measuring quality dr. larry hoover police research center sam houston state university

MEASURING MEASURING QUALITYQUALITY

Dr. Larry Hoover

Police Research Center

Sam Houston State University

The Quality MovementThe Quality Movement

• Global Competition

• Consumer Expectations

• Ability to implement statistical process controls

• Manufacturing efficiency

The 3 C’s of TQMThe 3 C’s of TQM

• Culture

• Customers

• Counting

CultureCulture

• Measurement for Improvement• Authority Equals Responsibility• Reward for Results• Teamwork and Cooperation• Job Security• Fairness• Equitable Rewards• Ownership of Results

CustomersCustomers

• Structured Programs to Ascertain Customer Perspective

• Internal Customer Concept

• Direct Communication with Suppliers

CountingCounting

• Identify Output• Identify Customers• Identify Customer Requirements• Define Supplier Specifications• Identify Steps in Work Process• Select Measurements• Determine Process Capability• Evaluate the Results

Limitations on Quality Limitations on Quality Culture in PolicingCulture in Policing

• Cannot Reward for Results

• Teamwork is Limited on a Beat

• Ownership of Results Is Difficult Given 7/24, necessity of patrol availability

Limitations on Customer FocusLimitations on Customer Focus

Customer satisfaction is limited because:

• Stress Environment (dentist limitation)

• Prudent mgt. of Public Resource Demands that We Leave Many Customers Unhappy

Limitations on CountingLimitations on Counting(Measuring Quality)(Measuring Quality)

• What is a quality outcome of settling a domestic dispute?

• Assessing enforcement targeting attention

• How much time is appropriate for a given incident?

• Is differential response a code word for less quality?

Time:Time:The Next Dimension of The Next Dimension of

QualityQuality

American Management Association

Cycle Times For Some of Cycle Times For Some of Our Workshop ExperiencesOur Workshop Experiences

• Rapidity with Which the Travel Agent Answered the Reservation Line

• Teller Wait at the Bank for Some Cash

• Ticketing and Baggage Check-in

• Drink and Peanut Service on the Airplane

• Check-out Time for the Rental Car

• Check-in Time at the Hotel Desk

• Service Time for the Very Important First Cup of Coffee at Breakfast

Customer Oriented Cycle Customer Oriented Cycle Times At A Police AgencyTimes At A Police Agency

• 911 Pick-up

• Response Time

• Report Availability

Internal Cycle Times At A Police Agency

?

Measuring Agency Quality

• Is the agency administered or managed?• Are citizens involved?• Are programmatic responses in place where

appropriate?• Is there an articulated, structured approach to

crime prevention, crime response, crime analysis, victim assistance, prosecution, traffic safety, order maintenance, quality of life?

• Does flexibility in response exist?

Measuring Individual Quality

• Does the officer articulate beat or assignment knowledge?

• What is the quantity and quality of self-directed activities?

• What is the quantity and quality of problem oriented initiatives?

Micro Analysis:Micro Analysis:Quality on a BeatQuality on a Beat

• Incident Patterns• Incident Trends• Problem Addresses• Problem People• Customer Expectations• Prudence of Public

Resource Expenditure

Micro Analysis:Micro Analysis:An Individual Patrol OfficerAn Individual Patrol Officer

• Formal Officer Initiated Incidents - both number and quality (citations, arrests, FI’s)

• Average Time by Call Type

• Citizen Satisfaction on CFS

• Problematic Behavior, e.g., high speed pursuits

• Problem Solving Ability

• Community Communication

Macro Analysis: The JurisdictionMacro Analysis: The JurisdictionIncident Patterns by:• Year• Quarter/Month/Week• Time of Day/Day of Week• Sector / District / Reporting Area• Address/Location Code• Gang Related• Drug Related• Offender/Victim Relationship• Prior Police Contact

Macro Analysis:Macro Analysis:The Jurisdiction (con’t)The Jurisdiction (con’t)

• For an individual offense type, e.g., aggravated assault, it is desirable to know patterns and trends by victim/offender relationship, prior contact, and potentially location type Quarter 1st 2nd 3rd 4th

Spouse 22 14 12 10

Acquaintance 18 22 19 24

Stranger 20 22 25 26

Total 60 58 56 60


• Or for robbery, the time of day and location type will provide qualitatively considerably more information

Time of Day 24:00-06:00 06:00-12:00 12:00-18:00 18:00-24:00

Convenience Store 40 10 12 10

Street/Public Way 20 15 19 32

Schools 0 23 25 18

TOTAL 60 48 56 60


Response Times By:

• Time of Day

• Day of Week

• Sector/Beat/Reporting Area

• Time Received to Time Dispatched

• Time Dispatched to Time Arrived

• Call Type


Clearance Rates By:• Offense Type (not necessarily UCR categories)• Offender/Victim Relationship• Named/Unnamed Offender• Incident Response Mode (differential response)• Detective/Unit• Sector/Beat/Reporting Area• Time Trends• Gang Related• Drug Related


Cycle Times• Completion of Incident Report• Traffic Citation• Traffic Accident Report• Pawn Shop Ticket• FI Card• UCR/NIBRS Report• Routine Trend or Pattern Reports• Unique Request Trend or Pattern Reports

Beyond Bean Counting Beyond Bean Counting Measuring What MattersMeasuring What Matters

Some Qualitative Elements Cannot Be Quantified, But Quantification In Detail Can Measure Some Forms Of

Quality

Community Policing Institute Theme:Community Policing Institute Theme:

Crime-Specific PolicingCrime-Specific Policing

• Clearly defined intervention strategies

• Targeted at particular offenses

• Committed by particular offenders

• At specific places

• At specific times.

Discussion

measuring quality dr. larry hoover police research center sam houston state university

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