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Performance management in police agencies: A conceptual

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Article  in  Policing An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management · March 2010

DOI: 10.1108/13639511011020575

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PIJPSM
33,1 Performance management in
police agencies: a conceptual
framework
6
Jon M. Shane
John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York, New York, USA
Received 1 December 2008
Reviewed 29 April 2009
Accepted 8 June 2009
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to define a systematic management structure that helps
police practitioners institutionalize performance management and analysis in more rational-technical
ways.
Design/methodology/approach – The design is based on Gold’s “complete participant” field
researcher method.
Findings – The findings suggest a performance management model is more rational than the
traditional command-control model and may increase consistency in police management by
systematically collecting and reporting on streams of data to measure performance instead of relying
on rote compliance.
Research limitations/implications – The model is limited because it does not account for
important intangible qualities of performance (e.g. attitude, initiative, judgment); in the hands of
autocratic managers it can be oppressive and cause more problems than it solves; it may constrain
officer discretion; it has not been advanced as a learning instrument; and performance indicators are
subject to measurement error.
Practical implications – Most police agencies are already capturing the necessary data elements to
implement a performance management model. Police executives and policymakers can use this model
to definitively measure how well police agencies and individual programs are performing.
Originality/value – The paper represents an opportunity for police practitioners to embrace a new
management process intended to improve performance and accountability. The framework is a
universal management process that can be applied to any size police agency or any police program.
Keywords Police, Performance management, Performance measures
Paper type Conceptual paper

Introduction
Performance management is a systematic effort to improve performance through an
ongoing process of establishing desired outcomes, setting performance standards, then
collecting, analyzing and reporting on streams of data to improve individual and
collective performance (Whitaker et al., 1982). Policing has begun adopting this is
evolving management paradigm, which represents a departure from the traditional
management approach police agencies are accustomed to working with. Traditional
police management and supervision place an emphasis on compliance through command
Policing: An International Journal of and control doctrine, “means over ends” (Goldstein, 1979, p. 238) and symbolism (i.e.
Police Strategies & Management “appearances”) (Manning, 1978, p. 192), consistent with institutional theory of the police
Vol. 33 No. 1, 2010
pp. 6-29 (Crank, 2003; Crank and Langworthy, 1992; Mastrofski and Uchida, 1996; Meyer and
q Emerald Group Publishing Limited
1363-951X
Rowan, 1977). From the top of the organization to the bottom, compliance[1] is the
DOI 10.1108/13639511011020575 watchword: strict compliance with policy, rules, regulations, verbal orders and written
directives are at the root of police officers’ activities, often at the expense of performance Performance
(Alpert and Smith, 1994; Cordner, 1989; LeBrec, 1982; Merton, 1940). This management
paradigm tends to create stagnation and indifference toward clientele (Kaufman, 1973;
management in
Mastrofski, 1998) by sapping the energy and initiative from employees. As such, it is police agencies
difficult at best to motivate employees to work toward a common goal, with a collective
sense to be productive and it is difficult to measure agency success.
Except for some limited research on strategic management in police organizations 7
(Moore and Stephens, 1991) and the recent Compstat literature on reengineering police
management (Bratton, 1998; Kelling and Bratton, 1998; Magers, 2004; Moore, 2003;
Moore and Braga, 2003; Walsh, 2001; Walsh and Vito, 2004; Weisburd et al., 2003;
Willis et al., 2007), little is known about the management processes police departments
use to carry out their daily responsibilities and the relationship between those
processes and intended outcomes. This implies developing a more practical
management model and encouraging police executives to implement it could add
value to a largely unknown dimension of police management.

Methodology
The concept for this paper was developed during my tenure as a command-rank officer
in the Newark, New Jersey (USA) police department. This paper relies primarily upon
written management plans, notes and observations I made over the course of 20 years
of participant-observation in policing, ten of which were spent at the supervisory,
middle-management and command level. My position afforded me unique access to the
internal functions of a major urban police department at the executive level, which
provides a distinct perspective on the backstage setting, politics and operations that
occur in policing. My daily interactions were typically with mid-level and upper-level
management police personnel who had responsibility for personnel and program
performance as well as senior elected officials. My role as commanding officer of the
research, analysis and planning division was to develop policies and programs to
ensure the agency was working as efficiently and effectively as possible.
Participant-observation is perhaps the most tangible method to systematically collect
data on police management. With such an extended period of time in the field, I had the
opportunity to gain rare insight into police administration from a perspective often closed
to outsiders. It was also an opportunity to contemporaneously record temporal/causal
sequences as they occurred instead of relying on muddled notes and recollection. I was
able to view policing through several successive elected administrations and appointed
police administrations, over different social and economic periods and over a new
generation of police officers. The issues confronting the agency were virtually the same
regardless of the season, policing style or political culture.
Based on my experience, conversations with colleagues across the world and the
literature, I developed a cause and effect diagram that served as the template. This helped
me identify substantive issues related to the agency’s social and political purpose with an
emphasis on the agency’s mission as the foundation. With the mission as the foundation,
it was possible to create a rational structure that can be evaluated empirically.

Literature review
Police departments are complex government agencies that come in various forms with
an amalgam of intricate responsibilities (Bayley, 1985; Goldstein, 1977) and they are
PIJPSM organized along bureaucratic lines (Weber, 1946). Similar to Frederick Taylor’s
Principles of Scientific Management (Taylor, 1911), employees are not paid to think, but
33,1 to follow their superior’s orders – right, wrong or indifferent (Stinchcombe, 1980). The
ostensible benefits are “rationality, predictability, impersonality, technical competence
and authoritarianism” (Nigro and Nigro, 1973, p. 97). However, the efficiencies and
“scientific principles” advocated by Taylor (1911), Fuld (1971), Weber (1946) and some
8 forward-thinking police chiefs of the time (Gazell, 1976; Vollmer, 1936; Wilson, 1950)
never reached their full potential during policing’s professional era. Nearly 90 years
after the professional movement began, modern policing still faces some of the same
management problems of yesteryear including an underdeveloped technical core and
the outmoded command and control management style along with some contemporary
issues such as role complexity and rising egalitarianism.

