NCJ Number
92226
Date Published
1983
Length
41 pages
Annotation
Following a description of the Differential Police Response Program (DPR), this report presents components of a framework for managing calls for service and patrol; findings from the evaluation of the DPR program focus on citizen satisfaction with police response alternatives, telecommunicator perspectives of the DPR program, and patrol officer satisfaction with the program.
Abstract
The DPR Program is a field test program involving alternative methods of responding to citizen calls for police service other than the immediate dispatch of a patrol unit. Participating cities in the field test are Garden Grove, Calif.; Greensboro, N.C.; and Toledo, Ohio. The patrol response alternatives being implemented in the cities include (1) the establishment or expansion of a telephone report unit to take reports over the phone, (2) asking citizens to complete a crime report form and return it to the police department, (3) eliminating response to certain types of calls, and (4) delaying the dispatch of a patrol unit rather than dispatching immediately. In a survey that examined citizen preferences for the various response alternatives, the most acceptable alternative is an appointment with an officer followed by a telephone report. The least acceptable alternatives are mail-in reports and having to come to the department to give the report. The telecommunicators (complaint takers) were favorable toward the DPR program, citing the advantages of receiving more complete information from the caller, providing a more efficient use of patrol time, and standardizing complaint taking procedures. The patrol officers surveyed generally agreed that the response alternatives were beneficial. The patrol survey form is appended, and evaluation data are provided in the body of the report.