List Serve Message - April 2005 www.LAPDOnline.org Greetings from the men and women of the Los Angeles Police Department. The following is the monthly update for April 2005. We hope you find the information useful. You are encouraged to continue to visit our website at www.lapdonline.org as it has recently been redesigned and updated. CHIEF’S MESSAGE In keeping with the Department’s core value of “Quality through Continuous Improvement,” we are always looking for innovative and creative methods to develop best policing practices. One significant result of our quest for managing the workplace is the Training Evaluation and Management System II, better known as TEAMS II. The initial TEAMS system, known as TEAMS I, was established in 1997 and allowed Department supervisors a limited view of an employee’s automated performance history. That wasn’t good enough. So the system was enhanced to allow access not only for supervisors, but also for each individual employee to view their own information. Since then the revisions and enhancements have continued as part of a new initiative called TEAMS II. When it is completed it is intended to be a highly efficient computer database system that provides critical information to ensure Department personnel are effectively utilized and trained. Like the Department’s COMPSTAT system, TEAMS II is designed to utilize technology to its maximum potential. The goal is to effectively evaluate, measure and manage our most valuable resource – the men and women of this Department. TEAMS II can provide comparative analysis of an employee’s performance to that of their peers performing similar duties under like conditions. With this information, supervisors and managers will be able to fairly evaluate the nature, quantity, and quality of an employee’s work performance. In addition, managers will be better able to evaluate each supervisor’s ability to oversee their employees. This will assist all Department employees in becoming more productive and effective in the workplace. An employee’s TEAMS II report will contain a summary of the employee’s history within the Department including disciplinary actions, firearms qualification information, assignment and rank history, work permit information, training history, and commendation records. Public contacts, such as number of citations issued, number of arrests, and number of pedestrian and vehicle stops, are also included. Additionally, risk management issues will also be part of the TEAMS II report and include information on use of force incidents, traffic collisions, pursuits, and civil litigation records. TEAMS II will work by using a new Use of Force System, a Complaint Management System, and Deployment Period System. These will be added to informational systems already maintained by the Department. Selected performance-related data will be extracted from each of the systems and fed into a newly created Risk Management Information System, which is the heart of TEAMS II. Lastly, TEAMS II will allow “on-line” reporting, documenting, and reviewing of use of force and complaint investigations. Here’s how the Risk Management Information System will work. An employee’s performance information is stored in 14 databases. Selected performance data is sent from the individual databases into a “data staging area,” which is like an information warehouse. Periodically, the Risk Management Information System extracts information from the data staging area and performs comparative analysis of both individual and organizational performances. When comparisons identify an employee or an organizational entity with performance issues that are significantly different from the performance of their respective peer groups, an automatic notification, or “Action Item,” is generated to determine if appropriate recognition or mentoring is needed. An “Action Item” on its own does not indicate misconduct. An “Action Item” merely indicates that an employee’s performance is different when compared to one’s peers. It doesn’t mean that they have done anything wrong or improper. An “Action Item” merely notifies a supervisor or manager to initiate a review. It should also be noted that TEAMS II will provide routine notifications to the commanding officers of employees whose peer group performance indicates a high number of public contacts with correspondingly few use of force or complaint incidents. When will we see TEAMS II? The first two components of TEAMS II, the new Use of Force System and Deployment Period System, are being rolled out as a pilot program in Northeast and Central Areas, Force Investigation Division, and Use of Force Review Division. The Complaint Management System and the Risk Management Information System will be activated soon after. A department-wide rollout of all TEAMS II components will be accomplished on a bureau-by-bureau basis starting in late spring or early summer. We expect to complete the rollout by November. Full compliance with the Consent Decree continues to be a primary goal of mine for this Department. A priority of the Decree itself is to emphasize the role of managers and supervisors with the intended result of improved and consistent quality oversight. Reforms like Teams II require a proactive “best business practice” approach to supervision. We have made a commitment to the communities we serve, to provide policing that is compassionate, consistent and constitutional. The people of the City of Los Angeles deserve no less, and the men and women of the LAPD deserve a workplace free from those who would tarnish the badge. NATIONAL POLICE WEEK In October 1962, a joint-resolution became public law authorizing President John F. Kennedy to proclaim May 15 of each year, as Police Officers’ Memorial Day and the calendar week of each year which May 15 occurs as National Police Week. The Los Angeles Police Department will commemorate National Police Week with the following events that the public is invited to attend: * LAPD Candlelight Vigil on Wednesday, May 18, 2005 at 7:30 p.m. This event will take place at the Ahmanson Recruit Training Center, 5651 West Manchester Avenue in Westchester. The Ahmanson Recruit Training Center displays a unique sculpture memorializing our officers killed in the line of duty. The candlelight vigil will include a brief service in front of the facility. The names of the officers killed will be displayed during the event. This event promises to provide a unique opportunity for the Department, community, and family members of fallen officers to gather together and continue our promise to “Never Forget” those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. * LAPD Memorial Ceremony on Thursday, May 19, 2005, at 10 a.m. The ceremony takes place at the Los Angeles Police Memorial in front of Parker Center, 150 North Los Angeles Street in downtown Los Angeles. This somber ceremony of remembrance honors every fallen officer who wore the LAPD badge. The public is welcome to attend this event as we remember our past heroes. * Interfaith Day of Prayer on Sunday, May 22, 2005, at St. Michael’s Catholic Church, 1016 West Manchester Blvd. at 4:00 p.m. This non-denominational service will again be held to acknowledge and support the commitment to public service that the men and women of the Los Angeles Police Department uphold daily. The Public is invited to join us on this momentous occasion as Department members affirm our mission to “enhance public safety while working with the diverse communities to improve their quality of life.” * Los Angeles Police-Celebrity Golf Tournament on Saturday, May 21, 2005, at Rancho Park Golf Course in West Los Angeles. Preparations are underway for the 34th Annual Los Angeles Police-Celebrity Golf Tournament. More than 30 movie, television, and sports stars will play golf to raise money for the Los Angeles Police Memorial Foundation. This year’s host will be Chris O’Donnell, from the critically acclaimed movie “Kinsey.” As of March 29, 2005, celebrities scheduled to appear include: Sylvester Stallone, Joe Mantegna, Ron Masak, Anne-Marie Jonhson, and Chad Everett. Aside from just golf, this tournament serves as an LAPD open house event that features displays and demonstrations from the various police units. Anyone interested in the Los Angeles Police Department will not want to miss this day of family fun. Tickets are available for $5 and are available at all Los Angeles Community Police Stations and at the gates at the day of the event. CRIME STATISTICS - CITY-WIDE Year to Date as of March 26, 2005 Homicide Down -7.9% Rape Down -34.2% Robbery Down -12.1% Aggravated Assault Down -34.8% --------------------------------------------------------------- TOTAL VIOLENT CRIMES Down -26.4% Burglary Down -11.1% Burglary/Theft from Vehicle Down -22.9% Personal/Other Theft Down -18.3% Auto Theft Down -13.6% --------------------------------------------------------------- TOTAL PROPERTY CRIMES Down -17.5% TOTAL PART 1 CRIMES Down -19.6% WILLIAM J. BRATTON Chief of Police To unsubscribe from this newsletter please click on this link http://listserv.lacity.org/cgi-bin/wa.exe?SUBED1=lapd_monthly&A=1