NCJ Number
132647
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 38 Issue: 10 Dated: (October 1990) Pages: 97-99
Date Published
1990
Length
3 pages
Annotation
One police department has developed an approach that provides management with directed production standards in specific areas but that gives police officers real choices in the techniques and methods they wish to apply.
Abstract
The approach involves assigning points to all possible activities and allowing police officers to develop their own minimum baseline production points. Minimum point requirements are set in such areas as parking citations and traffic documents. Each patrol officer must have 30 points per month in traffic documents to meet minimum production standards. Only 100 points in traffic documents will be counted toward the minimum monthly standard. Responding to a call is worth one point. If the police officer has to write a written report of the incident, three additional points are added. Arrests carry a larger point value, felonies are usually 10 points, most misdemeanors are 6 points, and driving while intoxicated arrests are 8 points because of the processing time involved. Special details, extraordinary jobs, directed research, and other contributions may be rewarded with bonus points. A computer program keeps track of police officer activities and points, and the data become part of several management information reports. Participating police officers are continually aware of where they are since they receive individual computer printouts every few days. The approach makes production evaluation an ongoing process that takes place daily and is reported monthly.