Rational-technical theory
The impetus for government agencies to perform more efficiently and effectively is
partly attributable to the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993. This
Congressional measure ensures that federal agencies produce strategic plans so those
agencies potentially become better at delivering service. Embedded in these plans is
the necessity that agencies redefine their business methods in more rational ways;
rational in this sense is aimed at measuring aspects of the agency such as input, output,
intermediate objectives, outcome, strategies, work processes and resources, all of
which combine to hopefully improve performance.
The rational-technical theory of organizations, as applied to a police department,
suggests the agency comports within a normative framework. The normative
framework implies the organization behaves and is structured in a manner designed to
optimize efficiency and effectiveness toward specific goals (e.g. controlling fear crime
and disorder, delivering public value through budgeting accountability, reverence for
law and authority, citizen satisfaction) (Thompson, 1967; Blau and Schoenherr, 1971).
The intent is to address real issues facing the agency – offender accountability,
response time, citizen complaints, crime and disorder – while concurrently
synthesizing the interests held by a collection of powerful actors who hold sway
over the organization (Crank, 2003; Crank and Langworthy, 1992; Moore, 1995).

Problems confronting police management structures

Some weaknesses of current police management systems. Police forces across the UK
and, to a slightly lesser degree, the USA are prominent users of performance
management models. In the USA, Compstat has emerged as the leading performance
management process. In the UK, police forces are using a more structured framework
that is driven by experiences in policing, academia and the private sector. Both
processes show promise of creating rational management structures, but also show
some weaknesses.
Recent research on Compstat suggests that, while an important and progressive
step toward a more rational-technical method of police management, the model
reinforces much of the traditional police bureaucracy (Willis et al., 2003, pp. 448; Willis
et al., 2004, p. 468) and the evidence is inconclusive as to whether it reduces crime (Eck
and Maguire, 2006; Rosenfeld et al., 2005; Weisburd et al., 2003). Compstat’s
confrontational “show trial”[2] forum tends to increase employees’ psychological
defensiveness, which prevents lower-ranking officers from sharing potentially
replicable ideas (Delorenzi et al., 2006, p. 37). This is because voicing their opinion in Performance
the traditional police bureaucracy is often interpreted as subtle criticism of their
commander who did not think of the idea first. Consequently, officers keep quiet – the
management in
path of least resistance. police agencies
By design, the Compstat model is aimed at holding mid-level managers and
command-rank officers accountable for performance but fails to reach the line officers.
The officers who actually deliver police services rarely, if ever, appear at Compstat to 9
answer for their performance and rarely must they meet established targets. My
experience is that without having to account for their performance, officers may be
given to indolence, apathy and may shirk their responsibilities. Individual performance
becomes a contest of ingenuity, a trifling game of “catch me if you can” between line
officers and management, where line officers snicker and try to outsmart supervisors
in their daily work as they try to avoid accountability in the “us” (line officers) against
“them” (managers) work environment (Reuss-Ianni, 1984). Although this is by no
means universal, it occurs frequently enough to warrant some observers to suggest a
small percentage of officers perform the lion’s share of work while the others abrogate
their responsibilities in a “game of bluff” (Maple and Mitchell, 1999, p. 6). All of this is
contrary to Compstat’s theoretical proposition that it was designed, at least partly, to
disentangle the performance problems created by traditional police management.
Across the UK, a culture of police performance has become embedded in police
forces. Britain’s Home Office (1999) views performance measures as an incentive to
improve service delivery and has published several papers, reports and guides on
performance.[3] However, cash-limited budgets have produced some conflict between
allotted financial resources and pressure to increase productivity, resulting in
unintended consequences for professional integrity and human rights, which
ultimately affect legitimacy (Collier, 2001).
As budgets become more limited, police have prioritized efficiency, which means
getting more done with fewer resources. Yet, simply increasing funding or staffing
levels does not necessarily translate into better performance (e.g. a lower crime rate or a
higher clearance rate; Audit Commission, 1997, p. 12). Concerned with “numbers”, the
police may sacrifice legal mandates and due process rights in the interest of crime
control and efficiency (Lawrence Inquiry, 1999, p. 312). Social pressure to increase
productivity while concurrently lowering expenditures may partly explain the gradual
erosion of professional standards in some UK police agencies, which has led to
increased citizen complaints and at least one case of in-custody death (Police
Complaints Authority, 1999). This has also led police forces in England, Wales and
Northern Ireland to “trawl the margins” in an effort to portray police performance in
the best light (Collier, 2001, p. 36, citing HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, 1999). As a
result, critics have called for a renewed emphasis on individual rights and social values
in an effort to find common ground between the values expressed by due process and
the competing values of crime control (Packer, 1968).
An underdeveloped technical core. In the broadest sense, the technical core of a
business is the work performed by the organization, where technology is employed to
produce a desired outcome (Scott, 1992). Technology includes the intellectual and
physical capital, tactics and strategies used by the agency to process raw materials
toward a particular outcome – in policing, raw materials are information, citizens,
