Author: M.Murat Ozer

Publisher:

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 135

ISBN-13:

This study aims to explore the effectiveness of ALPR systems within the framework of intelligence-led policing in two specific ways. First, the impact of ALPR systems on policing will be analyzed through assessments of crime clearance rates (follow-up arrests). In addition to impact analysis, ALPR mobile units and traditional policing will be compared for their manpower and cost effectiveness. Second, this study will identify and recommend the most effective strategies for deployment of ALPR units based on optimal crime reduction benefits through arrests and crime prevention techniques. Using the tenets of specific theories of crime prevention, including offender search theory and crime pattern theory, this study examines whether crime prevention theory can assist researchers and police leaders to optimally allocate ALPR mobile units to prevent crime before it occurs. Based on this analysis, specific recommendations regarding deployment of ALPR units will be provided. The current study is organized into five remaining chapters. Chapter 2 begins with a brief review of policing strategies to create a basis for the distinction of policing philosophies and the organizational structure of police work. Specific attention will be given to intelligence-led policing (ILP) strategies. The underlying premises of ILP will be used to develop a framework that directs discussions regarding effective crime control models. Chapter 3 specifically focuses on ALPR as an example of an approach that furthers the goals of the data-driven, ILP model. Following a descriptive overview of ALPR technology, the scant literature regarding the effectiveness of ALPR is reviewed. Given the implications of ALPR for possible crime prevention, specific tenets of relevant crime prevention theories are reviewed in the context of how they might be utilized to improve the effectiveness of ALPR systems. Chapter 4 presents in detail the study's specific research questions and hypotheses, and provides a description of the multiple data sources used to examine these questions. The proposed analytical strategy, as well as the strengths and limitations of the study's methodology, are reviewed. The results of the proposed analyses will be Chapter 5 in the final dissertation, while the discussion and implications of these findings will comprise Chapter 6. It is anticipated that this research will bring two new insights into the policing literature. First, the evaluation of the effectiveness of data driven approaches (using ALPR units as an example) will provide a guide for police departments seeking to empirically determine the value of other data-driven techniques. Second, policing scholars have stressed that the importance of data management methods in crime prevention is generally neglected (Manning, 2001; Webb, Smith, & Laycock, 2004). This study intends to bridge this gap by focusing on strategic deployment of ALPR mobile units using crime prevention theory as a guide.