NCJ Number
185534
Date Published
January 2000
Length
56 pages
Annotation
This chapter examines the impact on American policing of the
information-processing revolution that has occurred since the
invention of the transistor.
Abstract
The chapter's objective is to assess the opportunities and
challenges that this revolution has generated and to examine the
responses that American policing has made. An organizing premise
of the work is that although the information technology (IT)
revolution promises an enormous increase in
information-processing capability, the current reality is that
too few police departments are using that capability effectively.
The chapter begins with a short historical overview of
legislation and commissions that addressed or influenced
information systems development in criminal justice from the
mid-1800's until the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement
Act of 1994. Reviews are then presented of the current state of
policing information systems in the following areas: records
management, criminal histories, computer-aided dispatch, crime
analysis, uniform crime reporting, and computer networking. The
information system demands made by community-oriented and
problem-oriented policing are then examined. The author argues
that community-oriented policing differs in philosophy and
approach from professional or traditional policing. The changes
in policing that are required are strategic, not simply tactical.
In particular, effective implementation of community-oriented
policing depends on information-gathering and processing systems
that are radically different and more demanding than those needed
for professional policing. Seven information domains are
identified and reviewed. The author advises that neglect of these
domains, or failure to meet the IT imperative they assert, will
impede, perhaps cripple, the implementation of community
policing. The chapter concludes with a prescriptive and
optimistic look at the prospects for the 21st century. 1 exhibit,
25 notes, and 63 references
Date Published: January 1, 2000