Reducing warrant executions on incorrect addresses: a case of the Fulton County sheriff’s use of a criminal justice information system

ABSTRACT

This teaching case introduces students to the complexities inherent in the design, implementation, and management of criminal justice information systems connected to the execution of warrants for wanted persons. Unlike other types of information systems, such as those used in healthcare and public administration, the research regarding criminal justice information systems is sparse. Implications from these types of information systems have far-reaching consequences for the general public. In this teaching case, students will assume the role of external information systems consultants whose objective is to reduce the prevalence of warrants executed on incorrect addresses searching for wanted persons. Students will conduct a structured analysis of the criminal justice information system from the case text. Next, students will develop and present eleven deliverables, including recommendations written in the form of an executive report or executive presentation that ensures that end-users comply with best practices in addition to known laws and regulations. Sample solutions and a grading rubric are provided in the teaching notes.

KEYWORDS:

• Search Warrants
• Database
• Information Systems
• Systems Analysis
• Crime

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/15228053.2022.2106071

Notes

¹ Currently published annual report is available on the FCSD website. 2014–1018 Annual reports acquired via Open Records Requests and are located in Appendix B.

² Figure 1 is a high-resolution image and can be zoomed in for clarity. Organizational subdivisions relevant to this teaching case are highlighted and discussed in later sections of this paper.

³ The FCSD uses the term criminal warrants in its annual reporting.

⁴ The FCSD utilizes the terms “service” to refer to warrants in which there was an attempted or actual search of premises and only uses the term “executed” for warrants that were “successful”. For this teaching case, we use the generic term “executed” and we explicitly denote success.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.

Notes on contributors

Atiya Avery

Atiya Avery is an Assistant Professor of Information Systems Management at the Harbert College of Business at Auburn University. She has a Ph.D. in Management Information Systems from the University of Illinois at Chicago, an M.S. in Managerial Sciences, and a B.B.A in Risk Management and Insurance, respectively, from Georgia State University. She also holds the Associate in Risk Management, Security+, and Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) designations. Her research interests include infrastructure governance, security breach mitigation and recovery, surveillance, and the changing nature of work. Her research has been presented at refereed regional, national, and international academic conferences.

Renée M.E. Pratt

Renee M.E. Pratt is an Associate Clinical Professor and Director of IS/BUAL Masters and Certificate Programs at Harbert College of Business at Auburn University. She received her doctorate from the College of Business at Florida State University, a master’s (MSIS) from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, and a B.S. in Mathematics from the University of Florida. Also a Fulbright Scholar, she has research interests in post-adoption diffusion, enterprise systems, and healthcare I.T. Her work has appeared in numerous publications and conferences, including MIS Quarterly Executive, Information Systems Journal, and Journal of Information Technology.

Dream Gomez

Dream Gomez is a Senior Systems Engineer with over 15 years of experience in information systems and technology management. She has worked on technology projects, which include business systems analysis, solution implementation, cross-departmental project execution, and end-user documentation and training. She holds the Security+, Network+, and Microsoft Certified Professional designations. She received her Master of Science in Management of Information Technology and Bachelor of Arts in English and Psychology, respectively, from Georgia State University.