Jon M. Shane Associates

Jon M. Shane specializes in research, analysis and technical assistance on issues that affect police policy and practice.

Specialization

Pioneered in 1994 in the New York City Police Department, this management technique has widely diffused throughout the law enforcement industry. The CompStat model rests on four principles:  Accurate and Timely Intelligence, Effective Tactics, Rapid Deployment of Personnel and Resources and Relentless Follow up and Assessment. With some reorganization, law enforcement executives can put into practice one of the most innovative, deceptively simple, and economical means to police management aimed at controlling crime and disorder. Jon Shane’s article on CompStat has been cited by several authors.  Email agency and contact information for a free prospectus.

CompStat Implementation

How many personnel do we need to handle our workload? How many will we need if we increase proactive operations by 5%? How much will it cost to purchase police service from another law enforcement agency? These questions are frequently asked by management and often answered with vague assumptions or anecdotal evidence. The ABB model developed by Jon M. Shane Associates was designed specifically for law enforcement agencies so they can show a nexus between workload, deployment  decisions and costs. The model is available on the resource CD that accompanies What Every Chief Executive Should Know...This unique model should be used when you enter the next budget appropriations hearing.

Activity-base Budgeting (ABB)

Whether a program or a policy “worked” or should be hailed as a “success” is a value judgment. However, the decision to keep it at the same level, expand it, or dissolve it should rest on accurate information, not vague impressions or anecdotal evidence. Accurate information comes from employing rigorous scientific methods to measure the program’s effects and determine whether the outcomes occurred by chance or if they were actually due to the program itself. Evaluate your policies and programs to ensure you are meeting performance  expectations.

For more information email:

admin@jonmshaneassociates.com

Program and Policy Evaluation (Process and Impact)

External funding is becoming more important as police agencies and their parent governments find themselves searching for funding to supplement baseline services. The grant application process is also more competitive than ever—awards for discretionary funds are harder to come by, especially since the U.S. government requires logic models for all grant applications. With the agency, we discuss solutions, develop the initial proposal, define the problem and identify stakeholders so your application is competitive.

Grant Writing

Phone: 973-226-4003

The bedrock of a police agency is its operating policies. One of the first items called into question during litigation, disciplinary hearings or performance assessments is the policies that were acted upon. If the agency’s policies are sound and are based on theoretically relevant practice and contemporary standards, then the risk of liability is greatly reduced. Jon M. Shane Associates relies on more than just industry standards to develop policy. We combine better industry practices with the scientific and legal literature to ensure each policy is based on the latest available research.

Policy Development

Police agencies are expensive to operate and their services are not as tangible as other elements of government or the private sector. With this in mind, it is imperative the agency develop a performance model they can rely on that connects the things the police say they are doing with intended outcomes. Jon M. Shane developed a 6-point performance management framework that top police administrators can use to manage results. The model is multidimensional and borrows concepts from business management and public administration, as well as policing. Once baseline performance is established, then recommendations can be made and a suitable model can be implemented. Download a management study conducted in Camden, NJ, where the goal was to evaluate and improve existing police practices.

Performance Management Assessment

We provide law enforcement agencies and the parent government with expert opinion on matters of police management, policy and practice. Expert testimony helps juries render decisions on the facts and helps judges render decisions on matters of law. Popular opinion about police practice may be divisive or controversial. However, matters of policy are settled at trial, where practices may be deemed within agency policy, within legal limits and within accepted industry standards. Consequently, the actions of the officer and the agency’s practices are deemed justifiable. Our expert reports rely on social scientific literature to help build a strong legal defense.  

Expert Opinion

In 1996, the New Jersey Legislature enacted N.J.S.A. 40A:14-181 and formally recognized the importance of the internal affairs function in New Jersey police departments. The internal affairs function has received increased attention by state and federal courts. The courts consistently recognize the right to redress government as a fundamental principle embedded in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and, operationally, that right translates into the internal affairs function. Relying on an outside expert to conduct the internal affairs investigation not only insulates top administrators politically, but it is objective, which eliminates bias, favoritism and impropriety.

Internal Affairs Investigations (NJ Only)

Areas where certain industries operate, such as sexually-oriented businesses and alcohol establishments may suffer from what are known as “secondary effects.” This means crime in the adjacent area may be higher and it may be related to the type of business in the neighborhood. Consequently, these businesses become police problems and parent government has a right to regulate them. Secondary effects research can help the governing body defend its right to regulate the business and defend their position in court.  Secondary effects research relies on objective methodology (Official crime data, non-participant observation and proximity) as well as the empirically-tested Routine Activities Theory, which is directly relevant to this type of inquiry. Read more and download useful reports from www.secondaryeffectsresearch.com.

Secondary Effects Research

Developing a business plan is an essential part of police management. Top administrators recognize how a comprehensive business plan can help them fulfill three important managerial functions: Communication, management and planning. Jon M. Shane Associates uses a unique approach to business planning by combining the SWOT model (Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) with the PEST model (Political, economic, social and technological) to ensure better results from the planning exercise. This approach is superior to others because it captures another dimension of planning that is often overlooked: The political and demographic environment that is subject to frequent change, which may adversely impact police operations. We work closely with the chief executive, the command staff and the line staff to design a business plan that fits well with the agency’s business logic.

Police Business Plans

Problem-oriented policing (POP) represents a departure from traditional policing. This model treats isolated “incidents” as symptoms of a larger problem that may be connected. The model is not  reactive and arrest-based; rather, it is proactive and uses information and analysis to resolve the underlying issue. This translates into more efficient and effective use of limited resources. It is also a preventative strategy that relies on using non-traditional techniques to prevent crime and disorder before they occur. The POP operating method is the SARA model (Scanning, Analysis, Response, Assessment). There is a large body of literature and hundreds of successful case studies that suggests POP is useful and can augment traditional policing methods, not replace them. POP theory is rooted in environmental criminology. Some of the theoretical underpinnings include Situational Crime Prevention, Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), Broken Windows, Rational Choice Perspective, Crime Displacement Theory, and Routine Activities Theory. Our affiliates have extensive experience conducting problem analysis, drafting POP proposals, field application and working with police departments to develop, implement and evaluate POP strategies.

Problem-Oriented Policing

“In 1974, the National Commission on Criminal Justice Standards and Goals called upon every police department to publish an annual report. The Commission, as well as others, recognized that the publication of such an annual report provides a singular opportunity not only to advance an open system of periodic accountability before its various constituencies, but, just as importantly, to inform the citizenry and various officials about the complexity of the urban police role” (Vanagunas,1982). With this statement, as a matter of public responsibility, it is imperative police departments publish an annual report. However, many police departments use the annual report as a “photo album” for the year in review. Our approach takes the annual report into a new area with rich contextual detail that supports five purposes: 1) To engender public support for department policy; 2) to educate the public about the realities of policing; 3) to inform the public about the incidence of crime and disorder; 4) to publically account for performance; and 5) to advance police professionalism.

Police Annual Report