NCJ Number
67465
Date Published
Unknown
Length
8 pages
Annotation
HOLDING REPORTING TIME TO LESS THAN 2 MINUTES COULD INCREASE ARRESTS DUE TO POLICE RESPONSE TIME BY NEARLY 10 PERCENT ACCORDING TO THIS MISSOURI POLICE STUDY.
Abstract
FOUR FACTORS THAT AFFECTED REPORTING TIME WERE WHO CALLED THE POLICE, WHOSE PHONE WAS USED, WHAT TELEPHONE NUMBER WAS CALLED, AND HOW THE CALLER KNEW THE NUMBER. AN EXAMINATION WAS CONDUCTED TO DISCERN IF THE SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE URGENCY OF AN INCIDENT AFFECTED WHICH TELEPHONE NUMBER THE CALLER USED OR HOW THE CALLER KNEW THE NUMBER. THE TYPE OF CALLER FACTOR WAS ALSO TESTED TO DETERMINE IF THE LENGTH OF REPORTING TIME WAS AFFECTED BY WHETHER OR NOT THE CITIZEN CALLING THE POLICE WAS A VICTIM, A WITNESS, OR A CALLER NOT INVOLVED IN THE INCIDENT. ALSO A TEST CALL EXPERIMENT WAS DESIGNED WHICH COMPARED RESPONSE TIME WHEN USING THE POLICE EMERGENCY NUMBER, THE POLICE ADMINISTRATIVE NUMBER, OR WHEN CONTACTING THE TELEPHONE COMPANY OPERATOR AND REQUESTING THAT THE OPERATOR CONTACT THE POLICE. POLICE DISPATCH TIME BEGAN WHEN THE NATURE OF THE CRIME AND THE DISPATCHED LOCATION WERE KNOWN AND ENDED WHEN THE DISPATCH TERMINATED OR WHEN THE OFFICER BEGAN RESPONDING TO THE CALL, WHICHEVER CAME FIRST. IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT THE TIME TAKEN TO REPORT THE INCIDENT LARGELY PREDETERMINED THE EFFECT OF POLICE RESPONSE TIME. REPORTING TIME MADE UP A LARGE PROPORTION OF THE TOTAL RESPONSE TIME CONTINUUM. THE TIME TAKEN TO REPORT A PART I CRIME CONSISTENTLY INVOLVED A GREATER PROPORTION OF THE TOTAL RESPONSE TIME THAN EITHER DISPATCH OR TRAVEL TIMES FOR ALL CRIME CATEGORIES ASSESSED. THE MAJORITY OF CITIZEN-CALLERS WERE VICTIMS (70.3 PERCENT); NEARLY HALF OF THE CITIZENS USED THEIR OWN HOME TELEPHONES TO CALL; THE NUMBERS USED MOST WERE THE 'CRIME ALERT' NUMBER, THE POLICE ADMINISTRATIVE NUMBER, AND '0' FOR THE TELEPHONE COMPANY OPERATOR. THE RELATIVE MERITS OF 911 IN REDUCING RESPONSE TIME WERE FOUND TO BE SUSPECT. NO REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED.