CompStat Unit

What is CompStat?

CompStat, short for comparative statistics, is a police management strategy that originated in the New York Police Department in the early 1990s. It has since been widely implemented by agencies of various sizes to effectively deal with crime trends on a timely basis.

CompStat facilitates the Data-Driven Approaches to Crime and Traffic Safety (DDACTS) operational model and Problem-Oriented Policing (POP). It involves collecting, analyzing and mapping crime data and other essential police performance measures on a regular basis and holding police supervisors and managers accountable for their performance as measured by these data.

The CompStat process has four critical components:
1. Accurate and timely intelligence
2. Effective tactics
3. Rapid deployment of personnel and resources
4. Relentless follow-up and assessment

Detective Kelly Summey is the Officer in Charge of the CompStat Unit. The unit works hard to provide all levels of the department with current intelligence, which is then used to form effective tactics to combat crime.

The Chief of Police chairs a bi-monthly CompStat meeting where data is presented and reviewed. The performance of police supervisors and managers is assessed and the resulting recommendations used to create new crime reduction strategies, where resources are allocated to their assigned areas based on current crime trends.