Concept of Rank and Assignment (From Rank and Assignment Organizational Structure, P 3-6, 1973 - See NCJ-73494)

• NCJ Number: 73495
• Author(s): V G Strecher
• Date Published: 1973
• Length: 5 pages
• Grant Number(s): 73-02
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

The first chapter of the volume describing the rank and assignment project of the St. Louis County Police Department (Missouri) focuses on the objectives of the rank and assignment system, and outline issues involved in police management and the characteristics and intended effects of the system.

Abstract

The major objective of the rank and assignment concept is to directly and substantially improve the quality of police services by improving the quality of police management. A secondary objective is to meet the needs of evolving police organizational forms which require flexible and discretionary personnel utilization systems. Some of the issues in police management to which the rank and assignment system responds include the inflexibility of a crystalized rank structure, the absence of ongoing incentives and realistic inducements for both promoted and aspiring personnel, the lack of managerial accountability, the lack of job security in those agencies where all managers serve at the pleasure of the executive, the administrative dilemma between accountability and security, the absence of suitable management selection techniques, and the overly general treatment of police management needs. The St. Louis County Police Department's rank and assignment system continues the existing rank hierarchy and salary ranges for each permanent rank, while developing an assignment salary schedule based on analysis and classification of all departmental management positions and improving techniques for the assignment of the best qualified personnel to these positions. It is anticipated that the system will lead to greater flexibility in assignment of available managerial talent to appropriate positions, expand access of department personnel to managerial assignments, improve morale, make better matches between assignments and personnel, and use more fully the special skills and abilities of department personnel. Footnotes are included. For related information, see NCJ 73494, 73496, and 73497.