Jack Maple's Revolutionary Idea: Comstat

Jack Maple, a former transit cop, was appointed as the second in command of the New York City Police Department. He introduced a system called Comstat, which aimed to transform the police department and reduce crime rates. With Comstat, every precinct was required to track every crime on a daily basis and share the data with Maple. This data-driven approach allowed the police department to identify crime patterns and target repeat offenders. Despite initial resistance, Comstat proved successful, leading to a significant drop in crime rates, including a 39% decrease in felonies and a return to murder rates not seen since the early 1970s.