DescriptionPublic budgeting is a core issue within the public administration field. Public administrators have to make difficult budgeting choices with limited public resources. How public funds are allocated is a central focus of both elected and appointed public administrators regardless of the size or make-up of a municipality. Municipalities struggle to meet the demands of their constituents and provide necessary services within a framework of limited resources and political pressure. Law enforcement is one aspect of public budgets that is both necessary and expensive. Programs that increase the efficiency and effectiveness of law enforcement services are important factors within given budgetary constraints. Compstat is one such program that was developed and implemented by the New York City Police Department in 1994. This study uses crime rates, public budgets, demographic variables and public grants to examine whether the success that Compstat had in reducing crime rates in New York City caused spillover effects onto neighboring New Jersey and New York comparison cities. The primary focus being the budgetary effects on the comparison cities from 1991 (pre-Compstat) to 1997 (post-Compstat). This study is a comparative analysis of: budget data, Uniformed Crime Reporting (UCR) crime-rate statistics, demographic statistics from United States Census and Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant funding. New York City was compared to four cities in ii Westchester County, New York (Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, White Plains and Yonkers) and four cities in New Jersey (Elizabeth, Hoboken, Jersey City and Newark). The comparative analysis revealed that while the New York comparison cities experienced crime rate declines from 1991 to 1997, they did not experience unusual budget increases. The New Jersey comparison cities crime rates fell but remained higher than the New York comparison cities and New York City. The main finding was that the New Jersey comparison cities experienced substantial upticks in their total police budgets from 1994 to 1997. Regressions and correlations were performed on relevant data that upheld the null hypothesis that Compstat in New York City had not effect on UCR crime rates in the New Jersey and New York comparison cities. The dissertation concludes that the comparative analysis produced mixed results, especially in New Jersey, where police performance lacked commensurate budget accountability.