The Allocation Models Analysis
The first point under consideration is to analyze one of the four existing allocation models, which is an allocation by queuing models. The premises of this very model are to be revealed in the example of the patrol car operations. Green and Kolesar (1984) admits that “many police departments use queuing models to assist in the management of their patrol car operations” (p. 665). As Fritsch, Liederbach, Taylor, and Caeti (2009) indicate, “queuing models combined probabilistic demands for service with geographic considerations in an effort to reduce the amount of time in responding to urgent calls for service” (p. 33). The advantage of this alternative is its ability to connect the urgent calls that the patrol cars receive and the queues that are established mathematically in advance according to the statistic data. At the same time, the main disadvantage of this model is that it does not distinguish the high priority calls and low priority calls that may lead to particular complications during the activities of the patrol car units. Hence, the usage of this model in the modern busy city should be limited.
Turning to the second question, two chosen data-driven variables are calls for service and service time, while policing service model and response are the policy variables used in allocation studies. The importance of the calls of service lies in its ability to determine how much officers are needed for the particular department (Fritsch, 2013, p. 7). In turn, service time indicates the period of time from the moment the officer begins to react to the call received and the moment when the call is cleared. This helps to estimate the average time needed for dealing with a matter. Next, choosing a specific type of policing directly affects such feature as the time needed for the police effort. Finally, response time shows the efficiency of the police patrol department.
References
Fritsch, E. J. (2013). Factors that impact police patrol allocation. Hugo Neighborhood Association & Historical Society. Retrieved from http://www.hugoneighborhood.org/JSPSS_2013_FactorsPolicePatrolAllocationWhitePaper.pdf
Fritsch, E. J., Liederbach, J. R., Taylor, R. W., & Caeti, M. (2009). Police patrol allocation and deployment. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.
Green, L., & Kolesar, P. (1984). A comparison of the multiple dispatch and M/M/c priority queuing models of police patrol. Management Science, 30(6), …
