Deck 10: Measuring Police Performance

Question 1

The process of collecting, analyzing, and reporting information to determine police agency performance accomplishments is:

A) strategic planning
B) goal setting
C) action planning
D) performance measurement

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Traditionally, police performance measures have been based on all of the following EXCEPT:

A) numbers and types of arrests
B) clearance rates
C) conviction rates
D) citations/parking tickets issued

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Police performance measures are typically used to determine all the following EXCEPT:

A) what is accomplished
B) efficiency of resource allocation
C) future accomplishments
D) effectiveness of the resources used

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Identification of organizational conditions that may impede improved performance and to solicit ideas for changing the conditions is the managerial function of:

A) system improvement
B) guidance and counseling
C) administration
D) documentation

Question 5

The selection of strategy should be based on all of the following EXCEPT:

A) clear assessment of the intelligence
B) specification of training
C) agreement on methods and outcomes
D) identification of tactics

Question 6

Valid and reliable evaluation of police performance requires all of the following EXCEPT:

A) clearly defined outcomes
B) fixed command accountability for the achievement of these outcomes
C) identification of appropriate measurement data
D) creation of a quota system that will monitor impact

Question 7

Police managers are responsible for the evaluation of all of the following EXCEPT:

A) individual performance
B) unit performance
C) court performance
D) project or program performance

Question 8

A major measurement issue for police administrators who are using some of the new police strategies is:

A) determining measures that will indicate the programs are successful
B) selection of personnel
C) establishing reporting systems
D) creating quantitative data

Question 9

A strong and accurate picture of a police organizations' achievements requires:

A) development of output measures
B) product and process measurement
C) control and reporting system
D) close supervisory oversight

Question 10

A specific measure of police performance is:

A) community commercial activity
B) citizen perception of community safety
C) citizen fear levels
D) percentage of problems identified and resolved in an area

Question 11

Police performance measures should include all of the following elements EXCEPT:

A) success indicator
B) performance indicator
C) output quota
D) target

Question 12

Proposed measures of community disorder include all of the following EXCEPT:

A) the vulnerability of its citizens to various financial crimes
B) the risk of property loss through theft or vandalism in the community
C) the probability of being a victim from an accident on the highways of the community
D) the extent of activities defined to be illegal existing in the community

Question 13

The following performance measurement statements are true EXCEPT:

A) Multiple measures are usually appropriate because crime problems are not isolated incidents.
B) Operational planning should always be considered with evaluation in mind.
C) Outcomes and objectives should be realistically set with a way to assess progress.
D) Baseline measures compare outcomes with outputs achieved by a strategy.

Question 14

Data for monitoring of operational systems can be collected from all of the following EXCEPT:

A) direct observation
B) program test projects
C) official records
D) operational statistics

Question 15

______________measures consider the quantity of the service delivered, such as number of arrests, total dollars collected in seized assets, and number of cases resulting in conviction.

A) Input
B) Output
C) Outcome
D) Efficiency

Question 16

The performance of public agencies is typically focused on all of the following EXCEPT:

A) equality
B) economy
C) efficiency
D) effectiveness

Question 17

In order to conduct individual performance appraisals, police managers must do all of the following EXCEPT:

A) clarify what is expected to their employees
B) compare officer activities and accomplishments to what is expected
C) discipline officers who do not produce sufficient performance outputs
D) communicate findings in accordance with agency and regulatory policy

Question 18

Individual performance appraisals are used to provide data for all of the following EXCEPT:

A) information to the media
B) administrative decisions
C) research purposes
D) counseling of personnel

Question 19

A systematic detailed study of the content of a job so that one can develop an accurate description of what the job entails is a:

A) performance evaluation
B) job task analysis
C) job description
D) performance targets

Question 20

Studies that examined the relationship between personality traits and job performance consistently found that _________________ was a predictor of job performance across all occupational categories.

A) extraversion
B) emotional stability
C) agreeableness
D) conscientiousness

Question 21

Research has found that although community policing departments emphasized a different level of service delivery and performance evaluation, these changes were yet to be reflected in their performance appraisal instruments.

Question 22

Critics of police performance measurement systems suggest that police should not just focus on reducing crime by arrest but should consider the totality of their performance activity and its impact on community safety in order to judge their effectiveness.

Question 23

Macro measures are broad indicators of effectiveness based on the subjective reflection of impressions of police activities.

Question 24

Individual performance systems can be improved if a department disciplines managers who fail to follow system directives.

Question 25

Employees are more likely to accept a department's performance evaluation system if they realize it can be the basis for the use of discipline.

Question 26

Valid measures correctly capture the concept under consideration.

Question 27

Reliable measures yield the same result upon repeated applications.

Question 28

Selective reporting by victims can influence the accuracy of crime rates.

Question 29

A target is the part of a performance measure that establishes the desired level to be reached in a defined time period.

Question 30

Output measures consider the quantity of the service delivered.

Question 31

Discuss the reasons for measuring performance, and state which reason is most important and why.

Question 32

What are the difficulties in measuring the crime rate, and how can they be addressed?

Question 33

What is the purpose of individual performance measurement, and how can it be improved?

Question 34

What are the issues in the evaluation of strategy? Which is most important, and why?

Question 35

What are the issues with validity and reliability, and how do they influence performance measures at all levels?