victims, offenders, and places. My experience is that desired outcomes in policing are
often not operationalized, leaving the agency with a poor understanding of how to
PIJPSM apply technology to execute its responsibilities. Often subject to political meddling or
budget constraints, the police agency’s task environment is subject to limitations and
33,1 shifting priorities, including power relations that are necessary to sustain the
environment (Moore, 1995). The task environment includes environmental factors that
impinge on the work of the agency or shape its structure and function including
citizens, social and physical attributes of the community and other elements of the
10 criminal justice system (Maguire and Uchida, 2000, p. 535). The amorphous loose-knit
operational style that arises in this environment leaves officers and managers to choose
an individual course of action as they go along, perhaps relying on intuition,
perceptions and experience, instead of a pre-determined plan supported by data and
technology. This is the product of “mock” bureaucracy (Bradley et al., 1986) that
reduces many police officers to “casual, lackadaisical, offhand, ad hoc and lowly
motivated” employees (Punch, 1983, p. xii).
What tends to keep the technical core of policing from developing is the failure to
articulate the specific services to be provided then shaping the organization to deliver
those services. For example, police agencies deliver more services than just crime
control but frequently subordinate the service orientation to the law enforcement
function. Then, they adopt an organizational structure, complete with wartime rhetoric
(i.e. the war on crime, the war on drugs, the war against terrorism) that embraces the
law enforcement function and ignores the balance of their social responsibilities. This
may leave the community dissatisfied by the lack of attention to their other needs or
enraged by oppressive tactics (e.g. Gould and Mastrofski, 2004; McArdle and Erzen,
2001). In response to that dissatisfaction and to perceived external pressure for change,
police agencies use symbolic means to improve appearances. This creates false
favorable impressions with the aim of preserving the status quo and offers little if any
substantive improvement (Edelman, 1964; Lorinskas et al., 1985). The real business of
the agency – its technical core – never gets accomplished because the agency is
chasing symbolism over substance.
Role complexity. The role of the chief executive has become more complex. Litigation
and investigative commissions affect police operations, administration and policy
(Escobedo v. Illinois, 1964[4]; Knapp Commission, 1972; Mapp v. Ohio, 1961[5]; Miranda
v. Arizona, 1966[6]; Mollen Commission, 1994; Rampart Independent Review Panel,
2000). The convergence of litigation, information/technology and the shift from
traditional to community/problem-oriented policing have created new demands
necessitating changes in the way police organizations are managed (Redlinger, 1994).
Based on my observations, it is simply less possible – if not impossible – for today’s
police chiefs to exercise direct control over every organizational element than years
past, regardless of their individual talent. It is also imprudent to try and do so by
micromanaging the organization at the expense of leadership, particularly with
technically and emotionally competent employees (Whisenand and Ferguson, 1996).
The complex role necessitates devolving decision-making authority to mid-level
mangers and front-line supervisors who work toward predefined performance
standards set inside a logical framework. This frees the chief executive to concentrate
on high level policy details instead of daily minutia, where the chief can steer while the
workforce rows.
The rise in egalitarianism. Worldwide, hierarchical institutions are leveling,
resulting in a general loss of trust, confidence and authority in government in general
(Balogh, 1996; Fukuyama, 1992; Heclo, 1996; Orren, 1997) and policing in particular
(e.g. Reiner, 2000; Terpstra and Van der Vijver, 2006). As workforces become better Performance
educated, intellectual capital replaces physical capital (buildings, cars and equipment)
as the dominant value orientation and the perceived need to control conduct in minute
management in
ways evanesces. Intellectual capital lends itself to interpersonal networks and to police agencies
diffused control, where talent is respected as an individual asset. This rising group of
current and future police officers does not appreciate the rigid hierarchical structure of
command authority so willingly accepted by less educated officers of years past; they 11
resent unquestioned obedience, the logic and imperatives of the quasi-military
structure, particularly when management grants them little or no say in decisions that
affect them (Peak, 1990; Thibault et al., 1985, p. 328). Consequently, they perceive their
supervisors and top management as distant illegitimate authorities who fail to steer
toward definable outcomes and who would rather nitpick at de minimus rule
infractions to exercise control than to produce quantifiable outcomes.
The evolving social preference is recognition of the individual and respect for
dignity over absolute authority and deference to rank (Peak, 1990). Because of
changing social attitudes, new police officers are less willing to immediately accept the
authoritarian command structure that governs their conduct (Peak, 1990, pp. 63-4).
They are more willing to challenge the incongruence between training and reality, the
utility of agency rules and their superiors’ authority through established means such
as civil lawsuits and administrative processes (e.g. merit system board; arbitration;
union grievances; Peak, 1990, p. 64; Thibault et al., 1985, p. 4).
By placing an emphasis on outcomes instead of rote compliance, the department is
fostering support, cooperation and diligence toward specified goals. Emphasizing
results and giving employees something to strive for is part of Maslow’s (1943)
“hierarchy of needs” theory, where employees desire the challenge of higher
achievement, want to be empowered with the autonomy to act, want to feel affiliated,
and want recognition for their efforts. Such constructive management practices may
breed higher individual performance and achieve the overall discipline and deference
the “old guard” so steadfastly cherishes by showing officers management respects
