Essay - Performance Appraisal if I Were Sergeant Thompson, I Would Conduct...

Performance Appraisal

If I were Sergeant Thompson, ***** would conduct the officers' performance appraisals in a m*****nner calculated to show whether or not the officers are complying with ***** expectations placed on them by the new chief of police. The ***** police chief has emp*****ized the concept of community policing, which means that any evaluation would need to focus on whe*****r ***** not the *****ficers have embraced the community ***** concept. In addition, the new police chief has instituted programs aimed at professionalizing the ***** department, which encourage officers to seek additional educ*****ion, and specialized training. Therefore, ***** appraisals should demonstrate how ***** officers have responded to the chief's modernization of the police force.

Because it concentrated on crime rates, ***** very nature of the appraisal system trad*****i*****ally used ***** ***** Thompson's police ***** meant that effective ********** in a community policing system ***** be penalized for strong performance. However, Thompson is aware that the apparent r*****e in crime ***** is due to improved relations between the police force and the community, which have made it more likely for people to report minor crimes. Therefore, instead of concentrating on the number of minor crimes *****ed, Thompson ***** evaluate ***** *****ficers on the percentage of reported minor ***** ***** are cleared by the officers. In addition, because major crimes, such as murder, are reported regardless of the community's faith in the law enforcement community, ***** should develop an evaluation system that reflects how the officers ***** ushered in lower major-crime rates.

If I were Thompson, the changes that ***** would make that would reflect the true performance of the officers include departing from an emph*****is on ***** rate of ***** crimes, concentrating on the percentage of cases ***** by the ***** officers, ***** whether the police have been able to drive down ***** rates of violent crime in the community. In additi*****, I ***** ***** sure that ***** ********** were rewarded for moving towards a community policing environment. Therefore, officers would be ********** *****s individuals and not merely as part of a unit.

One of the most controversial things ***** Thompson should do is to ***** subjective measures as part ***** the officer's *****. An officer can be ***** competent ***** an objective point of view, yet still fail to inspire confidence and trust in the community. *****, part ***** the officer evaluation should *****volve discussing the ***** crime-investigation technique with three r*****omly-chosen victims of cle*****d crimes and three randomly-chosen victims of uncleared crimes. ***** addition, ***** should ***** "ride-alongs" ***** her officers, so that she ***** witness how they interact with those people they are *****. Finally, ***** an officer treats suspected criminals should be considered ***** of the evaluation procedure; therefore, whether any suspects have lodged complaints of violence or harassment against the officer ***** be ***** part of ***** *****.

Of course, while it is important ***** an officer be ***** to ***** confidence in ***** community, it is also very ***** for ***** officer ***** be able