A police management system is essential to monitor the staff performance and crime incidence. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) developed Compare Statistics or COPMSTAT crime tracking method, quickly becoming popular in other states and globally (Eterno et al. 886). The purpose of this system was the reduction of felony cases by tracking on a map and gradually eradicating them. Indeed, according to Eterno et al., the crime index dropped by 80% over the last thirty years (886). However, many people were concerned that COMPSTAT would make police officers focus on bureaucratic issues and move them away from their primary mission taught in the academy.
It appears that the police’s role is not just reducing crimes in the streets but also protecting citizens’ Constitutional rights, prevention of corruption, and ensuring community partnerships (Eterno et al. 887). Implementation of COMPSTAT seems to transform police departments’ goal to generating good statistical reports than protecting democracy. Still, the original objective of this management system was to eliminate the numbers game in police departments. Therefore, this essay aims to discuss the initial function of designing COMPSTAT and how it should be used properly.
The original purpose of COMPSTAT was to obliterate the bureaucracy that was discouraging many police officers who used to face the harsh reality on the field that significantly deviated from the values they learned. One of the founders of this system, commissioner William Bratton, changed the NYPD structure, which resulted in the improvement of cooperation between officers, and “all were working in unison” (Eterno et al. 895).
Unfortunately, when Bratton left, the police department distorted COMPSTAT’s function, and staff started to experience the pressure to fill spreadsheets with numbers of solved crimes. According to Eterno et al., many retired officers reported that they were forced to write more summonses regardless of their legitimacy, indicating the return of bureaucracy (894). However, this system could be utilized more wisely considering the main mantras of COMPSTAT.
Establishing good communication with citizens and developing effective strategies serve as the foundation for police departments’ successful and productive work. Indeed, the four-part mantra of COMPSTAT includes effective tactics, follow-up assessment, timely intelligence, and quick deployment (Eterno et al. 897). Firstly, attaining accurate intelligence requires assessing information from various sources, including the community, that demands police to gain public trust. Secondly, developing effective tactics in COMPSTAT differs from the traditional methods because it ensures collaboration between police officers regardless of geographic and hierarchical differences (Eterno et al. 897). Thirdly, this system requires rapid deployment of people and resources to increase work efficiency.
Finally, assessment and follow-up are essential for determining if the introduced strategies helped achieve a successful outcome (Eterno et al. 899). Overall, COMPSTAT has a tremendous potential to reduce crimes and raise police status in society if appropriately employed.
To summarize, COMPSTAT is a management system that can elevate the effectiveness of police departments. For instance, introducing this system in New York City reduced the crime index significantly. Moreover, this system can improve collaboration between officers and raise public trust in police, critical for increasing felony reporting. However, the current utilization of COMPSTAT seems to aim to achieve a favorable statistic, which is a substantial deviation from its original mission. Thus, police departments should return to implementing the four mantras of COMPSTAT to reduce bureaucracy and serve their primary goals.
Works Cited
Eterno, John A., et al. “Police Leadership of Tomorrow: Comprehensive COMPSTAT Performance Management Moving from Stagnation to Innovation.” Police Practice and Research, vol. 22, no. 1, 2021, pp. 886-902.