Operations Research - A Useful Police Management Tool

• NCJ Number: 86497
• Journal: Journal of Police Science and Administration Volume: 10 Issue: 3 Dated: (September 1982) Pages: 279-283
• Author(s): A A Aly; D W Litwhiler; T L Heggy
• Date Published: 1982
• Length: 5 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

Operations research tools were used by the Oklahoma City Police Department to overcome political difficulties and subjective criteria in determining the selection of two sites for the construction of police briefing stations.

Abstract

Prior to the decision to construct two new police briefing stations, patrol personnel of the Oklahoma City Police Department made 106,000 trips annually to the headquarters located within the central business district and spent an estimated 20,500 hours traveling between the downtown headquarters and their patrol districts during shift changes. A bond issue authorized the construction of two briefing stations but did not designate the sites. It was required, however, that a technique be developed to assist in selecting the best sites. Graduate students in an applied operations research course under the tutelage of an experienced analyst were enlisted to develop such a technique. The investigators quantified the intuitive feelings of the police official about features of desirable locations. Police desires, insights, and judgments had an impact in all stages of problemsolving. The results of the solution technique established zones of interest along an interstate system and provided benchmark solutions against which new site combinations could be compared. The many subjective criteria and city council desires eliminated the best alternatives found in the test application, but the tradeoff in loss of travel time savings was evidently felt worthwhile by the negotiators. The selected combination of a northwest-southeast orientation for the briefing sites was acceptable to police officials. The key to the successful use of operations research in this case was the effective communication between police officials and the operations research specialists and the needed input provided by the police. Four references are provided.