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Staff Inspections and AccreditationBrion Emerson of Foundations, Inc. is a retired captain and 30 year veteran of the Greensboro (NC) Police Department. He has been involved with staff inspections for 20 years and has been teaching it nationally for the last 10 years. Comments or inquiries may be forwarded to him at 6549 Dusten Rd., Climax, NC 27233, by phone at (336-674-9523), or by e-mail to foundations@juno.com.
When an agency goes through the self-assessment phase of accreditation, in essence, they are conducting a staff inspection of the entire agency at one time. A staff inspection program is extremely beneficial to the accreditation process. It can assist the accreditation manager in monitoring compliance with standards and verifying that proofs of compliance are being kept up-to-date. Staff inspections can assist in determining what progress is being made toward reaccreditation or, if there is a lack of progress. Another reason for having a staff inspections function is to determine compliance with agency written policies and procedures. A staff inspection can also reveal if the agency has unwritten policies, what they are, and if the employees of the agency are following them. Unwritten policies could have a major impact on agency liability. Inspections can also provide objective information concerning the efficiency and effectiveness of agency components. Important information on work teams and their impact on agency operations may be evaluated. Staff inspections can assist in establishing individual workloads, assessing the demand for service, and evaluating adequacy and use of resources. Inspections may disclose concerns about customer service, reveal if programs are working, indicate the need for change or improvement, and evaluate the impact of changes. Agencies should have a staff inspections function whether or not they are involved in accreditation. It makes good sense to have a vehicle in place that will gather information from every component of the agency, and funnel it directly to the CEO in an objective and timely manner. Realistically, anyone the CEO chooses can perform staff inspections. I would recommend an experienced sergeant, manager, or supervisor for the position. It should not be internal affairs investigators (IA). Due to the different nature of the internal affairs and staff inspections functions, it is difficult for one person to wear both hats. When an investigator/inspector goes into a component for a staff inspection the personnel in that unit may be unsure which hat the inspector is wearing. I also recommend that the two functions not be housed in the same office or in the same place on the agencies’ organizational chart. I realize that many agencies house internal affairs and staff inspections along with accreditation under the “professional standards” umbrella. However, in my experience, this often doesn’t work very well. While some IA officers feel they can perform both functions equally well, the vast majority of internal affairs investigators and staff inspectors that I have met over the years realize that the dual position hampers their ability to obtain the most accurate information. Also, the staff inspector should not be the accreditation manager. An accreditation manager could possibly conduct inspections on a part time basis, but due to the workload involved, there may not be sufficient time to accomplish both tasks well. The technique that appears to have the most potential to benefit agency operations is to ensure the staff inspections, accreditation, and planning and research functions work to support each other and their joint efforts provide the CEO with accurate information. To gather information, a staff inspection breaks the agency down into components or “bite-size chunks.” Then there is usually a review of the component’s policies and procedures, applicable accreditation standards, all files and records, and interviews with component personnel. Many agencies use checklists, surveys, and component-initiated reports. The inspectors also examine outputs, follow paper trails, observe, and talk to the component’s customers. The purpose for both accreditation and staff inspections is to improve the agency and provide the CEO with accurate, objective information in order to plan, solve problems, or make changes. Of equal importance, staff inspections can be the vehicle for promoting teamwork within the organization and provide for management development. Many agencies do very little in the area of developing their management team after first line supervision training is completed. While staff inspections can be a powerful and useful management tool, it is unfortunately, often misunderstood and poorly used. If the CEO is not behind staff inspections and does not properly sell its value within the agency, staff inspection becomes just another cosmetic program. The most exciting change that has taken place in the world of staff inspections over the last few years is that agencies have found that there is a positive method to conduct inspections which actually strengthen how agencies do business. Employing the overall philosophy of “catching people doing things right” is the foundation for this change. We all know that agencies throughout the country are made up of men and women who come to work every day and are good at what they do. This inspection function is designed to point out these areas where excellent performance is taking place as well as areas where improvements are needed.
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A staff inspection is
the purposeful gathering of information throughout the agency, then presenting
it in a useable form so the CEO of the agency can make decisions.