How do investigations actually work? Are we using technology effectively? What about crime prevention?
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We know NYPD has 7,243 detectives and spends $1.26B on detective compensation.
We do not know: How they prioritize cases, how they spend their time, what tools they have, whether technology works, or if prevention programs are effective.
The Technology Mystery: NYPD invests tens of millions in surveillance cameras, license plate readers, ShotSpotter, and predictive analytics. Are these tools helping solve crimes or just expensive security theater?
The Prevention Gap: Prevention is cheaper than enforcement. If violence interruption programs prevent crimes for $1,000 each while arrests cost $10,000, we should shift resources. But NYPD does not evaluate prevention programs rigorously.
Without operational transparency, we cannot determine if NYPD uses resources efficiently or wastes billions on ineffective approaches.
Case assignment and triage systems
If high-value cases (murder, rape) are not prioritized over low-value cases (petty theft), resources are misallocated. Understanding triage systems reveals whether detectives focus on what matters most.
Detective case assignment protocols and workload management data
FOIL request: "Detective case assignment protocols, triage criteria, and average caseload by crime type and detective unit"
Versus paperwork, court, meetings
If detectives spend 60% of time on paperwork and only 40% investigating, that is a massive productivity problem. Time allocation drives clearance rates and reveals bureaucratic inefficiency.
Detective time tracking or activity study data
FOIL request: "Detective time allocation studies or activity logs showing breakdown of time spent on investigation, paperwork, court appearances, administrative tasks"
Case lifecycle and abandonment patterns
If cases are prematurely closed to manage workload, that inflates clearance rates artificially. Understanding case lifecycle reveals if detectives have adequate time to solve cases or are forced to abandon them.
Case-level data with opening date, activity timeline, and closure date
FOIL request: "Case lifecycle data showing days from report to closure, activity frequency, and closure reason (cleared, unfounded, inactive) by crime type"
Database access, forensics, analysis tools
If detectives lack access to modern forensic databases, video analysis tools, or data systems, they cannot solve crimes efficiently. Technology gaps explain low clearance rates and high costs.
Technology inventory and detective feedback on tool adequacy
FOIL request: "Inventory of investigative technology and databases available to detectives, including forensic tools, video analysis systems, and data integration platforms"
Learning from high-performing units
If Bronx detectives clear 62.6% of rapes while Manhattan clears 31.4%, Bronx has best practices worth replicating. Identifying and spreading successful approaches is low-cost, high-impact reform.
Comparative analysis of detective practices across high and low performing units
FOIL request: "Detective investigation protocols, best practices, and training materials by unit" + qualitative interviews with high-performing detective units
Data sharing between units and agencies
If robbery detectives cannot see patterns from burglary detectives, connected cases go unsolved. Data integration is fundamental to modern policing but often fails due to siloed systems.
Information systems architecture and data integration capabilities
FOIL request: "NYPD information systems architecture, database integration capabilities, and data sharing protocols between units and with external agencies (FBI, ATF, etc.)"
Technology investments and outcomes
NYPD invests millions in predictive policing technology. If predictions do not improve clearance rates or prevent crimes, that money is wasted. ROI analysis drives technology investment decisions.
Predictive policing program costs and outcome evaluations
FOIL request: "Predictive policing technology contracts, costs, deployment locations, and evaluation reports measuring impact on crime rates and clearances"
Cameras, license plate readers, ShotSpotter ROI
NYC spends tens of millions on surveillance cameras, license plate readers, and ShotSpotter. If these tools rarely lead to arrests or clearances, they are expensive security theater rather than effective policing.
Surveillance technology costs and effectiveness metrics
FOIL request: "Costs for NYPD surveillance technology (cameras, license plate readers, ShotSpotter) and effectiveness metrics (arrests assisted, cases cleared, response time improvements) by technology type and location"
Regional cooperation and data sharing
Criminals do not respect jurisdictional boundaries. If NYPD cannot easily share intelligence with NYPD Port Authority, MTA Police, or neighboring departments, regional crime patterns go undetected.
Inter-agency data sharing agreements and usage metrics
FOIL request: "Inter-agency data sharing agreements, joint task force participation, and intelligence sharing frequency with regional law enforcement partners"
Community programs, interventions, partnerships
Prevention is cheaper than enforcement. If successful programs (youth mentoring, violence interruption, community partnerships) prevent crimes, they should be expanded. Need to know what exists and what works.
Inventory of crime prevention programs with budgets and outcomes
FOIL request: "List of NYPD crime prevention programs, community partnerships, and intervention initiatives with annual budgets and outcome evaluations (2020-2025)"
Evidence-based program evaluation
Without rigorous evaluation, we fund feel-good programs that may not work while defunding effective ones. Evidence-based evaluation separates what works from what does not.
Program evaluation reports with control groups and outcome measures
FOIL request: "Crime prevention program evaluation reports including methodology, control groups, outcome measures, and cost-effectiveness analysis"
Cost per crime prevented versus cost per arrest
If prevention programs prevent crimes for $1,000 each while enforcement costs $10,000 per arrest, we should shift resources to prevention. ROI comparison drives optimal resource allocation.
Cost-effectiveness analysis comparing prevention and enforcement
Requires econometric analysis combining program evaluation data, crime rate changes, and program costs to estimate cost per crime prevented
Alternative resource allocation
If effective prevention reduces crime by 20%, we need fewer officers and detectives. Understanding prevention ROI reveals whether current enforcement-heavy approach is optimal or wasteful.
Modeling of crime reduction scenarios under different prevention investment levels
Requires academic research modeling crime rate sensitivity to prevention investments using historical program data and crime trends
Investigation Opacity: We do not know how detectives prioritize cases, spend their time, or close cases. Without this data, we cannot determine if low clearance rates result from inadequate resources, poor training, bad management, or case overload.
Technology Black Box: NYPD spends tens of millions on surveillance cameras, license plate readers, ShotSpotter, and predictive analytics. Yet we have no public data on whether these investments improve clearance rates, prevent crimes, or just create expensive surveillance infrastructure with minimal public safety value.
Intelligence Silos: Modern policing requires data integration across units and agencies. If robbery detectives cannot see burglary patterns, connected crimes go unsolved. We have no transparency on whether NYPD information systems enable or prevent effective intelligence sharing.
Prevention Desert: Crime prevention is demonstrably cheaper than enforcement. Yet we have no systematic evaluation of prevention programs, no cost-effectiveness analysis, and no way to determine if shifting resources from enforcement to prevention would improve outcomes.
The Core Problem: Operational decisions determine whether NYPD spends $6 billion effectively or wastefully. Without transparency on investigations, technology, intelligence, and prevention, we are blind to whether current operations make sense or need fundamental reform.