Deck 9: Compstat and Crime Control

Question 1

Under the auspices of Compstat,the Three C's component of community policing is almost always

A) completely eliminated.
B) for the most part eliminated.
C) eliminated if there is "head-on" conflict.
D) left in place.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Compstat is strikingly similar to the generic principles of organizational success articulated in

A) From Good to Great by Jim Collins.
B) In Search of Excellence by Peters and Waterman.
C) The Fifth Discipline by Peter Senge.
D) Reframing Organizations by Bolman and Deal.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The validity of the crime drop in New York in the 1990s as reported by NYPD is reinforced by parallel statistics reported by what two entities?

A) data compiled by the New York State Police and New York Bureau for Municipal Police
B) the BJS's Victimization Surveys and the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports
C) homicides as reported by public health departments and theft claims reported by auto insurance companies
D) the New York and New Jersey Port Authority and Regional Fusion Centers

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Whether Compstat conflicts with community-oriented policing depends primarily on

A) one's definition of community-oriented policing.
B) one's definition of Compstat.
C) whether problem solving is part of Compstat.
D) whether data-driven deployment is part of Compstat.

Question 5

Compstat was developed in what decade?

A) 1970s
B) 1980s
C) 1990s
D) 2000s

Question 6

Enforcement aimed at specific offenses committed by specific offenders at specific times and places is referred to as

A) problem-oriented policing.
B) the root-cause approach.
C) crime-specific policing.
D) concentrated patrol.

Question 7

From an organizational development perspective,the implementation of Compstat in New York City was a classic

A) application of the managerial grid.
B) reinvention of an organization.
C) comprehensive Theory Z implementation.
D) selective Theory Y implementation.

Question 8

Ultimately,the linkage between Compstat and community policing is best described by which of the following statements?

A) At the core, they reflect the same approach to crime control.
B) Compstat is a variant of community policing.
C) Community policing is a variant of Compstat.
D) Compstat is an alternative to community policing.

Question 9

Describing the role of Compstat as a strategic approach by the phrase "headlight in the middle of night" infers that the role of Compstat may be simply

A) accountability.
B) real-time crime analysis.
C) data-driven management.
D) focusing.

Question 10

An evaluation of Compstat's implementation in Fort Worth,Texas,suggests that the central strategic element of the Compstat model is

A) focusing.
B) broken windows enforcement.
C) command accountability.
D) community engagement.

Question 11

The Compstat strategy meetings as originally conducted in NYPD are best characterized as

A) "Mickey Mouse."
B) cordial, even friendly.
C) firm but friendly.
D) hard, cold, and cruel.

Question 12

Under the Compstat accountability model,the focus of accountability is on what role?

A) chief of police (sheriff)
B) assistant chiefs
C) unit commanders
D) patrol officers

Question 13

The implication of the scientific premise represented by Occam's Razor is that in New York City in the 1990s

A) social factors explain the drop in crime.
B) economic factors explain the drop in crime.
C) demographic factors explain the drop in crime.
D) Compstat explains the drop in crime.

Question 14

The origins of Compstat occurred in what police department?

A) New York City Police Department
B) New York City Transit Police Department
C) Chicago Police Department
D) Los Angeles Police Department

Question 15

Compstat can be regarded as a combination of a

A) strategy and a management style
B) tactic and a management style
C) strategy and a philosophy
D) theory and a philosophy

Question 16

As an amalgam of strategic approaches,Compstat has been characterized as a

A) theory.
B) paradigm.
C) hypothesis.
D) philosophy.

Question 17

The individual credited with being the "inventor" of Compstat is

A) William Bratton.
B) George Kelling.
C) Robert Trojanowicz.
D) Herman Goldstein.

Question 18

Findings in Fort Worth,Texas,note Compstat's central strategic element as which of the following?

A) focusing as engendered by problem-oriented approaches
B) differential effect of broken windows enforcement
C) criticality of command accountability
D) importance of maintaining community engagement

Question 19

The series of books written about Compstat's implementation in New York City are premised upon the assumption that Compstat is

A) a total and complete failure.
B) still an unproven concept.
C) a dramatic and successful innovation.
D) "everything that works" in policing.

Question 20

The primary components of Compstat include

A) surveillance of known offenders.
B) surveillance of high-crime locations.
C) broken windows enforcement.
D) drug house crackdowns.