Résumé
This study aims to explore the effectiveness of ALPR systems within the
framework of intelligence-led policing in two specific ways. First, the impact of ALPR
systems on policing will be analyzed through assessments of crime clearance rates
(follow-up arrests). In addition to impact analysis, ALPR mobile units and traditional
policing will be compared for their manpower and cost effectiveness. Second, this study
will identify and recommend the most effective strategies for deployment of ALPR units
based on optimal crime reduction benefits through arrests and crime prevention
techniques. Using the tenets of specific theories of crime prevention, including offender
search theory and crime pattern theory, this study examines whether crime prevention
theory can assist researchers and police leaders to optimally allocate ALPR mobile units
to prevent crime before it occurs. Based on this analysis, specific recommendations
regarding deployment of ALPR units will be provided.
The current study is organized into five remaining chapters. Chapter 2 begins
with a brief review of policing strategies to create a basis for the distinction of policing
philosophies and the organizational structure of police work. Specific attention will be
given to intelligence-led policing (ILP) strategies. The underlying premises of ILP will
be used to develop a framework that directs discussions regarding effective crime control
models.
Chapter 3 specifically focuses on ALPR as an example of an approach that
furthers the goals of the data-driven, ILP model. Following a descriptive overview of
ALPR technology, the scant literature regarding the effectiveness of ALPR is reviewed.
Given the implications of ALPR for possible crime prevention, specific tenets of relevant
crime prevention theories are reviewed in the context of how they might be utilized to
improve the effectiveness of ALPR systems.
Chapter 4 presents in detail the study’s specific research questions and
hypotheses, and provides a description of the multiple data sources used to examine these
questions. The proposed analytical strategy, as well as the strengths and limitations of
the study’s methodology, are reviewed. The results of the proposed analyses will be
Chapter 5 in the final dissertation, while the discussion and implications of these findings
will comprise Chapter 6.
It is anticipated that this research will bring two new insights into the policing
literature. First, the evaluation of the effectiveness of data driven approaches (using
ALPR units as an example) will provide a guide for police departments seeking to
empirically determine the value of other data-driven techniques. Second, policing
scholars have stressed that the importance of data management methods in crime
prevention is generally neglected (Manning, 2001; Webb, Smith, & Laycock, 2004).
This study intends to bridge this gap by focusing on strategic deployment of ALPR
mobile units using crime prevention theory as a guide.