them as valued organizational members first.
Command and control doctrine. Dovetailing on egalitarianism is the traditional
command and control bureaucracy, which seeks to control officers’ behaviors in minute
ways through centralized command structures that afford officers little or no voice
over the way strategy is created and by placing an emphasis on output over outcome
(Trojanowicz and Bucqueroux, 1990). This style of management reinforces the
quasi-military, paternalistic role the agency assumes, where officers are treated like
children and administrators act as parents, micromanaging their every move, lest they
get into trouble if left to think on their own (Goldstein, 1990). Former New York City
Police Commissioner Lee P. Brown commented:
The command-and-control culture of the police department doesn’t treat officers as
intelligent, creative, and trustworthy people. It allows them very little discretion. It’s designed
to make sure that they don’t get into trouble, don’t embarrass the department, and don’t get
their supervisors into trouble (Webber, 1991, p. 116).
The result is a management structure bent on conformance with rules and overly
concerned with routine and appearances rather than substantive results. Rational
performance targets yield to oppressive rules in an effort to “get through the day”
because no one is expecting very much anyway. Employees choose the path of least
PIJPSM resistance and tend toward laziness because they are not responsible for producing
anything. Line officers want more autonomy but await management’s directive on how
33,1 to proceed. The problem is management’s directive on how to proceed is not coming
because no one really knows where they are headed. What is left is a group of leaders
with acerbic immature personalities who issue vague orders instead of logical
instructions on how to solve the problem.
12
The proposed performance management framework
Conceptualizing police performance
Both what constitutes performance and how to measure it have been a conundrum for
many years, particularly because there is little consensus about what constitutes
performance and because measuring it is complex, technical and takes many forms
(Alpert and Dunham, 2001; Alpert et al., 2001; Langworthy, 1999; Maguire, 2004;
Skogan and Hartnett, 1997; Weatheritt, 1993). Performance is commonly found in two
forms, either as trait dimensions that are scored subjectively by the officer’s immediate
supervisor based on observed behaviors (e.g. a qualitative appraisal of communication
skills, appearance, decisiveness, leadership, emotional stability, assertiveness, etc.;
Iannone, 1987; Landy, 1977), or as activities arising from the tasks related to the police
function that are scored objectively based on the number of instances per activity (e.g.
a quantitative appraisal of arrests, sick days, motor vehicle accidents, directed patrols
and self-initiated stops, etc.; Cascio, 1977; Fabricatore et al., 1978).
This model relies on a quantitative appraisal of police activity because it is
objective, grounded in relevant activities that relate to the things the police do (i.e.
lower level activities) as well as closes a gap in previous studies, where researchers
may not have operationalized relevant performance indicators that measure
effectiveness, efficiency and quality. For example, effectiveness is the relationship
between an organization’s outputs (activities) and what the organization intended to
accomplish (outcomes) and is expressed as a percentage. Loveday (1994, p. 16, citing
the Police Foundation) reported:
. . .there was no clear relationship between the recorded property crime rate and the number
of marked patrol cars per square mile. There was no apparent relationship between the
recorded property crime rate and the level of police expenditures per inhabitant. There was no
clear relationship between the rate of violent recorded crime and police expenditures per officer
and only a tendency for cities with high levels of recorded property crime per officer to have
smaller numbers of sworn officers per square mile (emphasis added).
The number of marked patrol cars, the level of expenditures and number officers per
square mile are not indicators of police effectiveness; they are indicators of budget
priority. Merely spending more money on the police, or placing more officers in the
field or placing officers on random patrol does not, per se, translate into crime-control
action (see, for example, Kelling et al., 1974). Indeed, it is the things the police do while
they are in the field that should be measured. Thereafter, correlations can be drawn
between the amount of police activity and crime rates, which is a more accurate
measure of police effectiveness.
Improving police management necessitates a logical structure that connects police
activities to intermediate objectives, and to end outcomes. This provides the basis for
systematic evaluation of effectiveness, efficiency and quality by creating a more rational
structure with the aim of developing the technical core of policing. The framework
introduced here resembles “the corporate strategy” method advocated by Kenneth Performance
Andrews (1980), which emphasizes setting goals, designing the organizational structure management in
and allocating resources to achieve the desired ends. The model moves in a linear
manner through six stages that connects police department activities to their social police agencies
utilitarian purpose. Along the way, empirical data are collected that can be used to
inform citizens and train personnel through performance targeting (Halachmi and
Holzer, 1987). This enables top administrators to pay closer attention to the logic behind 13
their mission, particularly connecting lower-level activities with higher-level goals to
clarify employee expectations and define departmental obligations.
To represent how performance management is conceived, a cause-and-effect
diagram (Figure 1) is used to reveal the logical relationships among component parts
and provide additional insight into process behavior by illustrating the relationship
between a given outcome and the factors that influence that outcome. This model
revolves around six interrelated drivers that lead to sustainable and measurable
performance. At the same time they create a platform to overcome some of the existing
problems confronting police management.

