EVALUATION OF PLANNING AND CRIME ANALYSIS IN ILLINOIS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

• NCJ Number: 62254
• Author(s): T MCEWEN; L OLIVER
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 17 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Illinois Law Enforcement Cmssn (see Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority)
• Corporate Author: PRC Public Management Services, Inc.
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE RESULTS OF EVALUATION OF NINE PROGRAMS DESIGNED TO IMPROVE PLANNING AND CRIME ANALYSIS ON THE LOCAL LEVEL IN ILLINOIS ARE PRESENTED IN THIS SUMMARY.

Abstract

THE NINE PROGRAMS EVALUATED INCLUDE FIVE POLICE PLANNING AND RESEARCH ANALYSIS UNITS, TWO CRIME ANALYSIS UNITS, AND TWO OFFENSE-DIRECTED RESOURCE UTILIZATION UNITS. COLLECTIVELY, THEY INVOLVE 176 DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES. OF THESE, 85 WERE IDENTIFIED IN THE GRANT APPLICATIONS AND 91 WERE DEVELOPED AFTER THE PROJECTS BECAME OPERATIONAL. OF THE 176 ACTIVITIES, 127 WERE COMPLETED AT THE TIME OF THE 1978 EVALUATION AND 21 WERE PARTIALLY COMPLETED. AMONG THE ACTIVITIES WHICH WERE PARTICULARLY SUCCESSFUL WERE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ROUTINE CRIME ANALYSIS REPORTS, PUBLICATION OF A REPEAT OFFENDER BULLETIN, COMPLETION OF A REORGANIZATION STUDY OF COMMAND PERSONNEL, IMPROVEMENTS IN THE COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK, AND ESTABLISHMENT OF TEAM POLICING. ALL PROJECTS WERE FUNDED BY THE ILLINOIS LAW ENFORCEMENT COMMISSION IN CAHOKIA, CHAMPAIGN, DANVILLE/VERMILION COUNTY, DEERFIELD, DOWNERS GROVE, ELGIN, LAKE FOREST, KANE COUNTY, AND ZION. IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT (1) NONE OF THE PROJECTS ESTABLISHED PLANNING AS AN INTEGRAL PROCESS WITHIN THE RESPECTIVE AGENCY, (2) FULL-TIME POSITIONS FOR PLANNING OR CRIME ANALYSIS COULD NOT BE JUSTIFIED IN THE SMALLER AGENCIES AFTER THE GRANTS ENDED, (3) PLANNERS AND ANALYSTS WERE USUALLY INVOLVED IN ONE-TIME PLANNING EFFORTS UNDER THE GRANT PROJECT, (4) GRANTS OF 18 TO 24 MONTHS WERE SUFFICIENT TO ESTABLISH THE PLANNING PROCESS IN POLICE AGENCIES, AND (5) MOST AGENCIES DID NOT KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE PLANNING OR CRIME ANALYSIS FUNCTION THAT WAS FUNDED; THE CHIEF OF THE AGENCY USUALLY DEFINED WHAT THE UNIT WAS TO DO. THE FUNDING CATEGORY FOR THE PROGRAMS SHOULD BE CONTINUED; POLICE RESEARCH, PLANNING, AND CRIME ANALYSIS SHOULD BE SEPARATED FOR FUNDING PURPOSES; AND FUNDING OF PLANNING UNITS SHOULD BE JUSTIFIED ONLY FOR THE LARGER OF THESE DEPARTMENTS. A FOOTNOTE AND TABLE ARE INCLUDED IN THE SUMMARY. (LWM)