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USING LOW-COST ($300-$1,000) MICROCOMPUTERS AND PROGRAMMABLE CALCULATORS FOR POLICE RESOURCE ALLOCATION (FROM CRIMINAL JUSTICE INFORMATION AND STATISTICS SYSTEMS - PROCEEDINGS..., 1979 - SEE NCJ-63648)

NCJ Number
63659
Author(s)
N B HELLER
Date Published
1979
Length
14 pages
Annotation
THIS SYMPOSIUM ADDRESS FOR POLICE DISCUSSES HOW RECENTLY-DEVELOPED COMPUTER SOFTWARE ENABLES POLICE TO USE MICROCOMPUTERS AND CALCULATORS TO PLAN PATROL VEHICLE DEPLOYMENT AND PERSONNEL ASSIGNMENTS.
Abstract
COMPUTERS AND PROGRAMMATIC CALCULATORS COSTING $300 TO $1,000 WERE MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT OF LOW-COST, MINIATURE PROCESSORS AND POLICE RESOURCE PLANNING SOFTWARE. HAND-HELD, PROGRAMMATIC CALCULATORS STORE SOFTWARE ON MAGNETIC CARDS, WHILE MICROCOMPUTERS USE AUDIO TAPE CASSETTES OR FLOPPY DISKS. POLICE/PLAN AND SCHEDULE/PLAN ARE TWO SYSTEMS DISCUSSED FOR PLANNING POLICE SERVICES DESIGNED FOR SMALL COMPUTERS. FOUR BASIC PLANNING TOOLS IN EACH SYSTEM ARE (1) STATISTICS TABULATION FOR WORK DONE BY INDIVIDUAL OFFICERS, (2) PATROL CAR DEPLOYMENT, (3) BEAT DESIGN, AND (4) PERSONNEL SCHEDULING. PATROL/PLAN I AND II ARE EXAMINED. THE MORE POWERFUL PATROL/PLAN II DEALS WITH OR PLANS FOR CALLS FOR SERVICE, NUMBER OF CARS USED OR TO BE USED, WORK TO BE DONE WITH CALLS AND CARS, SERVICE TIME, AND CALL PRIORITY LEVELS. VARIATIONS OF BOTH PATROL/PLAN I AND II ARE DISCUSSED. BOTH PLANS GENERATE AND USE MANY DIFFERENT KINDS OF IN-THE-FIELD OFFICER PERFORMANCE STATISTICS. BEAT/PLAN HELPS MANAGERS DESIGNATE PATROL BEATS, WHILE DATA/PLAN COMPILES DATA FOR BOTH BEAT/PLAN AND PATROL/PLAN. SCHEDULE/PLAN HELPS POLICE SCHEDULE SHIFTS. TABULAR DATA ARE INCLUDED. APPENDIXES DETAIL PATROL/PLAN II AND PRESENT A PLANNING WORKSHOP PROBLEM. (PAP)