER-BASED PCCC APPLICATIONS: (1) PCCC-RELATED EVALUATIONS IN THE RESEARCH LITERATURE ARE NEGLIGENT ON OUTCOME AND SYSTEMIC MEASURES, (2) PCCC-RELATED EVALUATIONS LACK A COMMON FRAMEWORK, AND (3) THE IMPLEMENTATION OF COMPUTER-BASED TECHNOLOGY INVOLVES BEHAVIORIAL CHANGES AND POWER SHIFTS, IN ADDITION TO TECHNICAL AND QUANTITATIVE EXPERTISE. TWENTY-ONE REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED.