How to Measure the Quality of Service in Law Enforcement Agencies

If you live inside the city limits, chances are your policing will be the responsibility of the city police. Outside the city limits, the law enforcement duties fall on the shoulders of the county sheriff and its deputies. In lots of areas, the county runs sheriff’s branches in small towns throughout the county as well as the county seat.

Local law enforcement agencies usually patrol within the town or city limits. In larger cities, city police will have branches or stations throughout the city. You may have seen that some police agencies have established a satellite office in a commercial complex such as shopping plaza or housing complex. If you have questions regarding your local police service, here is what you need to ask:

• What are staffing levels like?
• What is the average time it takes for police to respond to an emergency in your neighborhood?
• Do they have special divisions with their agency that cater to specific aspects of crime such as narcotics, robbery, or gangs?
• What kinds of crime watch programs are in place, and how can you join in on the program?
• How many patrol units are usually on duty between the hours of midnight and 8 a.m.? 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and so on? (In many departments, half of all officers are assigned to patrol units.)
• Do police check up on your house while you are on vacation if homeowners notify the agency prior to leaving town?

If you have been given answers to these questions, take some time to rate your police agency with the following:

• Did the law enforcement agency seem helpful? No=low, Somewhat=medium, Yes=high.
• Does the agency have a quick response time calls? Greater than 15 minutes=low, Between 10 and 15 minutes=medium, At most 10 minutes=high.
• Is the police department adequately staffed to provide around-the-clock coverage in your area? No=low, Sometimes=medium, Yes=high.
• If not, during what times is the department most likely to be vulnerable?
• Did you notice any particular areas of weakness such as lack of investigative power, dispatch network, patrol staff, and so on?

Armed with this information, you can bring these issues up at your next city council meeting.

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