Deck 16: Measuring Performance: Assessment and Evaluation

Question 1

Adding up together individual performance ratings is the best way to evaluate a team project.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The tone throughout a performance appraisal interview should be positive.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

A high ratio of police officers to citizens demonstrates high-quality police services.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Evaluation should have consequences.

Question 5

The purpose of a fitness-for-duty evaluation is to notify the police executive and the department of information that touches on an officer's physical fitness.

Question 6

Partnerships between police leaders and academic researchers are critical to discovering and implementing best policing practices.

Question 7

Employee performance interviews need not be private.

Question 8

Responding quickly to calls for service indicates that a police agency is efficient.

Question 9

Accreditation is highly incompatible with community policing efforts.

Question 10

All experts agree that formal evaluation is better than informal evaluation.

Question 11

Accreditation by CALEA is voluntary.

Question 12

Managers who provide the most immediate direction of subordinates should do the evaluation.

Question 13

Self-evaluation is becoming more popular.

Question 14

Appraisal and evaluation are synonymous.

Question 15

Most citizens want to live in safe, orderly neighborhoods.

Question 16

A purpose of evaluation is to motivate employees.

Question 17

The basic purpose of evaluation is to determine how well an agency is accomplishing its mission and how to make improvements.

Question 18

Low crime rates do not necessarily mean a police agency is efficient and effective.

Question 19

Community surveys are often a no-win situation because of their cost and lack of citizen participation.

Question 20

Performance appraisals may be used to document information to protect against lawsuits.

Question 21

When agencies do not address the fitness requirements and needs of officers, they may be subject to litigation on the basis of all but which of the following?

A) negligent retention
B) negligent hiring
C) negligent supervision
D) negligent treatment

Question 22

In most cases the performance evaluation of a patrol officer is completed by _________.

A) the lieutenant
B) the chief of police
C) the sergeant
D) the human resources department

Question 23

Fitness-for-duty evaluations (FFDE) usually include physical and __________.

A) psychosocial fitness
B) educational goals
C) psychological fitness
D) promotional data

Question 24

Any rating of "not satisfactory" or "exceeds standards" on a performance evaluation should __________.

A) have very specific explanatory comments and examples
B) never be used as no employee exceeds standards
C) only be used with approval of the reviewer's supervisor
D) only be used when previous documentation is available

Question 25

If an employee is transferred during a rating period, __________.

A) only the first supervisor should do the rating
B) only the second supervisor should do the rating
C) both supervisors should do a rating
D) the rating period should be adjusted to start over on the transfer date

Question 26

A performance appraisal interview should __________.

A) help employees do their jobs better
B) focus on an employee's weaknesses
C) avoid criticism
D) all of these

Question 27

A purpose of evaluation is to _________.

A) set standards for task performance
B) promote common understanding
C) set future objectives
D) all of these

Question 28

Behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARS) require __________.

A) an employee to rate himself or herself
B) statistical analyses of group self-perceptions
C) the rating of individual employees on a scale
D) the rating of group traits on a scale of 1 to 5

Question 29

Which of the following statements about evaluation is true?

A) living itself is a constant evaluation process
B) evaluation takes place among friends
C) evaluation can be formal or informal
D) all of these

Question 30

A benefit of using a quarterly evaluation report is __________.

A) it adequately provides each employee with an assessment of their performance
B) it effectively forces supervisors to record more frequently the progress and problems of those under their span of control
C) there are no evaluation surprises for the employee
D) all are benefits of using a quarterly evaluation report

Question 31

Informal evaluations most frequently _________.

A) involve written reports
B) are based on a report
C) do not require extensive records
D) are not based on opinion

Question 32

One important responsibility of a supervisor or commander is to __________.

A) enforce discipline
B) maintain the standards that are set for the subordinates and department
C) "be a friend" to subordinates
D) be available 24/7

Question 33

Formal methods of evaluation include __________.

A) merit ratings
B) employee appraisal
C) performance evaluations
D) all of these

Question 34

Where does responsibility lie with regard to inspection of appearance and equipment?

A) each officer
B) shift sergeants
C) commanders
D) chiefs of police

Question 35

A pre-evaluation is performed by the __________.

