From Combative to Collaborative: A Better Approach to Police Staffing Conversations

Conversations between budget professionals and police chiefs about staffing sometimes devolve into combative exchanges. Staff in the budget office say, "I need you to cut staff," and the police chief says, "If I do that, crime will go through the roof!" An alternative to these types of conversations is to develop a data-driven approach that aligns police staffing with identified workload.

Rather than relying on prescribed staffing minimums or historical precedent, this approach recognizes that the “right” number of staff must incorporate community needs and goals as well as conversations about what the government can afford. In this session, experts in police staffing will walk through their experience designing and implementing a multi-year police staffing plan using readily available data. Attendees will leave with strategies to turn those combative exchanges into collaborative conversations.