A typological approach to studying policing

Policing in the United States has experienced immense change throughout the past quarter-century. Although police agencies have shared their goals of preserving life and protecting property, their philosophies and practices for achieving these goals have differed. The present research, therefore, explores patterns in policing via a novel, typological approach. Using six waves of data (1993, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2007, and 2013) from the Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) data series, we first employ factor analyses to generate indices for six important policing dimensions: (1) officer diversity, (2) community policing, (3) patrol strategy diversity, (4) militancy, (5) technology, and (6) staffing rigor. Using these indices, we then employ latent class analyses to construct typologies of police agencies, and examine the distribution of such typologies across space at various points in time. Our results reveal several key findings. We detect consistent patterns in typologies across time, including classes with high militancy, high diversity, or low staffing rigor (among others). Within these sets of classes, we also detect micro-heterogeneity amongst patterns of index values: for example, subsets of classes which all score high on one dimension but score high versus low on other dimensions. Finally, we find evidence to suggest spatial convergence of typologies in one large geographic region: Southern California. By offering a multidimensional classification scheme over a 20-year period, we contribute to the policing literature by highlighting the importance and implications of studying multiple policing dimensions simultaneously

What came first: the police or the incident? Bidirectional relationships between police actions and police incidents

The present research examines the long-term, bidirectional relationships between calls for service, crime, and two police patrol strategies in Santa Monica, California: foot patrol and police stops. Using nine years of monthly data (2006–2014), we estimate two sets of block-level, longitudinal models to tease apart these relationships. In our first set of models, we use police actions and calls for service in the preceding month(s) to predict crime in the subsequent month. In our second set of models, we use calls for service and crime in the preceding month(s) to predict police actions in the subsequent month. We find that while changes in calls for service and crime often precede changes in police action, changes in crime also tend to follow them. For example, police stops appear to be particularly receptive to burglary: blocks with more burglaries receive greater numbers of police stops, and blocks with more police stops have reduced odds of experiencing burglary. We also find that the length of effects of predictors varies as a function of predictor and outcome: whereas some predictors exhibit short temporal effects (e.g. one month), other predictors exhibit much longer temporal effects (e.g. twelve months). Our results thus provide important insight into the spatial and temporal relationships between police actions and police incidents. Police actions must be neatly tailored to police incidents at precise levels if long-term deterrent effects at these levels are to be achieved

A Longitudinal Study Involving The Utilization Of A Team-Oriented Structure And An Enterprise Resource Planning Framework In A Medium-Sized Organization

The paper provides an analysis of a custom manufacturer facing issues of growth, productivity concerns, changes in technology, competitive threats, financial management, marketing development, and internal human resource responsibilities, and the response to these issues.  The paper traces the changes that took place in this medium-sized organization over a fifteen-year period in order to improve the culture of the company.  The implementation of a team oriented structure utilizing an external change agent, and the reorganization of employee responsibilities in a major restructuring effort are discussed.  A new enterprise resource planning system (ERP) was implemented to operate and coordinate the company.  The authors analyze in detail the evolution that has taken place in the company over the last four years.  The major benefits and learnings of the change are presented

Southern annular mode dynamics in observations and models, Part II: Eddy feedbacks

Many global climate models (GCMs) have trouble simulating Southern Annular Mode (SAM) variability correctly, particularly in the Southern Hemisphere summer season where it tends to be too persistent. In this two part study, a suite of experiments with the Canadian Middle Atmosphere Model (CMAM) is analyzed to improve our understanding of the dynamics of SAM variability and its deficiencies in GCMs. Here, an examination of the eddy-mean flow feedbacks is presented by quantification of the feedback strength as a function of zonal scale and season using a new methodology that accounts for intraseasonal forcing of the SAM. In the observed atmosphere, in the summer season, a strong negative feedback by planetary scale waves, in particular zonal wavenumber 3, is found in a localized region in the south west Pacific. It cancels a large proportion of the positive feedback by synoptic and smaller scale eddies in the zonal mean, resulting in a very weak overall eddy feedback on the SAM. CMAM is deficient in this negative feedback by planetary scale waves, making a substantial contribution to its bias in summertime SAM persistence. Furthermore, this bias is not alleviated by artificially improving the climatological circulation, suggesting that climatological circulation biases are not the cause of the planetary wave feedback deficiency in the model. Analysis of the summertime eddy feedbacks in the CMIP-5 models confirms that this is indeed a common problem among GCMs, suggesting that understanding this planetary wave feedback and the reason for its deficiency in GCMs is key to improving the fidelity of simulated SAM variability in the summer season

