Assignment1

Assignment 1: Predictive Policing

Mr.Tupthai Prakanrat

Strayer University

Dr. Alexander Peter

CIS500

4/26/2014

Assignment 1: Predictive Policing

Compare and contrast the application of information technology (IT) to optimize police departments’ performance to reduce crime versus random patrols of the streets.

Using information technology to fight crime by the police officers is becoming increasingly effective in apprehending the crime perpetrators. Predictive policing, or programs such as COMPSTAT, is taking data from disparate sources, analyzing them and then using the results to anticipate, prevent and respond more effectively to future crime. Community policing is the practice that emphasizes foot patrols that allow officers to develop relationships on their beats and thereby lets the community help set law enforcement priorities. Both practices show police presence and patrolling in the communities, however, programs like COMPSTAT that use statistical data only gives part of the picture. Even though the application of IT in policing can help to reduce crime in targeted areas based on the data provided, any data-driven approach to a problem results in the lack of understanding of an issue as a whole. Community policing offers the officers the opportunity to understand the “why” of crime rather than the simple “what, where and how often” that the COMPSTAT data offers. It requires change from traditional to strong strategically set methods combined with better intelligence. This initially led to the innovation of predictive policing in 1994 by NYPD. This practical model, when tested proved to reduce crime rates, enabling officers to act on crime before it happens which ensures public safety. Traditional methods include random patrolling which has limited ability to identify crime because patrolling an entire location may not be possible. This would involve additional police personnel which may or may not be available and an increased amount of time to...