NCJ Number
62674
Date Published
1978
Length
189 pages
Annotation
THIS REPORT FOCUSES ON THE EVALUATION OF THE IMPLEMENTATION AND OUTCOME OF THE FIRST 18 MONTHS OF THE KANSAS CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT'S PATROL PROJECT, DIRECTED PATROL (MISSOURI), BEGUN IN JUNE 1976.
Abstract
THE DIRECTED PATROL WAS BEGUN IN ONE OF THE CITY'S FIVE PATROL DIVISIONS WITH THE OBJECTIVES OF IDENTIFYING AND USING UNCOMMITTED PATROL TIME TO REDUCE CRIME. THE PATROL HAD FOUR MAJOR COMPONENTS: DEPLOYMENT, CRIME ANALYSIS, OPERATIONS, AND INHOUSE EVALUATION. THE EVALUATION PRESENTS AN ASSESSMENT OF DIRECTED PATROL ON THREE LEVELS: (1) IN TERMS OF DEPLOYMENT, THE DETERMINATION OF THE ABILITY TO IDENTIFY USABLE BLOCKS OF UNCOMMITTED TIME; (2) IN TERMS OF OPERATIONS, CRIME ANALYSIS, AND EVALUATION; AND (3) IN TERMS OF IMPACT, SINCE STATISTICAL EVALUATION OF PROJECT IMPACT COMPLEMENTS THE ASSESSMENT OF DEPLOYMENT AND OPERATIONS. IN THE FIRST COMPONENT, DEPLOYMENT, OFFICERS SOUGHT TO PRIORITIZE CALLS AND TO ASSIST IN CAPTURING UNCOMMITTED BLOCKS OF TIME. IN CRIME ANALYSIS, THE SECOND ELEMENT OF THE PROGRAM, PATTERNS OF CRIME WERE IDENTIFIED WHERE OPERATIONS WERE TO BE FOCUSED. OPERATIONS, WITH PARTICIPATORY PLANNING, SOUGHT TO DETERMINE THOSE ACTIVITIES IN WHICH UNCOMMITTED TIME WAS TO BE USED, WHILE THE FOURTH COMPONENT, INHOUSE EVALUATION, WAS INTENDED TO PROVIDE PROGRESS ASSESSMENTS ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PROGRAMS AND THEIR OUTCOMES. THE EVALUATION FOUND THAT THE POLICY OF PRIORITIZING CALLS RECEIVED A HIGHLY FAVORABLE RESPONSE FROM CITIZENS, BUT IT RECOMMENDED THAT A TASK FORCE EXAMINE PRIORITIZATION PROCEDURES TO DETERMINE IF EVEN MORE CALLS COULD BE HANDLED BY TELEPHONE RATHER THAN BY PATROL DISPATCH. CONCERNING CRIME ANALYSIS, VIRTUALLY NO SECTOR SERGEANTS CLAIMED TO USE COMPUTERIZED GRAPHS OF CRIME PATTERNS IN STRATEGIC PLANNING. EVALUATION OF THE OPERATIONS COMPONENT LED TO THE SUGGESTION THAT A TASK FORCE BE FORMED TO REDEFINE AND ELABORATE CERTAIN PROBLEM-ORIENTED ISSUES AND THAT SUCH OPERATIONS AS HOME SECURITY SURVEYS BE KEPT ON A PER-REQUEST BASIS. CONCERNING THE INHOUSE EVALUATION, THE REPORT RECOMMENDS THAT A MORE INTERACTIVE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN POLICYMAKERS AND EVALUATORS BE STRUCTURED FOR FUTURE DIRECTED PATROL ACTIVITIES. TABLES, GRAPHS, AND EIGHT REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. METHODOLOGY, INTERVIEW FORMS, AND RELATED MATERIAL ARE APPENDED.