Southern annular mode dynamics in observations and models, Part I: The influence of climatological zonal wind biases in a comprehensive GCM

A common bias among global climate models (GCMs) is that they exhibit tropospheric southern annular mode (SAM) variability that is much too persistent in the Southern Hemisphere (SH) summertime. This is of concern for the ability to accurately predict future SH circulation changes, so it is important that it be understood and alleviated. In this two-part study, specifically targeted experiments with the Canadian Middle Atmosphere Model (CMAM) are used to improve understanding of the enhanced summertime SAM persistence. Given the ubiquity of this bias among comprehensive GCMs, it is likely that the results will be relevant for other climate models. Here, in Part I, the influence of climatological circulation biases on SAM variability is assessed, with a particular focus on two common biases that could enhance summertime SAM persistence: the too-late breakdown of the Antarctic stratospheric vortex and the equatorward bias in the SH tropospheric midlatitude jet. Four simulations are used to investigate the role of each of these biases in CMAM. Nudging and bias correcting procedures are used to systematically remove zonal-mean stratospheric variability and/or remove climatological zonal wind biases. The SAM time-scale bias is not alleviated by improving either the timing of the stratospheric vortex breakdown or the climatological jet structure. Even in the absence of stratospheric variability and with an improved climatological circulation, the model time scales are biased long. This points toward a bias in internal tropospheric dynamics that is not caused by the tropospheric jet structure bias. The underlying cause of this is examined in more detail in Part II of this study

1,4-Bis(iodo­meth­yl)benzene

The centrosymmetric title compound, C8H8I2, was prepared by metathesis from the dibromo analogue. In the crystal structure, weak C—H⋯I inter­actions link the mol­ecules into stacks down the b axis. The structure is further stabilized by short I⋯I contacts [3.8433 (2) Å], forming undulating sheets in the (101) plane

Propagation Effectiveness of the Surrogator for Northern Bobwhites in Southern Texas

Attempts to restore populations of northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) using pen-raised quail have been documented since the early 1900s. Low restoration success, based on low post-release survival rates and long distance dispersal from release sites, have proven the ineffectiveness of pen-raised quail in restoration of wild populations. The Surrogatort, a recent quail propagation tool using pen-raised quail, has been publicized as a method for increasing success rates in restoration of northern bobwhite populations by producing higher post-release survival and minimal dispersal. We tested the hypothesis that the Surrogatort is an effective means of supplementing populations of northern bobwhites in southern Texas. We raised 1,000 northern bobwhites in 2 Surrogators and conducted 2 trials in 2010 on a 990-ha ranch in Wilson County, Texas. Twenty northern bobwhites from each Surrogator were fitted with radio transmitters 12 hrs before release. We attempted to locate each bird daily for 3 weeks upon release from Surrogators followed by a reduced effort of 3 times per week until 100% mortality. Daily survival rates were low in Trial 1 (Surrogator A 1⁄4 0.87 and Surrogator B 1⁄4 0.96) and Trial 2 (Surrogator A 1⁄4 0.83 and Surrogator B 1⁄4 0.87). Mean distances traveled by post-released birds for Trial 1 were 401 and 1,416 m for Surrogators A and B, respectively. The Surrogator is not an effective means of restoring wild populations of northern bobwhites in southern Texas