NCJ Number
174005
Editor(s)
L T Hoover
Date Published
1996
Length
284 pages
Annotation
Twelve individually commissioned papers provide a comprehensive review of the potential application of total quality management (TQM) to police administration.
Abstract
The first paper discusses the translation of TQM from the private sector to policing. It notes that eight phrases describe the elements of TQM culture: measurement for improvement, delegation of decision authority to the lowest possible organizational level, rewards for results, teamwork and cooperation, job security, perceived fairness, equitable rewards, and ownership. The application of these principles in policing are then discussed. The second paper focuses on the validity of the Uniform Crime Reports as an indicator of police effectiveness, followed by a paper that addresses the measurement of overall police effectiveness. The latter paper first examines the sorts of performance measures now being used; second, it considers the tradeoffs among performance measures and the effects that adopting different ones has on police operation and accountability; third, it recommends several principles that police and the public should follow to ensure that police performance is responsibly demonstrated. Two papers discuss the development of the capacity for crime analysis and operations analysis, as well as measurement of the quality of community policing. Measuring the impacts of community problem-oriented policing and the effectiveness of street-level drug enforcement are addressed in two other papers. Remaining papers focus on assessment of alternative responses to calls for service, rethinking detective management, evaluation of tactical patrol, the measurement of police performance in public encounters, and community policing and accreditation. Chapter notes and references and appended listing of potential quality measures for law enforcement