Define the mission and desired outcomes

Mission statement. There is some debate about the utility and relevance of mission
statements in policing (Mastrofski, 1999) and there is a noticeable absence of studies
linking mission statements to performance in general (Lynn, 1996). However, research
suggests mission statements are a popular staple of corporate life (Campbell and Nash,
1992; Pascarella and Frohman, 1989; Pearce, 1994) and others suggest they serve a
valuable function for police agencies by helping shape who they are and what they do
(DeLone, 2007; Schroeder et al., 1995; Weiss, 1996; Weiss and Piderit, 1999; Wilson, 1989).
To determine the organization’s mission, it is imperative to identify the mandates
imposed on the organization from external and internal sources. Formal external
mandates are typically found in state or federal laws, court decisions, city ordinances,
regulatory guidelines and city charters. Informal internal mandates are often embedded

Figure 1.
The performance
measurement framework
PIJPSM in “cultural norms or expectations” and accepted past practices of constituent groups
33,1 and key stakeholders (Bryson, 1995, p. 65). Through focus groups with key stakeholders,
including citizens, police employees and other criminal justice agencies the organization
can clarify what it does and what it prioritizes (Kaptein and van Reenen, 2001).
Once developed, the mission statement provides a sense of legitimacy and identity for
the organization. It forms the basis upon which the organization builds its policies,
14 programs and ultimately delivers its services (Denhardt, 1999; Eccles and Nohria, 1992;
Peters and Waterman, 1982). It communicates management’s intentions, as well as defines
its core purpose and serves as a motivating force for employees (Barnard, 1966; Drucker,
1974; Nutt and Backoff, 1996; Selznick, 1957; Vardi et al., 1989; Wilson, 1989). Defining the
mission is the first step to resolving the amorphous and loose connections between policy
and service delivery that are so prevalent in policing. Instead of leaving individual officers
and managers to their own devices, the mission provides coherent guiding principles to
ensure employees are working toward a common goal with a collective sense.
Desired outcomes. Scholars tend to agree that performance measures should reflect
what the agency is trying to achieve (Ammons, 1996; Hatry, 1999). However,
measuring outcomes often gives way to measuring outputs (Coe, 2000; Glaser, 1991).
Desired outcomes must reflect an exhaustive list of the substantive things the police
do, as reflected in the mission (Behn, 1997). For example, Moore et al. (2002, p. 132)
identify seven performance outcomes (i.e. call offenders to account; guarantee safety in
public spaces; use force and authority fairly, efficiently and effectively; reduce fear and
enhance personal security; reduce criminal victimization; satisfy customer
demands/achieve legitimacy with those policed; use financial resources fairly,
efficiently and effectively) that may serve as the internal accountability structure that
motivates the workforce and ignites their commitment to service. These seven desired
outcomes reflect the multidimensional nature of police work and better express what
the police do, thus helping shape the technical core (Kaplan and Norton, 1996).
Set performance standards. Performance standards specify the minimum
acceptable outcome for the agency’s goals. They provide employees with structure,
reduce internal dissention and make personnel decisions more fair and consistent
(Jones, 1998), something courts have recognized, regarding employment decisions[7].
Previous research suggests that setting performance standards engenders positive
action in employees by giving them a better understanding of agency expectations and
the “control system” to be used, which improves clarity and reduces ambiguity
(Skolnick, 1968, p. 180, see also Wilson, 1968, p. 53).
Performance standards are the numeric values of a performance metric that must be
achieved by a given date (i.e. they must be time bound) and are typically expressed as a
degree of excellence or some required level that meets or exceeds predefined
specifications. By setting division-level goals and monitoring intermediate objectives at
specific intervals (Weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annually), police managers can
assess short-term and mid-term progress toward the stated end outcome and evaluate
the collective effect of each division’s progress toward delivering on the agency’s stated
mission.
Performance standards are also used to develop baseline measures, which
establishes a dataset as of a given date and to provide a starting point for subsequent
measurements and comparisons (e.g. crime rates, clearance rates, convictions rates).
This is essential because baseline data (see Table I) are the standard against which
individual, program and agency performance will be measured. Improvement over the Performance
baseline is typically considered “good” performance. management in
Identify and collect performance indicators. Performance indicators are qualitative or
quantitative measurements that demonstrate meaningful steps are being taken toward police agencies
the stated goal. Outputs such as the number of arrests, the number of directed patrols
and the percentage of cases cleared by arrest are the things police officers do that
contribute to a stated outcome. Measuring output is necessary to motivate the workforce 15
and keep them engaged by counting the activities and processes they are tasked with.
Police officers can “see” and “feel” the immediacy of an arrest, or a traffic citation or a
guilty plea, which helps stimulate them into better practice (Behn, 2004b). It is important
to capture several different indices that measure a particular construct, not just rely on a
single measure, which improves validity (Behn, 2004a; Carter et al., 1992).
Before performance indicators are collected, the structure of each performance
dimension must be described and may take the form shown in Figure 2. The
components include:
.
the goal;
.
the critical dimensions;
.
the success indicators; and
.
the performance indicators.

The goal, or outcome, is a measure of the degree to which a service has achieved its
intended effect, and as defined, meets the needs of its recipients in terms of quantity
and quality. The critical dimensions are the principal aspects of a goal that, if achieved,
are intended to assure the goal is accomplished. Critical dimensions are often rooted in
theory; for example, it is believed (and it is logical to assume) that to control fear and
crime (a goal), a few different things must occur:
.
crime and criminal victimization must be reduced;
.
holding offenders accountable must be increased;
.
fear and blight must be reduced;
.
feelings of personal safety must be enhanced; and
.
the guarantee of safety while in public places must be enhanced.

Critical dimensions separate police activities and create conceptual order for the
performance indicators; this is the systematic nature of performance management

Research findings Legal mandates

Expert opinion Geographical areas within the same jurisdiction
Similar jurisdictions Technically developed norms for similar programs
Past agency trends/historical data Private sector results for similar programs
Industry/government/professional standards Community expectations
Pre-program baseline level Cost or relative cost
Ethical or moral basis Customary practice Table I.
Data sources for
Source: Modified from Rossi et al. (2004, p. 75) performance standards
PIJPSM
33,1

