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<br />. Failure to Keep Abreast. Law enforcement is a
<br />rapidly evolving profession, and the mcthotls once
<br />suitable for Inanaging police organizations are no
<br />longer adequate. Police chiefs must keep abreast of
<br />new ideas, theories, and tedlllologit:s. While the state
<br />of "police management" is still in its infancy, we art'
<br />rapidly learning new rm:thods to get the most from
<br />people while creating a harmonious work environ-
<br />ment. Despite the availability of this information,
<br />many police chiefs either are not aware of new
<br />ideas or simply choose to ignore them.
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<br />The management style and capability of
<br />the police chief is the single most impor.
<br />tant factor in distinguishing between a
<br />progressive, responsive police service
<br />agency and a mediocre or substandard one.
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<br />Auditing the Police Function
<br />
<br />As a local government manager or a new police
<br />adrninistrator, you will want to take a careful look at
<br />the entire police department's performance.
<br />
<br />It is good business practice to have financial recortls
<br />and rdated docUlnents reviewed on a regular basis
<br />in order to discover discrepancies and to correct
<br />improper practice:;. Auditing, however, is not re.
<br />stdcted to reviewing financial records. Rather, an
<br />autlit, or inspection, can and should be viewed as an
<br />opportunity to identify and correct deticiencies in
<br />organizations, programs, and individual performance.
<br />In this broader sense, then, management uuditing is
<br />a particularly useful and appropriatt~ means of im-
<br />proving the performance of all units of government.
<br />
<br />While a management audit lllilY take a number or
<br />dill'erent forms and be intended tu serve a variety of
<br />purposes, a useful det1nition of thelnanagerncnt
<br />audit is "an evaluation of the quality of ,Ill organiza-
<br />tion's performance against its objectives, the prin-
<br />ciples and standards of management, and the experi-
<br />ences of like organizations." *
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<br />Simply stated, a management audit is an attempt to
<br />determine jf an organization is doing what it is sup-
<br />posed to do. and if it is doing it properly. An impor-
<br />tant element of the management audit is the develop-
<br />ment of specific goal-oriented l'econnnendations for
<br />the improvement of organizational efliciency and
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<br />*Malwgenzent Auditing: The PAS Approach (Chicago:
<br />Public Administration Service), no date,
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<br />Public M,Hlagemcn~/Dccemb(T 1979
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<br />cfl'cctiveness. It is not sufficient to simply identify
<br />problems; realistic and practical solutions must be
<br />the logical result of the management audit.
<br />
<br />Police agencies, like other organizations in both the
<br />public and private sector, sufler from a variety of
<br />maladies which adversely affect their performance.
<br />Police organizations are unique, however, in that
<br />tlekets in the level and quality of the service they
<br />provide have a direct impact upon citizen satisfaction
<br />and confitlence in government generally. Therefore
<br />it is vitally important that police performance, both
<br />organizationally and individually, be periodically
<br />reviewed and, where necessary, deficiencies be
<br />corrected.
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<br />Unfortunately, very few police agencies have the
<br />capacity, in terms of expertise and resources, to
<br />etlectively audit their own performance. While many
<br />large police departments possess inspectional serv-
<br />ices units, the role of these units is often restricted
<br />to assessing whether or not programs and activities
<br />arc being conducted in accordance with established
<br />policies and procedures. Rarely are the policies and
<br />procedures themselves examined critically. More.
<br />over, in-house inspections personnel, despite their
<br />best efforts and intentions, often lack the capability
<br />of evaluating existing practices and procedures from
<br />a detached, objective viewpoint. In many instances,
<br />their view of the forest is obstructed by the trees.
<br />If a reliable performance audit is to be conducted, it
<br />is generally desirable to look for assistance from
<br />outside the agency.
<br />
<br />There arc a number of resources available to the
<br />police administrator seeking assistance in a manage-
<br />Illent audit. In some cases, qualified assistance may
<br />be available from another city department. The city
<br />may employ specially trained personnel who review
<br />operating practices and procedures of all city depart-
<br />ments on a r,-~gular basis. At the federal level, for
<br />example, the General Accounting Oflice fulfills this
<br />responsibility by inspecting governmental operations
<br />in a number of functional and programmatic areas.
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<br />Other resources include retired business executives,
<br />college and university professors, research institu-
<br />tions, professional associations, and various con-
<br />sulting organizations. The costs of such services will
<br />range from very little to several thousand dollars,
<br />depending upon the scope and purpose of the audit,
<br />the size of the organization, and the source of
<br />assistance.
<br />
<br />It is important to note that a management audit is
<br />not intended to substitute for a comprehensive
<br />analysis of a particular program or function. Rather,
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