A) chief of police
B) employee being evaluated
C) lieutenant
D) captain

Question 36

Formal evaluation _________.

A) is taking care of a situation as it occurs
B) is a form of performance appraisal
C) is the same as self-appraisal
D) eliminates the "halo effect"

Question 37

The main purpose of performance evaluation is __________.

A) to improve employee performance
B) to enhance managers' authority
C) to reduce departmental liability
D) to streamline the budgeting process

Question 38

Problems with performance ratings include __________.

A) giving a greater weight to more recent impressions
B) rating on personality rather than on task behavior
C) both giving a greater weight to more recent impressions and rating on personality rather than on task behavior.
D) neither giving a greater weight to more recent impressions nor rating on personality rather than on task behavior

Question 39

Accreditation is the easiest and most cost-effective way of evaluating employees.

Question 40

Performance appraisals _________.

A) may determine promotions
B) determine how employees are performing police tasks
C) determine how performance may be improved
D) all of these

Question 41

Which is not a positive outcome of performance evaluations according to your text?

A) employees understanding their jobs
B) ensuring that employees have the necessary training
C) critical feedback for both supervisors and subordinates
D) all are positive outcomes

Question 42

To meet legal requirements, performance appraisal criteria must be __________.

A) job related
B) written
C) voted on by an impartial evaluation committee
D) all of these

Question 43

By-the-numbers evaluation makes evaluation more objective by using a(n) __________ scale for each dimension assessed.

Question 44

__________ must be perceived as a means to determine strengths and weaknesses of individuals as well as programs within an agency and how well each is contributing to total agency efforts.

Question 45

The tendency for a person who performs above average in one area to be rated as above average in all areas, or vice versa, is known as the __________.

Question 46

CALEA stands for __________.

Question 47

BARS stands for __________.

Question 48

The National Institute of Justice's "Research Partnerships in Policing" pairs __________.

A) two small police departments
B) a police department of any size with a state agency
C) a police department of any size with a federal agency
D) a police department with a college or university

Question 49

Employees who rate below the acceptable range following evaluation might be __________.

A) demoted
B) given a salary reduction
C) terminated
D) any of these

Question 50

Which of the following is not an element of the evaluation cycle?

A) training
B) performance
C) assignment
D) evaluation

Question 51

Appraisals that are well grounded and sound in which the factors rated are job related are considered __________.

Question 52

The lesson(s) in the story of the four monkeys and the cold shower is/are that __________.

A) telling officers "That's the way it's always been done" is vital to maintaining the established police culture
B) precedents enacted into policy can far outlive the situational context that created them
C) it is important to always follow the lead of your predecessors
D) all of these

Question 53

__________ make it easier for employees to meet requirements and for managers to determine whether they have been met.

Question 54

__________ is a procedure that allows those being evaluated to have input by completing a form outlining their accomplishments.

Question 55

Of the following, which is most important during a performance interview?

A) the manager's counseling technique
B) the manager's attitude and interest regarding the employee
C) the manager's ability to put himself or herself in the role of judge
D) all are equally important

Question 56

How effective are we, what, if anything, should we change, and what challenges will we face in the future , are questions asked __________.

A) on an external survey
B) on an internal survey
C) both on an external survey and on an internal survey
D) neither on an external survey nor on an internal survey

Question 57

Many aspects of training require evaluation. One in particular that has received significant attention is __________ because, as opposed to many other forms of evaluation, it is continuous during the period it occurs.

Question 58

Performance evaluations benefit __________.

A) individual officers
B) department supervisors
C) the organization as a whole
D) all of these

Question 59

By focusing on __________, we are making statistically educated guesses from a sample of data.

Question 60

The purpose of CALEA is __________.

A) to ensure that officers received adequate compensation for line-of-duty injuries
B) to encourage the unionization of police organizations
C) to set national standards against which agencies can evaluate themselves
D) to require smaller law enforcement agencies to increase their professionalism

Question 61

List and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of formal evaluations.

Question 66

Discuss the pros and cons of accreditation.

Question 68

Describe three typical forms of inspections and typical performance standards. Discuss their value for law enforcement agencies.

Question 69

List and discuss the various consequences of evaluation.

Question 70

What problems may occur in evaluations, and how might such problems be avoided?