How capital technologies affect municipal service outcomes: The case of police mobile digital terminals and stolen vehicle recoveries

Mobile digital terminals (MDTs) are two-way computers, installed inside police vehicles, that provide officers with remote data base prospecting capabilities. Proponents argue that MDTs help officers recover stolen property. Several Texas police departments implemented MDT systems in the 1980s. This article assesses how MDTs in Dallas and Fort Worth affected vehicle theft recoveries, in comparison to a city with no MDTs, Austin. Five hypotheses are evaluated in a multiple interrupted time series design using ANOVA, response surface analysis, and pooled time series regression. The analysis of recoveries before and after intervention in two MDT cities and one non-MDT control city suggests that the technology is linked with increases in vehicle theft recoveries. The magnitude of improvement in recoveries associated with MDTs is more significant at lower levels of vehicle thefts. Austin showed some improvement in recovery rates without using MDTs, so other factors besides the technology are likely to be important.