16

Figure 2.
Basic structure of
performance dimensions

because the activities the police engage in measure different things and they must be
arranged in a logical order.
Critical dimensions are measured through success indicators. Success indicators
define the attributes or characteristics to be measured and include a particular value or
characteristic used to measure output. The management question being asked is: if we
are to reduce crime and criminal victimization, then where will success manifest itself?
In this case, success will come from the crime and victimization rate, the number of
index crimes (e.g. FBI Uniform Crime Report, Part I crimes) and the number of status
offenses, to name a few.
Link performance to the budget. By linking performance to the budget, top
administrators can decide where to expend resources and for what purpose. Linking
the budget to performance shows how resources are allocated to achieve qualitative
and quantitative outcomes and has at its core the following question: “What did we get
for our money?”. This process offers a meaningful indication of how dollars are
expected to turn into outcomes, how dollars fund daily activities, the required
resources (input), the expected output and the resulting outcomes.
The appropriate budget orientation is a performance-based budget (PBB). A PBB
answers the question “What is to be done?” and is oriented toward management and
efficiency (Carter, 1994). The intent is to establish a nexus between activities, processes
and outcomes to determine which activities are cost-effective in relation to the desired
outcome. The PBB is an outgrowth of the earlier planning-programming budgeting
system (PPBS) that sought to improve accountability by emphasizing outcomes and
coordination of activities that are consistent with the management responsibilities of
chief executives (Hudzik, 1977). Linking performance to the budget also engenders a Performance
sense of accountability by demonstrating that financial resources are scarce, they are
not limitless and come with expectations.
management in
Affix accountability. Police agencies are judged by their record of achievement. To police agencies
ensure the agency achieves its desired outcomes and provides the best level of service
possible, it is necessary to affix accountability across the entire spectrum of rank in the
department. Accountability need not be associated with punishment, as it typically is 17
with the command and control system. Rather, accountability should focus on
performance targets, where supervisors work in a concerted manner to meet
managerial expectations instead of focusing on rote compliance. Public accountability
means police employees have an obligation to accept responsibility and proffer a
statement or explanation of the reasons, causes, or motives to account for their
actions[8]. It does not mean that every shortcoming must result in negative discipline.
Before accountability may attach, the chief executive must:
.
clarify what is expected from employees;
.
examine activities and performance measures and compare actual performance
with what is expected;
.
act on findings to improve activities and performance measures; and
.
communicate findings in accordance with agency and regulatory policy
(Kuykendall, 1975, cited in Meagher, 1986).
This element of transparency provides a structured operating framework for
employees by striking a balance between management’s right to demand
accountability and the employee’s right to be free from unfettered discretion – these
are the same employees who will ultimately reject management as illegitimate for
imposing inconsistent and sporadic accountability. These requirements are satisfied in
this model through the following rational structure, which is absent from the command
and control model:
.
policy objectives are developed at the administrative level after consultation with
the community, employees and elected leaders to define what is expected from
employees and to communicate those expectations in accordance with agency
and regulatory policy;
.
goal-directed strategies are developed at the command level, where division-level
managers are responsible for implementing and monitoring strategies and
comparing actual performance with what is expected;
.
coordination of resources and personnel assignments are developed at the
supervisory level, where front-line supervisors act on findings to guide personnel
toward established targets with an eye toward improving performance; and
.
field activities are initiated at the operational level, where line officers carry out
the daily work of the agency and consult with supervisors to ensure performance
targets are achieved (Table II) (Butler, 1983; Dean, 1984).
This creates unanimity of purpose, the lines of accountability are clear and the
authority to execute is devolved to each successive level, which reduces the prospect of
inefficiency and redundancy and affixes specific responsibilities for each rank and for
each organizational element.
PIJPSM
Dimensions Accountable rank Level Organizational function
33,1
End outcome Chief/Deputy Administrative Overall general direction of the department:
Chief policy development, long-range planning,
rational and comprehensive decision-
making, budgeting, coordinating external
18 requirements with organizational resources
Division goals Captain Command Overall implementation of policies and
Intermediate Lieutenant Command programs developed by top administrators:
objectives Devising strategies that capitalize on
strengths, overcome weaknesses, seize
opportunities and reduce threats;
determining staffing requirements;
devising and adjusting goal-directed
strategies, as necessary
Input Sergeant Supervisory Overall operational control of the workforce,
production of outputs and, to a degree,
consumption of inputs: initiating actions to
ensure specific activities are coordinated
and carried out efficiently and effectively,
devising personnel assignments, ensuring
performance standards and targets are
achieved
Output Police Officer/ Operational Overall execution of specific activities,
Detective/Civilian processes and individual productivity:
performing activities specified in policies,
Table II. programs or when directed by supervisors,
Structure of direct outputs that meet or exceed
accountability within the performance standards or targets
rubric of organizational
function Source: Modified from Gaines and Cain (1981)

This type of accountability structure breeds conformity instead of dichotomizing line

