Chapter 1. Why Assess? The Value-Added of Conducting Periodic Assessments

Chapter 2. Patrol Allocation and Deployment

Chapter 3. Assessing Patrol Operations

Chapter 4. Investigative Operational Performance

Chapter 5. Professional Standards – The Integrity Function

Chapter 6. Administration and Support

Chapter 7. Critical Policy Assessment

Chapter 8. Assessing Recruitment and Retention Capabilities

Chapter 9. The Assessment of Police Training Systems

Chapter 10. Community Engagement

Chapter 11. Assessing, Understanding and Managing Organizational Culture

Chapter 12. Strategic Management and Planning

Chapter 13. Future Considerations and Alternative Service Delivery Model

James E. McCabe is a Professor of Criminal Justice at St. John’s University. He is a retired Inspector from the New York City Police Department and is an expert on police organizational behavior, leadership, and the impact of police operations on public safety and neighborhood satisfaction with police services.

Paul E. O’Connell is a Professor Emeritus at Iona University and a leading expert on the application of Compstat model Police Management principles to public administration organizations. O’Connell conducts research, publishes scholarly papers, and lectures widely on the topics of police performance measurement, integrity management, and law enforcement training systems.

Demosthenes Long is a Professor of Criminal Justice and Security at Pace University. Prior to joining the faculty at Pace University, Long had a 31-year career in public safety with 21 years with the New York Police Department, retiring at the rank of Assistant Chief, and served for five years as the First Deputy Commissioner of the Westchester County Department of Public Safety. 

Carol Rasor-Cordero is a Professor of Criminal Justice and Public Safety Administration at St. Petersburg College. A retired Captain from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office in Florida, she served in various divisions over her 25-year career and has conducted research examining the relationship between personality preferences in law enforcement/corrections leaders and exemplary leadership practices.

“Understanding Police Operational Performance provides a clear understanding of the history of policing coupled with key organizational areas worth examining to ensure best practices. This book is a must read at a pivotal time in American policing for local leaders, police executives, and community members. Critical topics such as police staffing, operations, organizational culture and management practices your local police should be continually examining are clearly described with citations for further exploration. As a police consultant who has conducted organizational assessments throughout the United States, Understanding Police Operational Performance succinctly identifies the key areas communities and police executives need to have ongoing dialogue on what public safety looks and feels like in their community.”

Jackie Gomez-Whiteley, Police Chief (Ret.), Principal & Founder of Meliora Public Safety Consulting, LLC

"...practitioners, administrators and students who read these pages will benefit from the authors' vast experience and bring new and thoughtful ideas and practices to policing resulting in better outcomes ..."

Thomas Belfiore, Former Police Commissioner, Westchester County Department of Public Safety - Division of County Police; Former Chief Security Officer, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

“The team of James McCabe, Paul O’Connell, Carol Rasor-Cordero and Demosthenes Long is the gold standard in the analysis of police operations. They offer practical and realistic analysis of resource allocation, the 'right sizing' of law enforcement agencies, best practices, policies and procedures, department budgets, internal and external surveys, community engagement and partnership, crime reduction, ethics, communication and cultural issues. A must read for policing professionals." 

Edmund Hartnett, NYPD Deputy Chief (retired), Former Police Commissioner Yonkers NY

"This book is of great value for agencies considering self-evaluation and consultant management studies. The topics are relevant, well researched and well written by four pracademics with substantial experience in the field and as police agency evaluators. With hundreds of police management studies under their belts, I highly recommend Understanding Police Operational Performance."

Stephen A. Morreale, D.P.A., Worcester State University, DEA (retired)