EVALUATION OF THE QUALITY OF POLICE ARRESTS BY DISTRICT ATTORNEY RATINGS - A FORMULA FOR DIRECT MEASUREMENT OF POLICE APPREHENSIONS

• NCJ Number: 38563
• Journal: Police Chief Volume: 44 Issue: 1 Dated: (JANUARY 1977) Pages: 36-37
• Author(s): J F SCHNELLE; R E KIRCHNER; J D CASEY; T H SHRIVER
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 2 pages
• Corporate Author: International Assoc of Chiefs of Police
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

NOTING THAT TRADITIONAL MEASURES OF THE QUALITY OF ARRESTS - CONVICTION RATES, INDICTMENT RATES, OR CLEARANCE RATES - ARE INFLUENCED BY NON-ARREST VARIABLES, A SYSTEM OF DISTRICT ATTORNEY ARREST RATINGS IS PROPOSED.

Abstract

QUALITY OF ARREST EVALUATION MEASURES WHICH DEPEND ON JUDICIAL OUTCOMES ARE INFLUENCED BY NUMEROUS FACTORS BEYOND POLICE CONTROL. TO OBTAIN A MORE ACCURATE MEASURE OF POLICE ARREST QUALITY - ONE WHICH WOULD REFLECT ONLY POLICE EFFORT - THE NASHVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS DEVELOPED A SYSTEM WHEREBY DISTRICT ATTORNEYS RATE WRITTEN DESCRIPTIONS OF INDIVIDUAL POLICE ARRESTS, INDICATING THE QUALITY OF THE REPORT AND THE SPECIFIC DEFICIENCIES IN THE NARRATIVE. THIS INFORMATION CAN BE USED TO EDUCATE AND REEDUCATE OFFICERS AS TO THE LEGAL ELEMENTS NECESSARY TO OBTAIN A CONVICTION. IN A SAMPLE OF 50 ARREST REPORTS SUBMITTED TO THE DISTRICT ATTORNEYS, IT WAS FOUND THAT 67.8 PERCENT WERE GRADED AS ADEQUATE.