7.6: Multi-Facet Policing Strategies Employed in York, Pennsylvania

Community and Problem Oriented Policy:

Since the unrest of the 60’s in the United States the need for police/community collaboration was never more evident than in York, PA. The need for community-oriented policing (COP) and problem-oriented policing (POP) was not only needed but was in demand. However as in most government initiatives, resources were not readily available. An individual component of COP/POP Philosophy is the data driven information derived from community data files. Discussed as a single strategy in most situations is COMPSTAT. COMPSTAT is a statistical measure of crime used in forecasting crime and supports innovative strategies to combat future crime. Strategies commonly deal with quality of life issues, and community orchestrated programs to prevent further debilitation of neighborhoods; however, they should not be confused as standalone strategies with any efficiencies. These strategies are ineffective unless in collaboration with each other or other strategies provided as examples in this historical review of York City.

Did the need for COP/POP exist in York, PA? Mr. Bobby Simpson, Director of Crispus Attucks (Appendices C) of York (personal communication, 2011) likened the York City Police Force of the 1950’s, 1960’s and 1970’s to those of Alabama during the Countries racial crisis. The police brutality was insidious, pervasive and had the blessing of the white community, the media at the time, and the business community. Ore (2009) maintains “This governing class maintains and manages our political and economic structures in such a way that these structures continue to yield an amazing proportion of our wealth to minuscule upper class” (p. 94). The G.I. Bill after World War II, as it relates to educational benefits, may be classified as affirmative action programs for white males because they were not extended to African Americans or women of any race (Ore, 2009). Mr. Simpson, Director of Crispus Attucks, contends that although problems remain today, overall things have improved in the City of York (personal communications, 2011).

Much of the black population considered police hostile to minorities. Police were poorly trained particularly in coping with civil disturbances. Police lacked policies dealing with canines, firearms and chemicals and The York City administration rigidly adhered to a policy of preservation of status quo and the exclusion of non-whites from policy making (PA Human Relations Commission, 1968). Mayor John Brenner issued his direction to address these and other policing policies as previously stated. The Mayor directed as part of the overarching approach of securing a greater quality of life in York is that of COP/POP policy and required the York City Police Department to devise and implement programs consistent with the needs of the community.

The police policies required triangulated data using neighborhood input, local crime data, and useable intelligence in cooperation with educational systems, job training, and neighborhood restoration projects to rejuvenate York City. In particular, local data should be the most reliable, current data, and used in an efficient manner that may produce efficiencies otherwise left to chance. COMPSTAT (Computerized Statistics) a nationally recognized program originally introduced in New York City is a strategic problem-solving system that combines “state-of-the art management principles with cutting-edge crime analysis and geographic systems technology” (Willis, Mastrofski, & Weisburd, 2004).

A COMPSTAT program has as its explicit purpose to help police departments fight crime and improve the quality of life in their communities. This is achieved by overcoming traditional bureaucratic irrationalities, such as loss of focus on reducing crime, department fragmentation, and lack of cooperation between units because of “red tape” and turf battles, and lack of timely data on which to base crime control strategies and to evaluate the strategies that are implemented (Weisburd, Mastrofski, McNally, Greenspan, & Willis, 2003).

A Problem Oriented Policing strategy that was found useful in New York City’s transition was that of the information produced by the COMPSTAT that was also used by the Police Commissioner to judge the performance of precinct commanders and by precinct commanders to hold their officers accountable. Unlike traditional police bureaucracies, the COMPSTAT is intended to make police organizations “more focused, knowledge-based, and agile” (Willis et al., 2004). COMPSTAT has proven itself, however it is posited here that COMPSTAT enacted without simultaneous strategies is nothing more than another single tool in the agency toolbox. COMPSTAT is a singular strategy that when used in concert with other COP/POP strategies will provide the intended results of efficiency and effectiveness addressing community problems and concerns. COMPSTAT as an inter-disciplinary research topic has significant impact on other criminal justice systems and one does not have to travel too far from NYPD to find such a study. A similar data collection and accountability was initiated in York City and was led by the Captain of Operations.

A similar COMPSTAT program is engineered by the New York City Department of Corrections that operates under the Total Efficiency Accountability Management Systems (TEAMS) (Horn, 2008). In addition to decreasing jail violence and improving the health and safety of the inmates TEAMS tracks data on more than 600 large and small aspects of the day-to-day life of the city's jails. These aspects range from escapes and homicides to the number of inmates regularly attending religious services and the length of time inmates must wait before they are seen for medical care in the clinic. The Department measures the time it takes to process and house a newly admitted inmate and counts searches, contraband finds, days lost to sick leave, overtime, maintenance order backlogs and hundreds of other metrics. Knowing that information is management power; the Department even measures the cleanliness of its showers and toilets, and here too, data management and accountability have produced positive results (Horn, 2008).

Again, TEAMS is not a stand-alone proposition, but rather a strategy that is used in unison with other data/information, programs and strategies simultaneously. Management to line-officer accountability has demonstrated positive developments within the criminal justice field when used in concert with other adaptations for improvement.

Walsh and Vito (2004) contends that “COMPSTAT is a goal-oriented, strategic management process that uses information technology, operational strategy and managerial accountability to guide police operations…reduce crime and improve the quality of life” (p.57). Further bolstering the point that COMPSTAT cannot be successful without collaboration with other tactics it is asserted in the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, four crime reduction principles that create the framework for the COMPSTAT process are: accurate and timely data; effective tactics; rapid deployment of personnel and resources; and relentless follow-up (Shane, 2004).

Additionally, police have access to a closely associated by-product of the computer age, Crime Mapping, which is the implementation of geographic mapping of crime using these systems they link maps of the agency jurisdiction with other computerized police records and replaces the old pin maps (LaVigne and Wartell, 2000). Technology has advanced rapidly and continues to do so daily, however not all police agencies have access to either of these systems nor do they have the required resources required for implementation.

COMPSTAT is an important strategy for Community Oriented Policing and Problem Oriented Policing philosophy implementation. Although critical, COMPSTAT is not without critics who have cited the program as a method of stricter control over managers and line-officers in a police organization. In practice it appears that COMPSTAT, at least so far, is just another way—albeit one that employs advanced technology and different management principles—for police leadership to control mid-level managers (precinct commanders) and street-level police officers (Moore, 2003). COMPSTAT is important to both the COP/POP as it represents accurate, timely data critical to the decision making process, particularly during resource limited situations as is the City of York’s case.

Critics argue that COMPSTAT has had the opposite effect desired in an atmosphere of Community Policing. Rather than empowering line-officers to act independent of the bureaucracy, it has grieved the line-officer to an art form of submissiveness more fearful to act. COMPSTAT represents a sea change in managing police operations, and perhaps the most radical change in history (McDonald, 2004), but remains a single tool in the tool box of COP/POP. The question remains- “Have today’s law enforcement leaders-maintained pace with the technology and information highway, altered leadership styles accordingly to more efficiently manage the organization, and empowerment of those providing the service?”