The study panel identified 10 trends that would have the greatest impact on the issue of interoperability. These included (1) use of computers by law enforcement, (2) regionalization of police services, (3) State funding for automation, (4) public support for automation, (5) criminal justice system changes, (6) population changes, (7) computer costs, (8) crime rate, (9) change in demographics, and (10) size of computers. Ten events likely to occur in the next decade were incorporated into the analysis: economic recession and/or depression, Federal/State funding for shared systems, wide area interoperability providing low- cost networking, satellites used to enhance communications, paperless police departments, earthquake or other major disaster, computer literacy taught to police recruits, Federal computerized identification cards, U.S. Supreme Court restrictions on law enforcement information sharing, and citizen crime reports submitted via personal computers. 26 figures, 20 references, and 6 appendixes