NCJ Number
143291
Date Published
1993
Length
8 pages
Annotation
Projects supported by the National Institute of Justice in St. Petersburg, Fla. and Los Angeles tested whether the use of portable computers by police officers to process crime scene reports would enable police agencies to process large quantities of information in a timely manner.
Abstract
The analyses focused on cost, increases in productivity, effects on the quality of reports, and the impact of this aspect of automated information processing on both those using the system and on others in the criminal justice system. Findings indicated both the feasibility of this approach and the satisfaction of the computer users. In addition, the information could be loaded directly into a database without the redundant step of manual entry by clerk. The St. Petersburg project demonstrated that the laptop computer can be the crucial link in a fully automated information processing system. Laptop computers were also shown to have potential for resource savings. Other technology may also aid police agencies in the future. Table and reference notes