Sheriff’s Department Unveils Wider Use of Computers

Taking its place among a growing number of law enforcement agencies that are fighting crime with the help of computerized number-crunching, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department showed off an extensive new program Wednesday aimed at scrutinizing the effectiveness of its troops.

Called the Sheriff’s Critical Issues Forum, or SCIF, the high-tech program is aimed at keeping a close tab on crime statistics while making sure captains at area stations are dealing with such problems as excessive force, discourtesy complaints and deputy-involved traffic accidents.

Sheriff Sherman Block said the effort, modeled after the New York Police Department’s widely recognized COMPSTAT program, is aimed at enhancing department performance and deputy accountability. The computerized statistics are used, as in the COMPSTAT program and a new LAPD program called FASTRAK, to determine how better to fight crime in various neighborhoods.

By blending crime statistics and employee performance reviews, sheriff’s officials have developed a “holistic” approach to tracking the department’s progress, officials say. So far, the efforts seem to be working.

“I strongly favor the use of methods like SCIF to enhance the accountability of station captains on a wider variety of topics, including crime within their particular station area,” said attorney Merrick Bobb, retained by the Board of Supervisors to track problems in the Sheriff’s Department. “When all the bases are covered, one can correct the apparent flaws.”

The program works this way: At the beginning of every month department number-crunchers put together statistics for major crimes and for a variety of personnel issues. The captains and their staff are summoned to a meeting to discuss their successes and shortcomings. They are given a list of goals and asked to come back with a report the next month.

Although the LAPD does not anticipate having its FASTRAK program fully operational until January, the sheriff’s program has been up and running for several months.

Feeling confident that the kinks had been worked out, the department invited members of the media to attend a portion of Wednesday’s session.

Gathered around a horseshoe- shaped table in a darkened room, the department’s top brass peppered captains with questions as station crime statistics were flashed on a screen behind them. Under the glare of several television cameras, the captains of the Lakewood and Norwalk stations tried to explain increases in such crimes as domestic violence and fraud, and what they were doing about it.

After Lakewood station officials hemmed and hawed a bit, Assistant Sheriff Mike Graham said: “I’d like more than a guess.” He then ordered the staff back next month with answers.

“I’d be happy to do that,” said a staff lieutenant, a bit sheepishly.

Captains call the process getting “SCIFFED.”

“I’ll be candid with you,” said Capt. Marvin Cavanaugh, who is in charge of the Lakewood station. “The very first time we were asked to come up, all of us looked at each other and said, ‘Oh, my goodness.’ But there’s no question about it, there’s a lot of validity in what we are doing here.”