GlossaryStaffing, accountability, and public reporting
CompStat
CompStat is a police-management process that uses timely information, analysis, regular review, and responsibility for follow-through to address crime and operational problems.
CompStat is a police-management process that uses timely information, analysis, regular review, and responsibility for follow-through to address crime and operational problems. It is more than a crime map or statistics table. Agencies implement the process differently, so the name alone does not establish what information or decisions a meeting covers.
What the review does
The Bureau of Justice Assistance and Police Executive Research Forum's CompStat report describes recurring meetings in which agency leaders examine crime problems and responses. Data support discussion, resource decisions, and later review of whether agreed actions occurred.
A publicly released CompStat table may be only one part of that process. It can provide counts and comparisons without revealing every discussion, assignment, or limitation considered internally. The data's definitions still matter regardless of the management format.
Example
Hypothetical example: A department's review identifies a rise in reported garage burglaries in one district. The district commander explains the data, proposes a response, and returns at a later meeting with results and remaining questions.
The meetings connect analysis with responsibility for follow-up. The initial increase does not, on its own, prove a particular cause, and the later presentation does not establish that the response caused any change without an appropriate assessment.
Common confusion
CompStat is a management process, not a specific software product. Crime analysis supplies information that can support it. A dashboard displays measures and may be used during review without constituting the whole process.
A comparison with last year is also not automatically a performance judgment. Reporting changes and small counts can affect it.
Local scope
Check the agency's description of its meeting structure, measures, review frequency, and responsibilities. A published chart should identify offense definitions, dates, coverage, and revisions. Avoid treating all agencies using the name as having identical practices or verified results.