On-line simulation of urban police patrol and dispatching

This paper describes a computer simulation of police patrol forces that has been implemented for resource planning in several police departments. The work is based on the simulation methodology described in Urban Police Patrol Analysis (M.I.T. Press, 1972). Accompanying the presentation will be an on-line computer demonstration of the model using a data base supplied by the Boston Police Department. The developed system is general and can be adapted to suit the needs of any police department in evaluating policies in the following areas: • the allocation of preventive patrol effort and the effect of changes in patrol resources and manpower scheduling on the allocations. • the design of standard or overlapping sectors. • the costs and benefits of an automatic car locator system. • response patterns for specialized units (e.g., police ambulances).