Police Performance Appraisals

Police performance appraisals are vital to both the employee and employer. For the employee who is concerned about the direction of their career, the evaluation will supply a clear understanding of where they stand in the eyes of the supervisor. The review also gives the supervisor the opportunity to encourage the officer and provide them with direction as to the matters that they need to work on, which will assist in becoming a well-rounded officer. Execution and productivity are essential assessment to consider for all levels within the agency. It is middle management’s primary responsibility to measure the accomplishments of the subordinates as well as the entire unit’s productivity. The task of performance evaluations can be a intimidating.

Finally, the evaluations are necessary to provide the current employees with conduct knowledge that expresses appropriateness(Peak et al., 2010). To be successful in law enforcement an individual is required to wear a number of different hats. However the officer must not forget their primary obligations of protecting and serving the community. A performance appraisal should include a section that covers knowledge of department policy and procedures as well as criminal, municipal, and motor vehicle codes. An officer must be efficient in recognizing statutes while understanding there purpose and content. The officer must remain enlightened of current ligation that will impact an officers response in a criminal investigation and apply necessary understanding. It is imperative that a law enforcement officer expresses a high level of critical thinking skills. As a supervisor, I would also be concerned with the interpersonal skills of my subordinates. Communication is a crucial component of day to day activities within the law enforcement profession. The officer will be evaluated on how well they articulate themselves during report

A portion of the evaluation must be dedicated to the officer’s self-initiated activities such as the enforcement of traffic laws and regulations. Also, does the officer utilize the proper levels of enforcement when issuing a warning or citation or even affecting an arrest. As an advocate for community policing as well, as it adds to the versatility of police officers. It is essential that officers be evaluated on their skills in crime analysis and community-oriented policing. Officers should become quite familiar with statistics provided by daily bulletins that focus designated areas of concern. Also, do the officers act on citizen complaints within those areas. All law enforcement officials should be proficient in crime prevention methods, with the ability to utilize the gathered information and relay the details to citizens and neighborhoods. The community-oriented officer will promote crime prevention methods and educational programs(Oettmeier & Wycoff, 1994). A mixed format scale would apply to this performance appraisal. As a portion of the assessment covers duties and responsibilities to be rated in a graphic