NCJ Number
74581
Editor(s)
P Engstad,
M Lioy
Date Published
1980
Length
393 pages
Annotation
Proceedings of a 1978 Canadian conference on productivity and the performance of police services cover the role of research in increasing police productivity, the quality of police services, the measurement of police performance, and other considerations regarding productivity.
Abstract
The purpose of the conference was to exchange information on productivity measures, to examine those measures critically, to examine the principles and practices followed by police to improve productivity, and to aid the Canadian Solicitor General in formulating a research plan. Participants of the conference were Canadian police representatives and law enforcement researchers from Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Papers presented relate to problems in defining and measuring productivity and criteria for measurement, research on police effectiveness in Great Britain, the use of technology to improve police productivity in Great Britain, and results of American research on various productivity measures. Also covered are the differences between traditional and local team approaches to crime control, philosophical considerations concerning police productivity and obstacles to optimal performance, and positive and negative effects of research on productivity issues. The future role of Canadian police is also outlined. Summaries of the discussions following the papers, the reports of small work groups, references appended to most papers, and tables are provided. Appendixes include a list of conference participants, the conference agenda, and 20 references. For individual presentations, see NCJ 74582-92. For a related document, see NCJ 66693. --in French.