OBTAINING REPORTED CRIME DATA FOR ANALYSIS - A CASE STUDY (CINCINNATI)

• NCJ Number: 43122
• Author(s): C W MARSHALL; A I SCHWARTZ; S N CLARREN
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 59 pages
• Contract Number(s): OM-6-0799-J-LEAA
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice
• Corporate Author: The Urban Institute
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

USING A CASE STUDY APPROACH, THE PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED WHILE RETRIEVING DATA FROM AN ONGOING SYSTEM AND PUTTING IT INTO PROPER FORM FOR ANALYSIS ARE DESCRIBED.

Abstract

THIS IS A HISTORY OF DATA COLLECTION AND MANAGEMENT DECISIONS WHICH HAD TO BE MADE BEFORE ANALYSIS COULD BEGIN AS PART OF THE CINCINNATI COMMUNITY SECTOR TEAM POLICING (COMSEC) PROGRAM EVALUATION. THE COMSEC PROJECT IS USED MERELY AS A CASE HISTORY; FOCUS IS ON DATA COLLECTION AND RECORDS MANAGEMENT. THE MAJOR PROBLEM WAS THE TIME AND EXPENSE REQUIRED TO GET RECORDS WHICH HAD BEEN COLLECTED FOR ANOTHER PURPOSE INTO PROPER FORM FOR THIS EVALUATION. OTHER PROBLEMS WERE: SELECTING A COMPUTER SITE WHEN PERSONNEL FROM SEVERAL CITIES WERE INVOLVED, FINDING THE MOST ECONOMICAL WAY TO TRANSFER THE RECORDS FROM TAPE TO DISC, AND TESTING VALIDITY OF THE DATA. ANYONE REQUESTING DATA FROM A COMPUTER CENTER SHOULD START EARLY AND BE PREPARED TO DISCUSS A NUMBER OF POSSIBLE DIFFICULTIES. METHODS CHOSEN TO CREATE SUBFILES, CREATE SPECIAL DATA BASES, AND MANAGE AND UPDATE BASES ARE COVERED. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT CURRENT CRIME REPORTING SYSTEMS ARE IN A STATE OF FLUX DUE TO CHANGING DEFINITIONS, STATUTES, AND REPORTING PROCEDURES. POLICE PERSONNEL AND MANY ANALYSTS NOT ACTUALLY USING CRIME DATA ARE SURPRISED TO DISCOVER THAT WHAT IS ON TAPE IS NOT EASILY RETRIEVABLE IN DESIRED FORM AND THAT WHAT IS RETRIEVED TAKES SO LONG AND COSTS SO MUCH.