Tag: Police Staffing

Consultants give Gainey plan to fix ‘overstaffed’ police, but new chief disagrees

Mayor Ed Gainey unveiled a long-awaited study of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police’s staffing levels Wednesday, revealing research he has repeatedly said he needs to see before making major changes to the force. The 175-page report recommends drastically reducing the city’s number of patrol officers, but at Wednesday’s press conference, Gainey’s new Police Chief Larry Scirotto said he disagrees with that suggestion.

“This gives a new chief a great road map to start with,” Gainey said. Neither Scirotto or Gainey clarified which of the report’s many suggestions would eventually be implemented. Gainey called the report, from California-based Matrix Consulting, a “blueprint that can be changed.” 

The consultants found that the bureau’s patrol officer’s have 71% of their available hours left over after calls for service are handled — far above the 50% level they recommend. They urged the city to shift 188 budgeted positions out of patrol ranks and into a number of more specialized and community-facing roles. The city currently budgets for 463 patrol officers, though a number of those positions are vacant.

Read more HERE

Get the report HERE

Read how the City Council may feel tricked HERE

Police Operations and Staffing – City and County of Denver

We audited police operations and staffing by the Denver Police Department to evaluate the effectiveness of the department’s recruitment and retention practices and to assess its use of data to ensure effective operations.
— Read on denvergov.org/Government/Agencies-Departments-Offices/Agencies-Departments-Offices-Directory/Auditors-Office/Audit-Services/Audit-Reports/Police-Operations-and-Staffing

Police Staffing Study – Canal Winchester, OH

The purpose of the staffing study for the City of Canal Winchester is to provide guidance to the Mayor and city legislative officials (city council) on matters concerning the desired staffing levels for law enforcement personnel assigned to patrol the city.

The study is designed to provide the City of Canal Winchester with information on the current levels of staffing (sworn personnel assigned by the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office) as well as future staffing recommendations based on population, police activity, and management philosophies.

www.canalwinchesterohio.gov/DocumentCenter/View/4617/Canal-Winchester-Ohio-Staffing-Study-Final-Report-2023

Wisconsin Policy Forum | An Open Investigation

The full report and the executive report are both available at the link below.

This study is a high-level analysis that seeks to assist policymakers and citizens in better understanding police services in their communities. Analysis and reflection of the comprehensive data sets we collected also yield several insights that speak to the efficacy of consolidation.

We use those data sets to inform the development of two staffing models for a consolidated department. The two models can be used to assess potential fiscal and service-level impacts and key decisions when it comes to consolidation, but considerable further analysis and negotiation would be required to actually implement a consolidated department. In addition, our charge was only to consider a single consolidated department; the communities may wish to “start small” with some less comprehensive consolidation alternatives, but we do not provide analysis of such options.

This study was undertaken with the cooperation and consultation of the police chiefs and city/village managers from each of the seven North Shore communities. We also relied heavily on data supplied by the consolidated dispatch center in Bayside. While none of the officials we interviewed individually or in groups were asked to support or reject the notion of consolidation, all were willing to spend time with us to ensure the accuracy of our data analysis and modeling.

— Read on wispolicyforum.org/research/an-open-investigation-exploring-police-consolidation-in-milwaukee-countys-north-shore/

Police Benchmark Cities Survey

Several years ago I accidentally discovered the “benchmark cities survey” and I haven’t heard it talked about in academic and policing circles. It is a fantastic resource. the Survey consists of 5 major areas: Demographics, Budget, General Performance & Service Measures, Crime & Clearance, NIBRS Crime & Clearance, and Traffic Safety. Below are links to a few different years of the survey. This survey would be helpful for police in making knowledge based decisions, students for a police administration course, and academic research.

In 1997, a group of police chiefs from around the country established the benchmark cities survey, which created measurement tool to help ensure police departments provide the best service possible within their respective communities. Overland Park Police Department has taken the lead in compiling the survey results. The survey, updated annually, provides a range of information about each department. With that information, the participating agencies can set better goals and objectives, and compare their performance in the various areas.

The Overland Park Police Department has the most current year of the survey HERE

  • The Lawrence KS PD combined all the PowerPoint presentations into a single presentation report (which is a better format):
    • The 2024 presentation is HERE (Norman, OK Police Department)
    • The 2023 presentation is HERE (Plano, TX Police Department)
    • All past benchmark cities surveys can be access at the Lawrence KS PD reports webpage HERE
    • The 2022 Survey can be accessed HERE Unfortunately this file is an Excel workbook that is the survey response form.
    • The 2021 presentation Has a broken link
    • The 2020 presentation can be accessed HERE
    • The 2019 presentation is HERE
    • The 2018 Presentation is HERE
    • The 2017 Presentation HERE
    • The 2016 report is HERE
    • The 2015 report is HERE
    • The 2014 report can’t be located
    • The 2013 report is HERE
    • Thank you Lawrence PD!!!!!

The Cost of Crime – 2

Hidden in Plain Sight: What Cost-of-Crime Research Can Tell Us About Investing in Police

Many state and local governments are facing significant fiscal challenges, forcing policymakers to confront difficult trade-offs as they consider how to allocate scarce resources across numerous worthy initiatives. To achieve their policy priorities, it will become increasingly important for policymakers to concentrate resources on programs that can clearly demonstrate that they improve their constituents’ quality of life. To identify such programs, cost/benefit analysis can be a powerful tool for objectively adjudicating the merits of particular programs.
The report can be downloaded HERE

Cost of Crime Calculator

Existing high-quality research on the costs of crime and the effectiveness of police demonstrates that public investment in police can generate substantial social returns. A Center on Quality Policing study, Hidden in Plain Sight: What Cost-of-Crime Research Can Tell Us About Investing in Police, shows how this research can be used to better understand the returns on investments in police.
Go to this website (HERE) to try the “cost of crime calculator” and see how altering police staffing affects crime in the community