Oakland’s New System To Weed Out Bad Officers
Oakland, Calif.’s Police Department is among 12 national law enforcement agencies under a court order to straighten up, and is employing technology to do so. The department is putting together an inside “three strikes” system that would follow an officer’s record of arrests, complaints of too much force, and attendance.
Intended to detect early warning signs of trouble, the system would demand a performance evaluation when an officer gets over three complaints in a 30-month period.
The system, which is set to begin in July 2005, is getting mixed reviews. Police officials regard it as a worthwhile employee management tool; police watchdog groups are hopeful it will get rid of ineffective officers; and certain rank-and-file police officers are wary of getting in trouble for complaints without merit.
The monitoring program would be a success if it could differentiate the good from the bad actions of officers, and if it could detect the officers who are handling possibly volatile situations with expertise and experience. In addition, the system would be advantageous because it can help lower city and taxpayer liability resulting from the actions of a few problematic officers.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center(NLECTC) from the San Francisco Chronicle (05/31/04) P. B1; Johnson, Chip.
