COMPSTAT IN PRACTICE AN IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS OF THREE

COMPSTATINPRACTICE:ANIN-DEPTHANALYSISOFTHREECITIESJamesJ.WillisStephenD.MastrofskiDavidWeisburdCompstatinPractice:AnIn-DepthAnalysisofThreeCitiesPoliceFoundationiiThePoliceFoundationisanational,nonpartisan,nonprofitorganizationdedicatedtosupportinginnovationandimprovementinpolicing.Establishedin1970,thefoundationhasconductedseminalresearchinpolicebehavior,policy,andprocedure,andworkstotransfertolocalagenciesthebestinformationaboutpracticesfordealingeffectivelywitharangeofimportantpoliceoperationalandadministrativeconcerns.Motivatingallofthefoundation’seffortsisthegoalofefficient,humanepolicingthatoperateswithintheframeworkofdemocraticprinciplesandthehighestidealsofthenation.ThePoliceFoundation’sresearchfindingsarepublishedasaninformationservice.ThisprojectwassupportedbyGrantNumber98-IJ-CX-007bytheNationalInstituteofJustice,OfficeofJusticePrograms,U.S.DepartmentofJustice.PointsofvieworopinionsexpressedinthisdocumentarethoseoftheauthorsanddonotnecessarilyrepresenttheofficialpositionorpoliciesoftheU.S.DepartmentofJusticeorthePoliceFoundation.AdditionalsupportforthewritingofthisreportwasprovidedthroughaFacultyScholarshipSupportGrantfromtheUniversityofMassachusetts,Boston.AdditionalreportsfromthelargerprojectfromwhichthisreportisderivedincludeCompstatandOrganizationalChangeintheLowellPoliceDepartment:ChallengesandOpportunitiesandTheGrowthofCompstatinAmericanPolicing.Thesereportsareavailableonlineat©2003bythePoliceFoundation.Allrights,includingtranslationintootherlanguages,reservedundertheUniversalCopyrightConvention,theBerneConventionfortheProtectionofLiteraryandArtisticWorksandtheInternationalandPanAmericanCopyrightConventions.Permissiontoquotereadilygranted.ISBN1-884614-20-5PoliceFoundation1201ConnecticutAvenue,NWWashington,DC20036-2636(202)833-1460Fax:[phone]Email:[e-mail]’ExperienceswithCompstat......................................................9MissionClarification........................................................................................................10InternalAccountability.....................................................................................................20GeographicOrganizationofOperationalCommand........................................................29Organizationalstructure........................................................................................31Decision-makingauthority....................................................................................31Coordinationissues...............................................................................................34Geographicversustemporalorganization............................................................36OrganizationalFlexibility.................................................................................................37Rivalryamongdistricts.........................................................................................40Manpower.............................................................................................................43Traditionalapproachestoresourceallocation......................................................43Citypolitics...........................................................................................................46Strategiestoincreaseflexibility............................................................................47Data-DrivenProblemIdentificationandAssessment.......................................................48Datacollection......................................................................................................48Dataanalysisandpresentation..............................................................................50Useofdata............................................................................................................54Innovative,Problem-SolvingTactics.............................