Do Computers Help Police Fight Crime?
Increased computerisation results in more effective crime-fighting - but only if police work is reorganised to take advantage of the presence of computers. That is the central conclusion of a study of the impact of information technology on the organisation and productivity of US police departments by Paul Heaton and Luis Garicano.
The research finds that in cities like New York, computers plus an integrated information and management system for policing increased crime clearance rates.
February 2008 Paper Number CEPCP247