NCJ Number
45231
Date Published
1977
Length
118 pages
Annotation
THE FIRST YEAR OF A SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, POLICE PROGRAM TO UPGRADE POLICE PATROL ALLOCATION AND OPERATIONS IS EVALUATED.
Abstract
THE ORIGINAL GRANT FUNDING THE PATROL EMPHASIS PROGRAM (PEP) WAS INTENDED TO BE CONDUCTED OVER A 3-YEAR PERIOD. HOWEVER, THE SECOND AND THIRD YEARS ARE NOW TO BE FUNDED UNDER A NEW CATEGORY KNOWN AS THE INTEGRATED CRIMINAL APPREHENSION PROGRAM (ICAP). THE TWO ARE SIMILAR, ALTHOUGH THE ICAP IS MORE NARROWLY DEFINED AND IS AIMED PRIMARILY AT THE APPREHENSION OF RECIDIVIST CRIMINALS. THE IMPLICATIONS OF THIS CHANGE ARE DISCUSSED IN THE FIRST-YEAR EVALUATION. THE BASIC AIM OF THE PEP WAS TO INCREASE PATROL PRODUCTIVITY AND EFFECTIVENESS THROUGH IMPROVED INTEGRATION AND STRUCTURED ANALYSIS OF EXISTING INFORMATION RESOURCES. TO ACCOMPLISH THIS GOAL, THE SAN JOSE POLICE DEPARTMENT CREATED AN OPERATIONS ANALYSIS UNIT. THE UNIT CONCENTRATED ITS EFFORTS IN THREE AREAS: PATROL METHODOLOGY AND RATIONALE; APPREHENSION TECHNIQUES AND EFFECTIVENESS; AND SUPERVISION AND MANAGEMENT OF RESOURCES. THE PROJECT WAS OPERATIONAL BY EARLY 1977. THE EVALUATION REPORT PRESENTS A DISCUSSION OF PEP AND ICAP AND THEIR PURPOSES; A DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE SAN JOSE PEP; A DISCUSSION OF EVALUATION OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY; CASE STUDIES AND CRITIQUE OF PEP PROJECTS; THE EVALUATORS' ASSESSMENT OF THE PROGRAM; AND A SUGGESTED SECOND-YEAR APPROACH. A CASE STUDY EVALUATION DESIGN WAS USED WITH A REVIEW OF DOCUMENTATION AND EXTENSIVE INTERVIEWS. THE MAJOR FINDINGS WERE THAT FIRST-YEAR ACTIVITIES WERE ON THE WHOLE RESPONSIVE TO THE GRANT OBJECTIVES, THE PATROL METHODOLOGY PROGRAM AREA AND THE MANAGEMENT DECISIONMAKING PROGRAM AREA RECEIVED THE GREATEST OVERALL PROGRAM EMPHASIS; THE APPREHENSION PROGRAM AREA HAD INCONSEQUENTIAL EFFECTS, AND PROGRAM OBJECTIVES WERE NOT AMENABLE TO QUANTITATIVE MEASUREMENT OF IMPACT. (VDA)