NCJ Number
137645
Date Published
1989
Length
52 pages
Annotation
This booklet provides a starting point from which a community's chief executive officer, the public, the media, and others can gauge the quality of their police chief's performance.
Abstract
After a brief discussion of the role of the modern police chief, the booklet identifies six traps to avoid in assessing a police chief's performance. Overall assessment should not focus on the chief's personality, departmental morale per se, the degree to which the chief is controversial, crime statistics, other single issues, or the assumption that the chief is doing a good job or he/she would not be the chief. The assessment should ascertain whether the chief is a strong leader who sets goals and leads toward them by inspiring employees and involving them in the development of departmental strategies. The chief should use people, equipment, and facilities to the best advantage within resource limitations. Other criteria for performance evaluation are the chief's ability to establish and maintain productive and effective working relationships; to make timely, well-considered decisions; to communicate ideas and information effectively; to provide information on departmental operations to the community; to develop constructive departmental values; to professionalize the department; and to develop appropriate crime strategies. Other issues that should be considered are creativity and innovation, integrity, management of the use of force, the labor climate, fairness, consistency, delegation of responsibility, and the development of subordinates. A 7-item bibliography and information on the development of a values statement and the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies are included.