Chief's Update: November 2009

Gordon Ramsay
Chief of Police

Beginning in 2010, the Duluth Police Department will begin to implement the management philosophies of COMPSTAT. COMPSTAT (short for computer statistics) is run by the police department, but other entities in the criminal justice program are an integral part in reducing crime. A coordinated effort of police, probation, prosecution and the judicial system are essential for the success of any crime reduction program. If one partner in the criminal justice community is absent or pulling the rope in a different direction, sustained crime reduction is difficult. New York City, Boston, Miami, New Orleans, and Minneapolis have all experienced significant reduction in violent crimes as a result of the implementation of the COMPSTAT.

Under COMPSTAT, New York City has gone from one of the most dangerous cities in America to one of the safest. In 1994, they focused on chronic offenders, low level violations, gun possession, crime trends and hot spots with the goal of making the city a safer place. In 1991, there were almost 3,000 homicides in New York City. It is estimated that the total 2009 year end homicide count in New York City will be about 450. The homicide rate in New York City is the lowest it's been in 45 years.

Our command staff recently visited Minneapolis and was amazed at the progress the department (and criminal justice system) has made in reducing homicides. You may recall Minneapolis was approaching 100 homicides a year just over 10 years ago. Today, Minneapolis is seeing double digit decreases in violent crime, including their homicide rate. So far the city has recorded 17 homicides for the entire year compared to almost 70 at this time in 1996.

Some may argue that there are many factors other than policing effect crime, however, COMPSTAT has a proven track record in reducing crimes and improving the overall operations of police departments across this country in many, dramatically different cities. The main focus of COMPSTAT involves getting police departments to proactively fight crime rather than reactively fighting it. A vital component of the COMPSTAT philosophy is it's emphasis on holding police managers directly accountable for combating the crime in their districts and giving them the authority to deploy resources to achieve crime reduction. As the Duluth Police Department implements COMPSTAT, we will utilize the following established protocol:

1. Accurate and Timely Intelligence

Accurate and timely intelligence is essential to effectively respond to crime. It is necessary to provide essential intelligence that can be easily and effectively shared with all divisions of the department. Frequently, investigators have information on suspects or crime trends and patterns, but patrol officers who may be in contact with potential suspects often have no idea of what information investigators possess or need to solve a case. Equally important, this also provides for an early warning system to identify emerging crime patterns and trends. For years, most of our patrol officers have randomly patrolled in hopes of deterring potential criminals who see police squads on patrol.

2. Effective Tactics

Crime information is collected, analyzed, and mapped, and that information is then provided to staff who, in turn, develop tactics for addressing the problems. The old, slow, traditional government speed response of the past is no longer acceptable. In order to bring about sustained change in crime, the tactics must be comprehensive, flexible, and adaptable to changing trends. Another important element involves prosecutors, probation, and other community agencies not necessarily connected to police such as detox, and social service providers. We also cannot forget the importance of community involvement by block watches and citizen patrols.

3. Rapid Deployment of Resources and Personnel

Our police department has been driven by calls for service and has responded with our limited resources in a reactive manner. When COMPSTAT is fully implemented, the police department will be armed with vital intelligence regarding emerging crime trends or patterns that will allow for a strategic police response. We will utilize both traditional uniformed or plainclothes officer response as well as undercover operations and will coordinate with probation officers after these operations.

4. Relentless Follow-up and Assessment

COMPSTAT is results-driven; everything the police department does will be evaluated by the results achieved. Efforts will be assessed to ensure that the desired results are being met through weekly meetings.

We are excited to begin the implementation of COMPSTAT and invite you to follow our progress through regular updates on our web site.