NCJ Number
81070
Date Published
1981
Length
70 pages
Annotation
Preliminary findings from this evaluation of the first 2 months of the San Jose (California) Police Department's Operations Support Unit (OSU) suggest that it has been effective in screening out burglary cases with a low probability of solution and enhancing information on those cases forwarded to the investigative unit.
Abstract
Sources for the evaluation included observations of burglary unit investigators before and after OSU's implementation, questionnaires completed by these investigators, shift reports, and a sample of cases processed by the OSU. Following an overview of the project's funding and history, the evaluation focuses on the OSU's activities to screen out cases with little likelihood of investigative success and improving the quality of information on those cases referred to investigators. In 10 weeks, the OSU sharply reduced the number of cases received by the burglary unit, resulting in 60 to 70 percent of cases forwarded actually being assigned for followup investigations compared to 50 to 54 percent during the previous 6 months. Observations of the burglary investigators suggested that OSU may reduce their time involved in handling case status inquiries, reviewing crime reports, and searching data systems. Investigator responses to questionnaires administered before and after OSU's implementation indicated that these individuals recognized the unit's impact in terms of case enrichment. Other analyses showed that a higher proportion of cases were under active investigation after OSU began operations than in the preceding months, although these shifts could be related to other management changes. The evaluation concluded that OSU was screening out most low probability cases and substantially upgrading data in most cases forwarded to burglary. Furthermore, OSU enrichment efforts appear to affect the ultimate disposition of burglary cases since the rate at which complaints are ultimately filed is three times as high for those cases successfully enriched by OSU. A framework for continued in-house evaluation of OSU is presented. Tables and the sample questionnaire are included. For the project's final report, see NCJ 81071.