NCJ Number
88289
Date Published
1982
Length
21 pages
Annotation
The chapter opens with consideration of information needed for police decisionmaking, followed by discussions of research; planning; written policies, procedures, and rules; budgeting; grant planning; and tools for planning and control.
Abstract
Without necessary data and research, administrative decisions are likely to be mediocre. A management information system is an organized method of providing a manager with just the data needed, when they are needed, and in a form which aids understanding and stimulates action. Data on reported crimes, traffic accidents, arrests, property recovered, and clearance rates are basic for decisionmaking. Data on victimization studies, use of personnel and other resources, and costs of services performed may also be valuable for certain decisionmaking. The development of information through research is also important for decisionmaking. Inhouse research can include analysis of paperwork to improve procedures, salary surveys of police agencies to compare wages, comparison of police strength per unit of population among police agencies, and the development of deployment formulas to distribute personnel according to need. Major research projects typically have been conducted by outside researchers with the cooperation of police practitioners. While research involves gathering, analyzing, and reporting data, planning is projecting into the future those courses of action required to reach agency goals. Planning involves setting agency goals and unit objectives, determining cost-effectiveness, long-range planning, and the construction of reports on topics which include recommended action. Policies should be reduced to writing and distributed to agency employees, preferably in the form of an agency manual. Budgeting is both an administrative planning function and a control function, and grant planning is an important part of expanding the resources available for specific plans. Twenty-seven footnotes are listed.