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MAPPING POLICE SERVICES - POLICE SERVICES STUDY TECHNICAL REPORT

NCJ Number
36771
Author(s)
G P WHITAKER
Date Published
1976
Length
23 pages
Annotation
THIS PAPER PRESENTS A METHOD FOR MAPPING METROPOLITAN POLICE SERVICES TO DETERMINE PATTERNS IN SERVICE DELIVERY AND TO CALCULATE THE EXTENT OF DUPLICATION, ALTERNATION, AND OTHER FACTORS OF SERVICE DELIVERY IN URBAN AREAS.
Abstract
THE AUTHOR STATE STHAT THE CONCEPTUAL MODEL DESCRIBED IN THIS REPORT WILL PERMIT THE DETERMINATION OF THE RELATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF DIFFERENT PUBLIC SERVICE DELIVERY SYSTEMS BY DEVELOPING CATEGORIES WHICH PERMIT MEASUREMENT OF THE EXISTING SYSTEMS. A SERVICE STRUCTURE MODEL IS FIRST DESCRIBED WHICH DIVIDES THE SERVICE DELIVERY SYSTEM INTO THREE INTERACTING COMPONENTS: GOVERNMENT, AGENCIES, AND PEOPLE. THE AUTHOR THEN DESCRIBES HOW POPULATIONS MAY BE DIVIDED INTO 'CONSUMING UNITS', WHICH ARE DEFINED AS A GROUP OF RESIDENTS IN A PARTICULAR AREA WHO RECEIVE A PUBLIC SERVICE FROM A DIFFERENT PRODUCING AGENCY THAN ANY OTHER GROUP IN THE AREA, OR WHO ARE CONSTITUENTS OF A DIFFERENT GOVERNMENT PROVIDING THE SERVICE THAN ANY OTHER GROUP IN THE AREA. CONSUMING UNITS THUS CONSTITUTE MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE AND EXHAUSTIVE SUBSETS OF THE POPULATION. THE AUTHOR OUTLINES HOW THESE CONSUMING UNITS MAY BE ARRAYED IN A MATRIX ALONG WITH THE AGENCIES OR GOVERNMENTS PRODUCING A SERVICE TO CONSTRUCT A 'SERVICE PRODUCTION CHART'. ENTRIES IN THE MATRIX CELLS CAN THEN BE USED TO CHARACTERIZE THE SERVICE FLOW BETWEEN EACH AGENCY OR GOVERNMENT AND EACH SEPARATE CONSTITUENCY WITHIN ITS SERVICED POPULATION. A SIMILAR MATRIX CAN BE CONSTRUCTED TO SHOW THE RELATION BETWEEN AGENCIES AND GOVERNMENTS. THIS MATRIX, THE AUTHOR CLAIMS, WILL PROVIDE MEASURES FOR SUCH SERVICE DELIVERY CHARACTERISTICS AS NORMAL DELIVERY, FRAGMENTATION, DUPLICATION, COORDINATION, ALTERNATION, AND DOMINATION. ADDITIONAL MATRICES MAY BE CONSTRUCTED TO SHOW SERVICE REPRESENTATION AND SERVICE PROVISION PATTERNS. THE AUTHOR APPLIES THIS MODEL TO DATA ON THE POLICE SERVICES SYSTEMS OF 80 STANDARD METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS.