A NATIONWIDE SURVEY OF POLICE DEPARTMENTS WAS CONDUCTED, THROUGH MAIL AND TELEPHONE INTERVIEWS, TO ASCERTAIN THE EXTENT OF POLICE COMPUTER USE AND TO COMPARE PREDICTIONS FROM A 1971 STUDY OF POLICE COMPUTER USE WITH ACUTUAL DEVELOPMENTS. CASE STUDIES WERE EXAMINED TO DETERMINE HOW COMPUTERS AND COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY ARE BEING USED AND TO REVIEW THE RESULTING PROBLEMS. THE FIRST PART OF THE REPORT DISCUSSES THE BASIC BACKGROUND AND CONCEPTS FOR THE STUDY, SUMMARIZES THE RESULTS OF THE 1971 AND 1974 SURVEYS, AND CONSIDERS THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TECHNOLOGY AND REVIEWS PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED WITH ITS USE. THE REMAINDER OF THE REPORT PRESENTS THREE CASE STUDIES WHICH FOCUS ON RESOURCE ALLOCATION APPLICATIONS IN ST. LOUIS, MO. BOSTON, MASS., AND LOS ANGELES, CALIF., AND FOUR STUDIES OF COMMAND AND CONTROL EFFORTS BY POLICE DEPARTMENTS IN SAN DIEGO, CALIF., NEW YORK CITY, BOSTON, MASS., AND ST. LOUIS, MO. IS WAS FOUND THAT COMPUTERS ARE BEING USED LESS EXTENSIVELY THAN WAS PREDICTED IN 1971, THAT NONROUTINE USE OF THE TECHNOLOGY FOR DECISIONMAKING HAS BEEN DISAPPOINTING, AND THAT THE PROCESS OF IMPLEMENTATION IS FAR MORE COMPLEX THAN EXPECTED. THE CASE STUDIES INDICATE THAT NEW METHODS OF USING THE TECHNOLOGY COULD IMPROVE EVALUATION AND IMPLEMENTATION, MORE STRESS SHOULD BE LAID ON PERFORMANCE STANDARDS AND TRANSFER, AND POLICE CAN PLAY A BROADER ROLE IN SOCIETY THAN FIGHTING CRIME. THE APPENDIXES CONTAIN A DESCRIPTION OF RESEARCH METHODS USED IN THE STUDY AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO LEAA. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--DAG)