ABSTRACT
Evaluation of job performance is a managerial task that is normally delegated to first-line supervisors in healthy, work-based organizations. Systematic performance appraisal is regarded as the key to employee development and is now viewed as the centerpiece of an effective police personnel system. Based on modern management theory, personnel development is an ongoing process that begins on the day the rookie police officer joins the police department and continues throughout his or her career. Community-oriented policing is based on the assumption that delegation of authority plus meaningful participation in decision-making leads to empowerment. Personnel who have the potential to assume increased responsibilities should be identified and placed in a program that will lead to full development of that potential. Every individual has strengths and weaknesses, and making a forced-choice comparison may prevent a supervisor from making a proper assessment. Unless a police officer’s social background and personality interfere with personal performance, they should not be factored into the appraisal process.