personnel and management personnel, as happens in the command and control model
(Reuss-Ianni, 1984). It also provides each agency level (administrative, command,
supervisory and operational) with a clear idea why they are pursuing particular goals
and at the same time retains operational control, something Compstat neglects.
Report performance. Reporting on performance is essential if top administrators are
to make responsible, effective decisions, and foster full transparency and
accountability across the agency. The utility of the reports should be such that the
findings are clearly, accurately and consistently presented and compare what was
achieved with what was intended. Police administrators should use three types of
reports to inspire confidence in the agency and to manage operations:
(1) Police business plan. Documenting and disseminating where the agency wants
to be and how it plans to get there may be accomplished through a business
plan. The business plan is the chief executive’s foundation to justify to
taxpayers what services the agency provides and the strategies for meeting its
social and political obligations. It also serves as a communication, management
 and planning tool. As a communication tool, the business plan is used to attract Performance
investment capital to the jurisdiction, develop community partnerships and management in
attract strategic partners (government, non-profit and corporate). It is also the
primary means for communicating management’s expectations to the police agencies
workforce who carry out the business strategy. A comprehensive business
plan requires a realistic look at every phase of operations and allows the chief
executive to show that he or she has worked through various assumptions and 19
decided on potential alternatives before actually implementing a given strategy,
which reduces unwelcome surprises (Dewar, 2002).
As a management tool, the business plan helps the agency to monitor and
evaluate progress. Because planning is an iterative and “continuous” process
(Schroeder et al., 1995, p. 43), the business plan will be modified as the
department gains knowledge and experience. By using the business plan to
establish timelines and milestones, the chief executive can monitor progress and
compare projections to actual accomplishments. As a planning tool, the
business plan guides the agency through various phases of its operations and
management. A thoughtful plan will help identify load-bearing vulnerable
assumptions, so shaping actions can address issues that arise (Dewar, 2002).
The completed business plan should be widely distributed among employees,
elected leaders and the community to foster a broader understanding of where
the department is going and to secure individual commitment.
(2) Interim performance reports. Interm performance reports should be the focal
point of a continuous improvement and feedback process. The essence of
organizational control is an information feedback system that enables
management to respond to the information it receives and ask: where did we
do well? Why? What can we replicate? Where did we fall short? Why? What is
the action plan for improvement? Interim reports should contain the necessary
data to answer these questions and should be published at regular intervals
(weekly, monthly) to measure incremental progress or setbacks.
(3) Annual police report. There is limited previous research on annual police reports;
however, that which is available suggests that the annual report is an aspect of
police management that is completely under-developed and has been of little or
no importance to top administrators (Timmerman, 1929; National Commission on
Criminal Justice Standards and Goals, 1973). The annual report is perhaps the
single best opportunity to express accountability in an open system of
government, however, recent research by Law (2001) suggests while annual
police reports have improved, they still lack information necessary to establish
accountability. Many annual police reports read like a “scrapbook” replete with
action photos memorializing various events; the report typically over-emphasizes
the crime control function, lacks meaningful substance, displays inconsistent
data across years making comparisons nearly impossible, and does not connect
actual performance with intended performance (as reflected in the mission).
Consequently, police executives miss a rare opportunity to express to the public
the complexity of police work as well as communicate the social and political
responsibilities of the organization and its progress (Vanagunas, 1982).
For citizens to hold their elected representatives accountable for the money
and authority entrusted to them, they must have a statement comparing what
PIJPSM was planned and what was actually achieved; indeed, the consent to govern is
33,1 derived from the authority of the people in a democracy (Simey, 1984). If the
consent of the people establishes the authority to govern, then the logical
extension is to provide the governed with information that calls the police to
account for their behavior so the public may continue with, modify or retract their
consent (Stewart, 1984). Information is the impetus for public officials to justify
20 decisions and shape future states. Placing information into the public forum for
scrutiny completes the accountability circuit.
To be effective and informative, the annual police report must contain
information that is relevant to the user base – the various internal and external
authorizing agents that can hold police accountable (Moore, 1995). This means
the annual report must revolve around the multiple dimensions of police work
and must contain measures of effectiveness and efficiency from a quantitative
and qualitative perspective (Moore et al., 2002).

Limitations
For all its potential contributions, this model does have limitations. First, quantitative
performance data do not obviate the need for competent supervisors to reinforce the
intangible qualities of policing that are important for success, such as attention to
detail, manners, equity and fairness (Mastrofski, 1999). Objectively measuring these
dimensions of performance is always difficult and often leaves employees angry and
disappointed.
Second, the danger of a data-driven model in the hands of intimidating autocratic
managers can also lead to progressively deeper problems than that which the model
seeks to improve in the first place. A good illustration is the “Powertrac” scandal – a
Compstat-like management process – that unfolded in the Broward County (FL)
Sheriff’s office in the late 1990s, where a corruption investigation led to indictments of
several members of the sheriff’s office for altering official records to appear more
favorable (Olson, 2006).
Third, the police may feel their discretion has been limited and may opt for formal
action over informal action even where informal action is preferred. Attitudes toward
performance management among various levels of Dutch police left them feeling
somewhat constrained by targets. Chiefs believed setting targets was gamed and they
would vacillate between taking things seriously and being unenthusiastic; police
officers believed their work was more routinized and subject to political pressure; and
citizens believed being fined was due to the officer having to meet his or her target,
resulting in distrust (Hoogenboezem and Hoogenboezem, 2005).
Fourth, there are many skeptics, fewer advocates and mixed research findings.
Although there has been a global movement toward adoption, adoption has not been
global. There are few advanced performance management training courses for police
executives, the link between performance and legitimacy and citizen satisfaction is
tenuous, it has not been promoted as a learning instrument, and some believe it is
nothing more than a passing administrative fad (Behn, 2002; Hoogenboezem and
Hoogenboezem, 2005, p. 577; Kay, 2001; Kelly, 2003; Sanderson, 2001; Terpstra and
Trommel, 2009; van Reenen, 1999). The challenge is convincing police executives that
it does more than invite unwanted scrutiny and criticism. It invites unambiguous
leadership insofar as it instills a sense of accountability in people, it provides control
over an essential public resource, and can stimulate managerial and professional Performance
competence throughout the agency.
Lastly, the model is limited by measurement error and invalidity (Klockars, 1999, p.
management in
198; Maltz, 1975; Starbuck, 2005). The data used to measure performance may contain police agencies
conceptual errors. Police agencies must rely on proxies to measure ambiguous constructs
that are difficult to quantify (e.g. equity, fairness, fear, offender accountability), unlike
concrete measures such as height, weight and temperature. The performance indicators 21
outlined in Figure 2 may be high in face validity but low in construct validity, which is
more important. Performance indicators may also contain errors that affect reliability
such as clerical mistakes, changes in collection procedures, corrections made by the
agency, data manipulation, instrumentation and categorization (Jacob, 1984). To close
the gap between the information that is sought and the information that is actually
measured, police executives must ensure the data is audited for accuracy and integrity
(Serpas and Morley, 2008) and consider how performance indicators are, theoretically,
related to the constructs before adopting them.

