|
 |
  
|
 COMPSTAT,
a crime analysis and police management process developed by the
New York City Police Department, was introduced to the Philadelphia
Police Department in March 1998.
The essence of the COMPSTAT process can be summarized briefly
as follows: Collect, analyze and map crime data and other essential
police performance measures on a regular basis and hold police
managers accountable for their performance as measured by these
data.
The Philosophy of COMPSTAT
The philosophy behind COMPSTAT is deceptively simple. It is based
on four principles which have proven to be essential ingredients
of an effective crime-fighting strategy; namely:
Accurate and Timely Intelligence
Effective crime-fighting requires accurate and timely intelligence.
Officers at all levels of the police department must understand
when (time of day, day of week, week of year) various types
of crimes have been committed as well as how, where, and by
whom they have been committed.
Effective Tactics
Having collated, analyzed and mapped this crime intelligence,
the department's commanders must develop effective tactics for
dealing with the problems it reveals. In order to bring about
permanent change in crime conditions, these tactics must be
comprehensive, flexible, and adaptable to changing trends. They
must also involve other law enforcement agencies such as the
FBI, DEA and ATF, the prosecutors, the probation services, other
city agencies not directly connected to law enforcement, as
well as the public (e.g. community groups, Operation Town Watch,
etc.).
Rapid Deployment of Personnel and Resources
Once a tactical plan has been developed, the deployment of personnel
and resources must be rapid and focused. To be effective, the
response to a crime or quality-of-life problem demands that
patrol and special units coordinate their resources and expertise
and act with a sense of urgency.
Relentless Follow-up and Assessment
All action must be relentlessly followed-up and assessed to
ensure that the desired results has been achieved. This is the
only way of ensuring that recurring or similar problems are
dealt with effectively in the future.
The COMPSTAT Process
On the basis of these principles, the Philadelphia Police Department
has developed a process that ensures that the whole of the Department
is actively involved in the fight against crime.
The process begins with the collection, analysis and mapping of
accurate and timely crime information. This is the job of the
Department's Crime Analysis and Mapping Unit, established in September
1997 with the help of Federal funds provided through the Local
Law Enforcement Block Grant. This unit, staffed by civilians who
are experts in the use of geographical information systems, produces
as many as 2000 maps a week. Crime in each police District is
broken down by type and then further analyzed to identify the
place of occurrence as well as the time of day, day of week and
week of the year of occurrence. Homicides, rapes, robberies, aggravated
assaults are broken down into those committed with and without
guns. Aggravated assaults are further classified as domestic or
non-domestic. Burglaries are listed as residential or commercial.
Thefts are classified as retail theft, theft from person, theft
from an auto, and auto theft. Data are also captured involving
shooting victims, shooting incidents, gun arrests, and gun seizures.
Each map displays this information not only about current crime
but also about the previous month's. This enables commanders to
assess the impact and effectiveness of anti-crime strategies.
Drug patterns are shown overlaying the crime data. Because narcotics
is often the driving force behind violent crime, District maps
display narcotic arrests of both buyers and sellers along with
reported crime.
Crime is not the only data analyzed and mapped. The number of
arrests and the number of cases still requiring investigation
are also shown. Still other maps highlight police activity such
as vehicle and pedestrian investigations and moving and parking
violations. The 911 calls in each District are also tallied, including
the percentage of these that were unfounded. This data is captured
both electronically and through manual means. After the data is
aggregated, it is incorporated in the form of a CompStat
Process Data Form. This completed form is then transmitted
to the Department's officials and all police district commanders.
 |
| Information
listed here is believed to be current at the time of publication.
However, some of the material presented here may have expired
since it was posted. Persons should contact a Philadelphia Police
representative whenever relying on dated material or information
that is subject to change. |
|
| |
|
This page is entitled:
The URL of the page is:
Downloaded at:
|
|
|
