NCJ Number
97859
Date Published
1984
Length
277 pages
Annotation
This report explains the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the Differential Police Response (DPR) field tests conducted in three diverse cities over an 18-month period, beginning in 1980. The sites were Toledo, Ohio; Garden Grove, Calif.; and Greensboro, N.C. It also describes the surveys conducted to assess citizen satisfaction with DPR.
Abstract
All three sites developed and implemented a system that screened calls and provided alternative responses other than dispatching a mobile unit to nonemergency calls. All sites experienced sizable reductions in nonemergency calls handled by the immediate dispatch of mobile units. The agencies consequently gained increased time for patrol cars to devote to crime prevention, directed patrol, and other activities. Surveys revealed a high level of citizen satisfaction with the alternative responses in all sites. The alternative responses tested were telephone reports; a delayed response by a mobile unit; referral of calls to other agencies; and a scheduled appointment, walk-in, or mail-in. Following an executive summary, the report reviews the field test design and site selection. A discussion of the design of the new call classification and intake procedures for the sites focuses on changes required in their communications center operations. Procedures used to test and implement alternative response systems are described, as are methods for randomly assigning calls to experimental and control groups. Individual chapters provide detailed explanations of the design and implementation stages in each site, including summaries of the citizen satisfaction survey results. A summary of the evaluation's conclusions covers implications for planning, management, and police policymaking. Also considered are personnel and policy issues related to changes in the telecommunicator's rule necessary for successful DPR implementation. Tables and the survey instruments are supplied.