PHOTO: Police Department brass said CompStat 2.0 “will provide greater specificity about crimes through an interactive experience.” Photo Courtesy of NYPD
By Michael V. Cusenza
Somewhere, maybe that 1 Police Plaza in the sky, The Jackster is smiling.
The City Police Department this week made the crime data developed in the original CompStat model—created and honed by the late, legendary Jack Maple, a Richmond Hill native and deputy commissioner for Crime Control Strategies—available to the public. This new advancement, called
CompStat 2.0, will provide greater specificity about crimes through an interactive experience, according to the department.
“CompStat 2.0 changes the way crime data is reported. It provides the ability for anyone to search what matters to them: their street, their neighborhood, their borough. This sort of clarity is not merely about useful information, it also builds relationships between the police and the community,” Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said on Tuesday. “CompStat 2.0 is also a tremendous asset to my cops in the field and, coupled with the NYPD smartphones, they will have access to real time crime data and trends.”
Previously, crime data reporting was largely limited to the seven major crime categories—murder, rape, robbery, burglary, felonious assault, grand larceny, and grand larceny auto—with few exceptions. There was no additional context provided, such as date, time, or the specific type of crime within the broader category.
According to the NYPD, CompStat 2.0 addresses these issues. Now any member of the public can visit
https://compstat.nypdonline.org and conduct a crime data analysis that will provide all of these parameters, including accurate location mapping down to the nearest intersection. The CompStat 2.0 version used by police officers will go a few steps further, allowing officers to combat crime more quickly.
“New York City has the greatest police force in the world, and we’re proud that New Yorkers are safer now than they’ve been at any time in modern history,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Today, we’re taking CompStat into the 21st Century—and making our crime numbers clear and accessible for all New Yorkers. From launching CompStat 2.0 to giving every officer and patrol car smartphones and tablets, we’re proving once again that the NYPD is the most technologically advanced department in our country. These essential tools will help make our Police Department more accessible, more transparent, and more responsive to New Yorkers across the five boroughs.”
In what the agency called a “separate but related initiative,” the NYPD continues its rollout of smartphones to all police officers. Approximately 25,000 phones have been distributed thus far, with the remainder slated for completion by this spring. As of today, all officers assigned to patrol precincts have smartphones. By the end of this week, all Transit, Housing and Special Operations Division officers will have them.
Using criminal asset forfeiture funds secured by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office through sanctions cases, the $160 million NYPD Mobility Initiative pledged in October 2014 to provide NYPD officers with up to 41,000 mobile devices, including tablet computers and smartphones. Bratton said the initiative “will clearly result in more efficient crime-fighting, counter-terrorism measures, and service to the people of New York City.”
michael@theforumnewsgroup.com
