First-Line Supervision Under Compstat and Community Policing: Lessons From Six Agencies

• NCJ Number: 235952
• Author(s): James J. Willis
• Date Published: July 2011
• Length: 36 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2005-CK-WX-K003
• Sponsoring Agency: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)
• Corporate Author: George Mason University, Ctr for Justice Leadership and Management
• Sale Source: NCJRS Photocopy Services; Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)
• Publication Format: Document (Online); Book (Softbound)
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This third of three reports on an examination of the potential linkages between Compstat and community policing explains what was learned from six on-site focus groups conducted with front-line supervisors, most of whom supervised patrol or community-policing officers.

Abstract

The six police agencies, although differing in size and organization, all reported fully implementing Compstat and community policing. The focus groups discussed how sergeants made decisions and offered guidance on crime and disorder problems. Overall, Compstat's contribution to a data-rich environment helped sergeants identify emerging crime problems and focus patrol resources, but Compstat data were rarely used to promote innovative responses to those problems. Regarding community policing, sergeants expressed strong support for addressing the needs of community residents and providing high-quality service, but they viewed their primary obligation as answering calls for service. The absence of specific reform structures designed to facilitate close working relationships between sergeants, their officers, and local residents and to buffer patrol from the 911 workload made it difficult for patrol sergeants to engage in the kind of in-depth problem solving activities supported by community policing advocates. This approach fell to a relatively small number of community policing specialists. Given these findings, which are consistent with the other reports on this issue, this report suggests envisioning alternative configurations for these reforms so as to improve their strategic focus. Although the experiences of these six police agencies do not necessarily represent those of all departments that have implemented both Compstat and community policing, they do suggest that the role of first-line supervision is underdeveloped. The challenge to policymakers and researchers is to consider how first-line supervision could be restructured to the mutual benefit of both the implementation of Compstat and community policing.