The Port Jervis Police Department plans to enhance crime data collection and analysis to develop more effective policing strategies this year, according to police chief William Worden.
The department is partnering with the Albany-based John F. Finn Institute for Public Safety to dive deep into the city’s data and produce monthly reports.
“I truly believe that data—data that is simple to comprehend and actionable—will help us better focus our activities and turn around some of these increases of violence we are seeing,” he said.
In the past year, the number of aggravated assaults in the city jumped by 48 percent compared to 2021, weapons offenses by 20 percent, robberies by 20 percent, and arrests by nearly a quarter.
One potential benefit of the partnership is to identify hot spots for targeted policing, Worden said.
In terms of data collection, the department will have a two-year worth of data under the more advanced National Incident-based Reporting System (NIBRS) by the end of the year.
Compared to the traditional FBI Uniform Crime Reporting system, NIBRS collects more details of incidents and provides greater flexibility for analysis.
For example, for an incident where multiple crimes are involved, the FBI system only requires the recording of the highest offense. In contrast, up to 10 offenses per incident can be recorded under NIBRS.
NIBRS also collects enhanced information about locations of offenses, demographic details, and victim types, among other things.
“It is extremely extensive, and I can get a good understanding of where exactly [incidents] are occurring and a pretty accurate trend,” Worden said.
He added that as important as data-led policing is, it is just one strategy under the overarching community policing umbrella that his police department operates under.
Community Policing
“I am a firm believer in what Sir Robert Peel advocated,” Worden said. “What he believed is that the police are the community, and the community are the police.”Peel created the first British police force and was widely regarded as the founder of modern policing.
“I think today it resonates more than ever—we must get back to working closely in partnership with the community because problem-solving is a community effort, not just a police effort,” he added.
Port Jervis police work with various community and nonprofit organizations—such as the warming center, Interfaith Council, Easterseals, and St. Mary’s Food Pantry—to protect and care for the most vulnerable population in the city, he said.
“Most often, our most vulnerable population also sustain higher victimization rates because of the lifestyle exposure that they are in,” he said. “So it is very important for police officers to reach out to [them].”
The department will also continue collaborating with other law enforcement agencies to disrupt regional crime patterns, particularly because Port Jervis is a border city within the tri-state region.
“Many of the individuals who are responsible for narcotics trafficking and violence occurring in my community are responsible for crimes in other communities as well,” he said. “So by sharing our resources, we can target that organized criminality on a regional basis.”
This year, the department will also start the process of seeking accreditation from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, which sets 110 standards in the areas of administration, training, and operations for law enforcement agencies.
“It will force us to examine every aspect of our operations and to perfect it,” Worden said. “We are looking forward to the challenging work.”
