Book Review
Urban Police Patrol Analysis, by Richard C. Larson
ResearchPublished 1972
Larson's book is a comprehensive statement of current knowledge related to operational analysis of police patrol. The book demonstrates that improving police patrol effectiveness involves familiarity with queuing theory, geographically distributed stochastic processes, search theory, and other topics; simple mathematical formulas are no longer adequate for the complex task of allocating and dispatching patrol forces. Larson approaches the problem of minimizing response delays to high-priority incidents by developing analytical and simulation models to calculate the two components causing them: queuing time and travel time. Policy options open to patrol commanders are addressed. Results suggest that many police departments could substantially improve the overall level of patrol service and also reduce the total number of patrol manhours.
Document Details
- Copyright: RAND Corporation
- Availability: Available
- Year: 1972
- Print Format: Paperback
- Paperback Pages: 5
- Paperback Price: $20.00
- Document Number: P-4906
Citation
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Chaiken, Jan M., Book Review: Urban Police Patrol Analysis, by Richard C. Larson, RAND Corporation, P-4906, 1972. As of September 12, 2024: https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P4906.html
Chaiken, Jan M., Book Review: Urban Police Patrol Analysis, by Richard C. Larson. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1972. https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P4906.html. Also available in print form.
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