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his statistical information is the basis for weekly meetings where
the Police Commissioner and his entire top management team plan
and coordinate the Department's fight against crime. These meetings,
known as COMPSTAT meetings, normally take place on Thursday mornings,
begin at 7:30 am, and last for about three hours.
 The
maps prepared by the Mapping Unit are projected onto a large screen
in the front of the room and the District commanders responsible
for the mapped Districts are questioned on what the maps reveal.
"Hot Spots" of serious crimes and other problems such as quality
of life offenses are discussed in detail and commanders are expected
to describe their tactical plans for dealing with them. Commanders
are also asked to report on the efficacy of actions they have
taken to tackle issues identified during their previous COMPSTAT
appearance, normally about a month ago.
Two of the Department's 6 Patrol Bureau Divisions and their corresponding
Detective Bureau Divisions are featured at a COMPSTAT meeting
each week for a period of three weeks. Every fourth week, the
meeting focuses on the Department's specialized units, including
SWAT, Canine, Mounted, Aviation, Bomb Disposal, Environmental
Response, Marine, and Accident Investigation. At these meetings,
performance measures such as the number of cases involving barricaded
persons handled by the SWAT Unit; the number of vehicle pursuits
in which Aviation Unit officers were engaged; and the number of
code enforcement violations issued by the Environmental Response
Unit are identified and discussed.
The data examined at COMPSTAT meetings is normally seven days
old, as this is the time it takes to prepare the maps for discussion.
Commanders use this time span to prepare for COMPSTAT meetings.
They research and analyze the results of deployment strategies,
disposition of offenders, multiple clearances, crime patterns
and other relevant data to prepare themselves for the inquiries
that will be made at their next COMPSTAT meeting.
 To
augment the data analysis process further, the Department is presently
extending intranet access to each District to permit daily District-level
crime mapping. Using this resource, Commanders have the ability
to review crime in a real time environment. These visual aids
will enable patrol and special unit officers to deploy their personnel
much more flexibly and rapidly. For example, District commanders
who are on-line are able to create, view and print crime maps
using data layers to look at their own crime patterns on a daily
basis. Charts may also be created to analyze crime patterns based
on day of week, tour, time, etc. Stolen and recovered vehicles
can also be tracked showing both locations. Individual incident
(INCT) checks can be made for specific locations.
Analysis based on demographics is being incorporated into the
intranet to allow District commanders to understand the characteristics
of the neighborhoods within their District based on census information.
Firearm tracking will also be added so that guns can be linked
to crimes committed throughout the city.
 An
essential feature of the COMPSTAT process, and one that is generally
believed to account for its dramatic success in reducing crime
in Philadelphia, is the freedom that the Police Commissioner gives
to his District commanders to deploy their resources as they judge
to be most effective. But with this freedom goes accountability
and responsibility: It is at the COMPSTAT meeting that the commanders
are required to justify their decisions and are held accountable
for them.
 Present
at each COMPSTAT meeting are the Police Commissioner himself,
his five Deputy Commissioners, the chiefs of the Patrol, Training,
Special Operations and Quality Assurance Bureaus. Also in attendance
are the commanders of the Department's specialized and support
units such as Highway Patrol, Major Crimes, Special Victims, Homicide,
and Internal Affairs, as well as representatives of the suburban,
transit, and local university police departments. Parole and probation
officers and representatives from the District Attorney's office
and other city agencies also regularly attend. The sessions are
open to the media and they are usually well attended by them.
These partnerships are essential ingredients in the Department's
efforts to reduce crime in Philadelphia. In this way, the COMPSTAT
process ensures that everyone in the city who has a contribution
to make in fighting crime is involved in the process of planning
this fight and monitoring its progress.
Collection of Data for COMPSTAT
 The
Department's Incident Reporting System (INCT) computer program,
which was implemented in mid-1997, is the source of the crime
statistics. After a police officer prepares an incident report,
it is classified in accordance with the Federally mandated Uniform
Crime Reporting (UCR) standards. An investigative control number
is assigned. The data is then entered into an on-line application
and is available for the district and investigative commanders
to review. District commanders have a five-day window in which
to revise incorrectly coded incident reports. The revisions must
be documented prior to the INCT system being changed. In the case
of Part I crimes (murder, rape, robbery, etc.), the investigator
must submit a follow-up report in order to comply with UCR reporting
procedures. The COMPSTAT maps are prepared on the basis of this
information. The maps delivered to commanders prior to the COMPSTAT
meeting so that they can prepare their comments and plans.
Assuring the Quality of the
COMPSTAT Data
To ensure that the information used to prepare the COMPSTAT maps
is both timely and accurate, the Police Commissioner has established
a Quality Assurance Bureau that reports directly to him. Headed
by a Chief Inspector, the Bureau carries out regular audits of
the reports prepared by police officers. The Bureau is advised
by an independent expert from the University of Pennsylvania.
The Future of COMPSTAT
COMPSTAT is an ongoing evolutionary process with improvements
being made regularly to ensure greater efficiency and effectiveness
in fighting crime.
To Learn More
Representatives of police agencies that would like to learn more
about the CompStat Process are encouraged to direct their inquiries
to:
Police Commissioner
Philadelphia Police Department
One Franklin Square
Philadelphia, PA 19106
| 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. |
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