Post by WaTcHeR on Apr 18, 2006 8:51:31 GMT -5
04/18/2006 - Chicago cops will come under closer scrutiny under a new department plan announced Friday, but officials said that the goal is not to punish officers.
A new computer system will track a number of job performance numbers -- including officers' sick days, citizen complaints and arrest figures -- and flag supervisors to problems, Police Supt. Philip J. Cline said at police headquarters.
Cline said warnings will not trigger disciplinary actions but instead what he called "intervention," which might include counseling or additional training.
"The idea is to correct behavior before it becomes a disciplinary issue," said Cline.
The system will also help set benchmarks for successful performance, he added. Good numbers by "high achievers" could be used for better assignments, he said.
While the department already logs performance and complaint data, it is not done in a coordinated way, he said.
Cline said he is working "hand-in-hand" with police unions on the plan, called the Personnel Performance System.
"It takes us six months to train a cop. For us to just cavalierly try to get rid of a cop, we'd be much better off, with the investment we have in them, to correct behavior and do it with early intervention," said Cline.
As an example, by analyzing days an officer calls in sick, the department might, after an investigation, discover that the officer has day care problems or a sick parent, he said.
UNION: 'COULD BE BENEFICIAL'
The system could also be used to define arrest or complaint averages. "If the average is one complaint and a guy has five, that's a red flag," said Cline.
The department has been looking at similar programs in other cities.
Mark Donohue, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, which represents 11,600 officers, was warm to the idea, as long as it is not used to build a case for dismissal.
"This is something that could be beneficial to the officer, not only in his professional life but in his personal life," said Donohue.
No timetable has been set for launching the new system.
A new computer system will track a number of job performance numbers -- including officers' sick days, citizen complaints and arrest figures -- and flag supervisors to problems, Police Supt. Philip J. Cline said at police headquarters.
Cline said warnings will not trigger disciplinary actions but instead what he called "intervention," which might include counseling or additional training.
"The idea is to correct behavior before it becomes a disciplinary issue," said Cline.
The system will also help set benchmarks for successful performance, he added. Good numbers by "high achievers" could be used for better assignments, he said.
While the department already logs performance and complaint data, it is not done in a coordinated way, he said.
Cline said he is working "hand-in-hand" with police unions on the plan, called the Personnel Performance System.
"It takes us six months to train a cop. For us to just cavalierly try to get rid of a cop, we'd be much better off, with the investment we have in them, to correct behavior and do it with early intervention," said Cline.
As an example, by analyzing days an officer calls in sick, the department might, after an investigation, discover that the officer has day care problems or a sick parent, he said.
UNION: 'COULD BE BENEFICIAL'
The system could also be used to define arrest or complaint averages. "If the average is one complaint and a guy has five, that's a red flag," said Cline.
The department has been looking at similar programs in other cities.
Mark Donohue, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, which represents 11,600 officers, was warm to the idea, as long as it is not used to build a case for dismissal.
"This is something that could be beneficial to the officer, not only in his professional life but in his personal life," said Donohue.
No timetable has been set for launching the new system.