NCJ Number
74220
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 47 Issue: 12 Dated: (December 1980) Pages: 51-56
Date Published
1980
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article reviews techniques that various law enforcement agencies have used to enhance police productivity in the areas of patrol, detective work, report taking, and personnel and equipment deployment and assignment.
Abstract
Because several contemporary studies showed that immediate police response to all requests for service was not cost-effective, some police agencies now provide immediate response only to requests involving serious crimes in progress or where there is a present threat of death or serious injury. Other suggested techniques for increased patrol productivity include using motorcycle response units for congested areas, increasing dispatcher control, directing patrol to particular problem areas, and expanding assistance from private police and security personnel. To increase detective productivity, some departments, such as those in Rochester, N.Y., Long Beach, Calif., and Los Angeles, Calif., use detective supervisors to assign priorities to cases and shortcut investigation when victims do not wish to prosecute. Police departments have minimized report-taking time by eliminating traffic accident reports with property damage only, by allowing victims of theft-related crimes to mail in supplemental loss reports, and by increased telephonic reporting and word processing. Agencies have also used deployment and assignment formulas to miximize their resources. For example, the San Diego Police Department uses a formula based on three major factors: projection of community work loads, time required for adequate response time and proactive patrol, and other line requirments such as training. Other techniques departments have used to increase productivity include establishing a court on-call system for police officers, using manpower supplements, and emphasizing citizen crime prevention. Allocation charts and five selected reference are included.