The Feasibility of One-Officer Patrol in New York City

Linda Green and Peter Kolesar
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Linda Green: Graduate School of Business, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027
Peter Kolesar: Graduate School of Business, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027

Management Science, 1984, vol. 30, issue 8, 964-981

Abstract: How many patrol cars staffed with a single police officer are needed to provide equivalent police service to an existing system with n two-officer patrol cars? This question is explored for New York City using a multiple patrol car per call priority queueing model. It is shown that a one-officer patrol program is feasible, yet pitfalls exist which could adversely affect its performance. The paper details the process of data analysis and model building and emphasizes the subjective elements that remain in a highly technical OR study. Speed of response to emergency calls from the public was the key performance characteristic considered. The analysis also raised issues related to the safety of police officers in one-officer cars.

Keywords: governmental services; police; queues: multi-channel; priority; applications; urban policy analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 1984
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