At the UM Police Department, Continuous Improvement (CI) is an everyday method of solving problems and improving services. We use CI to analyze data of all types, from crimes to open doors. We use CI tools to determine causes of problems and develop and implement solutions. One of our greatest has been the Auto Theft Reduction Continuous Improvement team.

This team examined auto theft on campus because of the value and emotional impact of the loss to its victims (our customers). Before the development of the data based planning the Department was reactive in its approach to auto theft. If there was a increase in theft (perceived or real) officers would be deployed in various ways to apprehend offenders or deter future auto thefts. This reactive approach was generally "hit or miss," and wasted University resources.

The team analyzed auto thefts data from several prior years. The team looked for trends in auto thefts. Data was broken down by month, day of week, time of day, and location. The team discovered peaks on three days of the week between a set group of hours. Four parking lots proved to be the campus hot spots.

Armed with the knowledge harvested from the data analysis, the Auto Theft Reduction Plan was implemented. The plan deploys two security guards on bicycles to patrol the lots most commonly stolen from. A police officer, in a marked patrol car, was also deployed to patrol these lots. It was the team's hypothesis that a strategically deployed, highly visible patrol effort would deter car thieves. The police officer assigned has no other responsibilities except to patrol the determined parking lots and be available to respond immediately to calls of suspicious activity in those lots.

The plan was implemented in September 1999. The graph below displays the results. Most of the 39 auto thefts in 1999 occurred before implementation of the plan (September 1999). By carefully focusing on the data and deploying resources accordingly we have seen a solid return on invested resources. The results have saved our customers thousands of dollars and untold emotional distress.

Relative to past history, ten auto or bicycle thefts may seem like a small number, but to the UM Police Department it is ten more than we want. We will continue our efforts to reduce this number even more. It is our commitment to maximize our contribution to the quality of life on campus and to make our campus the safest possible environment to foster knowledge and growth.