NCJ Number
200278
Date Published
April 2003
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This report summarizes findings from the most recent examination of Chicago's Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS), which pertain to accountability in management within the Chicago Police Department (CPD).
Abstract
In February 2000, the CPD's Office of Management Accountability (OMA) was established to oversee the process of holding district commanders and area deputy chiefs (commander's immediate superiors) accountable for determining crime trends and identifying and responding to community concerns and management issues. Creating, implementing, and evaluating the results of the districts' Strategic Operational Plans (SOPs) lies at the heart of the accountability process. These plans identify the offenders, victims, and locations that district management teams have prioritized, the specific steps they will take to counter them, and their crime-reduction goals. The five districts that comprise each police area participate quarterly in formal sessions at which their plans and accomplishments are evaluated. There are also area-level plans, which are formulated when it is clear that a problem transcends district boundaries. More formal still are the upper-level evaluation reviews held at police headquarters. During these sessions, senior executives assess the effectiveness with which the department's core missions are being addressed. Each session focuses on one district and its management team. OMA analysts have examined in advance whether or not the district's strategic plans were implemented; whether concerns expressed by the community are being addressed; and whether the department's numerous and highly independent specialized units are contributing to the effort. The CPD's accountability process currently focuses on traditional crime and unit performance measures to determine whether there is a problem, whether something is being done about it, and whether the problem is being resolved. Managers in the field recognize that these measures undervalue important elements of community policing, including public satisfaction and the formation of police-community partnerships. There are no measures of two objectives specified in the department's mission statements, i.e., fear of crime and satisfaction among the department's "customers." Although accountability is now an official feature of the CPD's operation, senior managers throughout the city must believe in the process and remain committed to making it work in order for the accountability process to become embedded in departmental culture.