The New York City Police Department's Compstat: dream or nightmare?

摘要

The Compstat paradigm has revolutionised the way policing is accomplished in democratic countries. Many agencies throughout the world have emulated the Compstat programme which originated in New York City in 1994. The strengths of Compstat have been widely publicised: dramatic reductions in crime, accountability of key staff members, and coordination of various units within an agency. The weaknesses of Compstat are less recognised: due process considerations, community relations, leadership issues, inadequate problem-solving. Weaknesses pose challenges and the authors present an alternative model to address these weaknesses. This model focuses on integrating community policing's essential components within the context of the Compstat paradigm. This provides a more powerful mechanism to combat crime and terrorism.