EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
FOR THE REPORT OF THE BEST PRACTICES
ASSESSMENT OF THE ST. PAUL POLICE DEPARTMENT
January 14, 2008
Berkshire Advisors, Inc.
General Management Consultants
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The St. Paul Police Department is a good police department that has yet to reach its full
potential. The police chief and his leadership team are capable managers and leaders
who are committed to implementing community policing concepts and decentralizing
decision-making authority where possible. These policing and management concepts
have not been fully implemented for a number of reasons:
The size of the St. Paul Police Department – it is neither a small nor large
department – complicates management and makes it difficult to meet community and
employee expectations
Mid-managers have not been prepared to function in a decentralized policing
environment and lack the tools and the management infrastructure needed to
function effectively in a decentralized environment
The department has not adequately invested in the support and supervisory staffing,
vehicles and equipment, and systems needed to make its policing vision a reality
Patrol officers have limited time to support community policing initiatives because the
bulk of their time is devoted to responding to calls
Taking steps to address these shortcomings, while also undertaking initiatives to make
more effective use of existing resources and to ensure the way resources are allocated
reflects department priorities, will, over time, enable the department to maximize its
potential in serving the residents of St. Paul. While implementing improvement
recommendations will take time – implementing systemic change is always difficult and
implementation of some recommendations will require negotiations to change existing
contracts – with consistent and committed leadership the department’s vision for policing
can become a reality.
Significant fact-finding was performed to support the study findings and
recommendations. Intervie