Discussion
The police management model presented in this paper represents a departure from the
existing management models. The command and control model is an outmoded style
that does little to respect individual talent as the primary means of achieving desired
outcomes consistent with the agency’s mission. Command and control is a model that
concerns itself with authoritarianism, compliance and control at the expense of
performance. This may be why many scholars view institutional theory as a better
explanatory framework for policing than rational-technical theory.
The benefit of the performance management framework is that it logically connects
what the police intended to achieve with what they actually achieved through
empirical measures, better enabling them to account for their performance in a public
forum and develop internal capacity to deliver services. It also represents an
opportunity to capitalize on individual talent, where employees at every level are
accountable for specific goals instead of accountable for perfunctory rules.
The organization benefits from both hindsight and foresight. As a “learning
organization” (Senge, 1994), the police department develops the capacity to look
backwards (hindsight) and extract useful information from the data as it forges ahead
connecting strategies and tactics to sustainable outcomes. Foresight is found in
imagination and proactive management, which is the capacity to forecast various
future states in order to anticipate vulnerabilities, improve resource allocation and
enhance service delivery through scenario-based planning. Imagination also helps top
administrators envision where the agency will be if they do not do things differently.
This comes through continuous reporting on streams of data to ensure performance
standards are achieved; if performance standards are achieved, then it is likely the
outcomes will be achieved. With hard data about what personnel are doing, a chief
executive is well poised to defend the agency against criticism; they no longer must
rely on affability, impressions, conjecture or anecdotal evidence to justify their
practices and they are better able to clarify expectations, which benefit the community,
the employees and the organization.
Top police administrators must take the initiative to break from the makeshift and
haphazard management processes of yesteryear, those driven by “management by
crisis” and institutionalism and integrate performance management with existing
PIJPSM operations. Police administrators have the opportunity to capitalize on an element of
33,1 professionalism that once before escaped them during the reform era of policing.
Imagine the benefits that might accrue if thousands of police agencies adopted a
universal management model. Meaningful comparisons across agencies worldwide
could be undertaken, “performance” could be ranked and agencies could be graded
(Sherman, 1998). Future research should examine the relationship between
22 performance management and citizen satisfaction and legitimacy to ensure the
quantitative aspects of management align with Constitutional guarantees and human
rights. For if police departments over emphasize quantity and sacrifice quality, then we
are no further along than our predecessors at the beginning of policing’s professional
movement 90 years ago.

Notes
1. In a police department, compliance, which also connotes control, means conformity,
obedience and a tendency to defer to a ranking superior, especially in a subservient manner,
based on rules, policies and orders. In police organizations, obedience is characterized by
submission to authority without question; questioning an order (or rule or policy) is
tantamount to disobedience, an infraction subject to disciplinary action. As the demand for,
and enforcement of, compliance rises, creativity and initiative decrease, so much so that
police officers adopt an “I do nothing until I am told” attitude, and even then, they do only as
much as necessary to get by without raising their supervisor’s attention. This attitude arises
because police agencies are pervasively regulated bureaucracies with a quasi-military
orientation and it is extremely easy to violate some obscure policy or rule buried at the back
of the third volume of the policy manual. Therefore, the less the officer does, the less negative
attention they attract. Very quickly, many police officers do little or nothing except that
which they are compelled to do, such as answer calls for service.
2. This reference is to Joseph Stalin’s show trials. The harsh public criticism at the center of
some agencies’ Compstat meetings produces a culture of employees who may comply out of
fear of reprisal but generally wither, becoming less productive and more recalcitrant, and
may sabotage the work product. In effect, the agency is brought into a state of complete
submission to the executive’s authority, and the result is poor agency performance.
3. A series of papers, reports and guides on police performance management has been
published by the Home Office (see http://police.homeoffice.gov.uk/performance-and-meas
urement/; accessed April 1, 2009).
4. Escobedo v. Illinois, 378 US 478 (1964).
5. Mapp v. Ohio, 367 US 643 (1961).
6. Miranda v. Arizona (consolidated with Westover v. United States, Vignera v. New York, and
California v. Stewart), 384 US 436 (1966)
7. Alvarado v. Texas Rangers, Texas Department of Public Safety (492 F.3d 605, July 16, 2007).
8. Obligations are embedded in laws or other public policy, whereas willingness is embedded in
the oath of office. Policing is a voluntary endeavor; officers are not drafted, they choose law
enforcement as a career. Consequently, they freely consent to subject themselves, through a
solemn appeal to the governing body (i.e. the citizens of the jurisdiction), to speak the truth,
to keep a promise or to uphold a legal obligation when called to do so (i.e. the oath of office).
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Further reading
Gold, R.L. (1969), “Roles in sociological field observation”, in McCall, G. and Simmons, J.L. (Eds),
Issues in Participant Observation, Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA, p. 33.
Milligan, S.O. and Fridell, L. (2006), Implementing an Agency-level Performance Measurement
System: A Guide for Law Enforcement Executives, Final Report to the National Institute of
Justice, April, US Department of Justice, Washington, DC.

About the author

Jon M. Shane is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Law, Police Science and Criminal
Justice Administration at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. Dr Shane
received his PhD in criminal justice from Rutgers University, School of Criminal Justice. Dr
Shane’s research interests are issues affecting the police, performance management, program
and policy evaluation and violent crime. Jon M. Shane can be contacted at: [email protected]

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