An Integer Nonlinear Goal Programming Model for the Deployment of State Highway Patrol Units

Bernard W. Taylor, III, Laurence J. Moore, Edward R. Clayton, K. Roscoe Davis and Terry R. Rakes
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Bernard W. Taylor, III: Department of Management Science, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061
Laurence J. Moore: Department of Management Science, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061
Edward R. Clayton: Department of Management Science, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061
K. Roscoe Davis: Department of Management Science, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602
Terry R. Rakes: Department of Management Science, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29208

Management Science, 1985, vol. 31, issue 11, 1335-1347

Abstract: A number of models have been developed in recent years for the allocation and deployment of urban police units. However, these models are not directly applicable to the state highway patrol counterparts. Although urban police and the state highway patrol are both law enforcement agencies, an urban police force typically operates by reacting to crimes already committed (i.e., a reactive mode of operation) while the state highway patrol attempts to maintain a visible presence to prevent infractions (i.e., a proactive mode of operation). This paper describes a modeling approach that can be used to deploy state highway patrol cars to the road segments comprising a highway patrol district. Specifically, an integer nonlinear goal programming model is described and demonstrated within the context of a hypothetical case example. The model reflects the fact that the relationships between unit deployment and performance measures are often nonlinear---as additional patrol units are assigned to a road segment, performance will increase but at a decreasing rate. The model's goal constraints reflect the proactive nature of patrol deployment. The model is solved using a modified multi-criteria pattern/gradient search technique, and the results are analyzed to test their sensitivity to goal levels and priority structures.

Keywords: government services: police; nonlinear programming: applications; goal programming (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 1985
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