Lessons learned from the Tempe Police Department network implementation

¶ … Lessons were learned from the Tempe PD network implementation?

Some years ago, the U.S. Department of Justice made grants to a number of local jurisdictions to improve the quality of their information technology support for police services. ABT Associates, a consulting firm of considerable repute, evaluated the grants and this essay is an analysis of the various ways in which the Information Technology was used by the system to help them achieve their goals.

Tempe Police Department

The Tempe Police Department is a 406 police employee institution that serves a city of 158,000 residents. It contains 291 sworn officer, 115 civilians, and approximately 130 volunteers. The department is categorized into four divisions: North Patrol, South Patrol, Investigations, and Support Services, and it patrols two geographical locations, North and South.

Its largest caseload of reported crimes involves burglary (11%), seconded only by traffic incidents (8.5%). Other reported calls for service are relatively minor. Part 1 crimes -- which include homicides, rapes, robberies, aggravated assaults, and motor vehicle thefts -- are relatively inauspicious; in 1997, there were 9,619 such crimes per 100,000 residents. However, Part 1 crimes have increased slightly since then leading to public demand for specialized traditional police services. In the meantime, the Tempe Police Department has structured an efficient and effective format of community-oriented policing (COP), using its grants to maintain and develop its information network to improve its services.

The Information Systems Technology Enhancement Project (ISTEP) Survey

In 1998, the Information Systems technology Enhancement Project (ISTEP), funded by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, conducted a survey on the use and appropriation of information networks in the Tempe Police service, in order to document the state and use of its services. Their case study was based on two site visits to the Tempe Police department, followed by telephone follow-up and meetings, in order to review technology history, use, and plans for future development, and to assess how information technology helped the Department in their aims of community and problem solving policing operations.

In conjunction to this essay, it must be noted that community policing necessitates different types of information networks and tools than does a more specialized model of policing. In essence, what community-oriented policing (COP) involves is a strong interface of police-force with community, an emphasis on problem solving, and the interconnection between community and police on solving crimes and crime-related issues.

Some of the lessons garnered from its documentation are listed hereon.

Lessons Learned From the Tempe PD Network Implementation

1. Centralization

At one time, technology was decentralized but ever since the cost and complexity of technology increased, the city centralized all it systems including that of the police department into one city Information Technology Division (it'd).

This turned out to be a positive step for the police department since it not only liberated them from having to constantly upgrade and maintain its systems coordination management, liability, and computers, but also transmitted the responsibility to individuals more knowledgeable than they in it -- namely the city it employees.

2. Information Technology that is most Helpful to Police Department.

The following it equipment has been found to be invaluable to the Department:

a. The computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system -- more on that later.

b. Staff Wizard -- used heavily by the Department, it helps in various ways including with calls for service, allocating average response time for calls with varying priorities, and working out miles patrolled in order to implement advantageous schedules for officers. Used by the Crime Analysis Unit and by patrol management, commanders use Staff Wizard for officer deployment, staff control, and in order to review drafts of schedules.

c. MapInfo -- Used by the Crime Analysis Unit, MapInfo is utilized for maps and reports that are then distributed throughout the Police Department, primarily used by beat sergeants, line officers, and detectives. It provides crime and calls-for-services data, and also provides maps (including those that illustrate monthly Part 1 crime spots and beat routes) that are prefigured on the Tempe Police department Website and can be accessed by citizens.

d. The Tempe Police Department website aside from featuring maps, also provides a host of other valuable information particularly essential in terms of its objective of community policing. Aside from ongoing reports about crimes and other relevant community-police associated news, the unit also distributes its annual citizen survey findings over the Web, as well as custom reports that are shared by other community agencies and city government units.

e. Criminal and Non-criminal Justice Databases -- the Tempe Police Department has access to a variety of citywide criminal and non-criminal justice databases, the latter including census information, commercial permits and licenses, traffic engineering, and housing data.

How Information Technology Assists the Tempe PD in Community Policing

a. As regards the community itself

Attempting to maintain strong connections with the community, the Tempe PD finds the it network to be invaluable in fostering these connections. The Web site, for instance, is significant in serving as medium between Police and community, particularly since Tempe possesses strong Internet skills. Cell phones, e-mails, and voice messaging are used regularly, whilst TV cable Channel 11 is also employed as interface with the community. An intended Tempe data warehouse system will assist other city agencies to gain direct access to data, causing greater interconnectedness between the Police department and other related justice and non-justice agencies. Such a warehouse will likely also support citizen-driven initiatives.

b. Within the Police Department itself

Information Technology assists the Police Department in various ways:

(i) E-mail capabilities as well as shared reports, such as those produced by the Crime Analysis unit, facilitate communication between the various departments and help expedite information and arrive at effective and shared decision-making.

(ii) the computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system produces crime analysis data, which is the principal source of information on problems that involve scanning, analysis, response, and assessment. This is not only used by sergeants setting beat goals, but also for producing custom reports and amps and limits crime analyses on request (that citizens have to pay a small fee for).

(iii) GIS applications, such as MapInfo help with structuring the beat, reporting activity data within these areas, and setting boundary delineations of the different areas.

(iv) Strategic management - databases help structure and align workload allocation so that there is equilibrium between traditional and COP police activity, as well as with attempts to branch off into more specialized police work.