NCJ Number
87763
Date Published
1982
Length
239 pages
Annotation
A research analyst presents the state of the art on police systems implementation and computer technology, with case studies of police computerization and research efforts.
Abstract
The police systems approach enhances the manager's ability to regulate efficient resource use. Productivity and the organizational analysis of missions, goals, and objectives are inseparable parts of the systems approach. Increasing use of computer technology is a logical extension of commitment to the systems approach. To familiarize police managers with the use of statistics in the systems approach, the author describes types of measurement scales and levels of measurement, their theoretical underpinnings, and the most commonly used statistics for data analysis. The text explores the uses and implications of police computerization, covering management information systems and software development, as well as small station computers. Case studies describe how to build a personnel and recruitment system that can be analyzed by the statistical packages SPSS and SAS, build a child abuse data base file, and validate physical agility test criteria. Chapter notes, tables and charts, and an index are supplied.