NCJ Number
93524
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 32 Issue: 2 Dated: (February 1984) Pages: 18-24,27-34,54
Editor(s)
B Cameron
Date Published
1984
Length
15 pages
Annotation
Five articles on police communications deal with the future use of computer technology in police work, how police dispatchers can reduce stress, how to select the appropriate telephone system, videotaping crime scenes, and test equipment for a computer-aided dispatch radio system.
Abstract
The opening article portrays a day in the life of a patrol supervisor who has access to the types of computer functions projects to be available for police work in the not-too-distant future. The article concludes with a discussion of how police management must prepare to adjust policing operations to the evolving nature of the computer age. In the second article, some sources of stress for the police dispatcher are noted to be low salaries, inadequate training for rapid changes in the communications field, an absence of praise for work well done, and patrol officers' inadequate appreciation of the dispatcher's role. Suggestions for addressing these stress sources are offered. The article dealing with the selection of the appropriate telephone system focuses on evaluating needs, identifying the right system, knowing vendors, and weighing the bids. Another article describes how the St. Paul Police Department (Minnesota) has developed a procedure for videotaping crime scenes, including a setup for carrying equipment used. The concluding article describes how the Indianapolis Police Department (Indiana) uses sophisticated test equipment to ensure reliable and prompt maintenance of the communications system. This involves monitoring the system to determine if it is operating within acceptable paramaters. Photographs are included.