The Use of Information Technology for Intelligence-driven Prosecution

According to reports, through the use of intensive information technology and increase in surveillance cameras, New York City’s crime rate is dramatically declining. CompStat, a personalized crime mapping program utilized by New York City’s police workforce, features a complete, city-wide database that records all reported crimes, complains and arrests. CompStat prompts proactive crime prevention by transferring detailed data collected through the city-wide database to 76 precincts. This data includes the time and location of the arrest, complaint or reported crimes and helps officers effectively deploy resources to where it is most needed. Reports created by the data collected from CompStat systems include detailed facts regarding crime complaints, progressive arrest activity at the precincts and patrol borough. This data is displayed on maps that show crime hotspots, crime locations and information that helps NYPD senior leadership identify patterns and develop a strategy for fighting crimes. The CompStat database is used for an arrest alert system, when a priority defendant, which is someone law enforcement is closely tracking, is picked up or arrested, any interested individuals (ex. Prosecutors, parole officers) are automatically sent a detailed e-mail. In addition, this system helps district attorneys ensure that charging decisions, bail applications, and sentencing recommendations address that defendant’s impact on criminal activity in the community. This alert system is constantly updating accordingly to ensure community-wide safety.

The use of information technology such as CompStat results in long-lasting records that are actively being updated. People arrested for minor offenses (ex. Jaywalking) are placed on the database and given a criminal record that does not disappear after a certain time following the incident. Criminal Records make it extremely hard to find a job, get a house, apply for citizenship and enter different countries. For example, Trump’s government ban on Mexican people has resulted in the deportation of thousands of Mexicans that have criminal records. Criminal Records placed on minor offenses prevent offenders from moving forward for as long as the records are retained. As an example, a teenage dressed entirely in red is arrested for jaywalking, the arresting officer stopped the teenager due to the “gang” related cloth choice, despite the teen not being a gang member. While the teenager is not a gang member, his arrest remains in databases and can affect his future life.

Management, organization and technology issues all drastically affect the setting up of information systems for intelligence-driven prosecution. From the management perspective, the information collected by district attorneys must be extremely detailed in order to make decisions about criminal charges, bails, and sentences. This information must also provide valid evidence to distinguish minor delinquents from serious offenders. From the organizational perspective, NYPD departments must efficiently deploy resources rather than utilize them where they aren’t needed. In addition, they must maintain a level of privacy due to sensitive data. From the technological perspective, the police workforce must determine the public record accessibility for minor offenses in order to avoid harming the offender. In addition, technology should not be given the power to determine if one is innocent or guilty, instead, it should provide valid data and evidence to support the prosecution of a criminal.