NCJ Number
74026
Date Published
1980
Length
12 pages
Annotation
The computerized crime analysis project of the Dallas Police Department (Texas) is described, and its benefits are discussed.
Abstract
A significant time lag may often accompany the use of the traditional manual approach to geographic crime analysis in many police departments. When this occurs, tactical deployment personnel are too often placed in the position of making current decisions on the basis of data from a time frame that no longer reflects the real situation. One possible solution to the time delay between crime problem identification and preventive action is the use of the computer to speed up the processing of crime information. The Real-Time Tactical Deployment (RTD) Project of the Dallas Police Department uses a computer to identify geographic crime concentrations and process all the information associated with the information about each concentration identified. The system is used daily to identify and analyze 'hot' crime areas in the city. To date, the system has focused on residential burglaries during the week and business burglaries on the weekends. Other crime types are addressed as needed. RTD has provided information that is more current, accurate, and complete than under the manual system. Further, the information is prioritized, and supplemental information is available to support deployed field units. The information is put in a report format approved by the users to eliminate retyping before dissemination. The software components of the RTD system are described. The article includes tables and nine notes. For related papers, see NCJ 74011.