TOWARDS IMPROVING POLICE PATROL PRODUCTIVITY - A METHOD FOR THE IDENTIFICATION AND SELECTION OF PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

• NCJ Number: 68757
• Journal: Public Productivity Review Volume: 3 Issue: 3 Dated: (WINTER 1979) Pages: 67-74
• Author(s): C P SHANNON; R A HANSON
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 8 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THE DENVER REGIONAL COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS (DRCOG) RESEARCH PROGRAM AIMS TO PROVIDE INFORMATION ON THE ALLOCATION OF PATROL RESOURCES WITHIN INDIVIDUAL COMMUNITIES AND TO DEVELOP INTER-COMMUNITY STANDARDS.

Abstract

THE DRCOG RESEARCH HAS A THREEFOLD OBJECTIVE. FIRST, IT INTENDS TO PROVIDE INDIVIDUAL JURISDICTIONS WITH INFORMATION ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DEMANDS FOR PATROL SERVICES AND THE ALLOCATION OF PATROL TIME, SO THAT THE DEGREE TO WHICH SPECIFIC AREAS OF THE COMMUNITY RECEIVE APPROPRIATE LEVELS OF PATROL TIME CAN BE DETERMINED. SECOND, THE RESEARCH AIMS TO BASE INTERCOMMUNITY PATROL PERFORMANCE ON RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN DEMAND FACTORS AND PATROL ALLOCATION WITHIN COMMUNITIES, IN ORDER TO DETERMINE IF AN AGENCY'S ALLOCATION OF PATROL TIME IS RELATED TO ITS EFFECTIVENESS IN ACHIEVING BASIC OBJECTIVES. THE THIRD OBJECTIVE IS TO ASSESS HOW THE AVAILABILITY OF PATROL RESOURCES AFFECTS THE AGENCY'S EFFECTIVENESS. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS MUST BE MEASURED BY A RELATIVE STANDARD, BASED ON THE LEVEL OR VOLUME OF PATROL TIME ALLOCATED TO VARIOUS DEMAND FACTORS WITHIN A JURISDICTION, AND ON AN ABSOLUTE STANDARD, REPRESENTED ON A SCALE OR CONTINUUM DEVELOPED FROM THE EMPIRICAL INTERJURISDICTIONAL RESEARCH. FINDINGS CAN THEN SUGGEST HOW LOCAL DECISIONMAKERS CAN ADJUST PATROL TIME TO ACHIEVE GREATER EFFICIENCY, HELP DETERMINE BASIC RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN DEMAND FACTORS AND THE ALLOCATION OF AGENCY OR PROGRAM RESOURCES, AND FACILITATE COMPARATIVE RESEARCH (IDENTIFYING STANDARDS FROM STUDIES OF SEVERAL JURISDICTIONS). ONE FINAL FEATURE OF THE RESEARCH IS ITS DESIRABLE POLITICAL RAMIFICATIONS, BECAUSE INDIVIDUAL AGENCIES SELECT DEMAND INDICATORS ARE WHICH ARE IMPORTANT TO THAT LOCALITY. MOREOVER, THE RESEARCH UTILIZES STANDARD METHODS OF ANALYSIS AND CAN BE APPLIED TO READILY AVAILABLE OR EASILY OBTAINABLE DATA. OVERALL, THE METHOD AIMS TO ESTABLISH EFFICIENCY AS A CRITERIA IN POLICY MAKING THAT MUST PRECEDE NOTIONS OF EFFECTIVENESS. AN EXAMPLE ILLUSTRATES THE METHOD WITH PATROL AND BURGLARY INDICATORS. FOOTNOTES ARE PROVIDED.