RD39 - A Review of the Patrol Staffing Formula


Executive Summary:
After conducting a thorough review of the current methodology used by the Department of State Police since the 1980’s to determine staffing levels, the factors in the Modified Mission and Staffing Formula appear to overstate the actual number of troopers needed, thus calling into question the relationships between staffing levels and input variables. Actual patrol staffing levels have been consistently far less than those recommended by the Modified Mission and Staffing Formula. The Modified Mission and Staffing Formula currently recommends a staffing level of 2,092, however, the authorized strength is only 1,042. This represents a recommended staffing increase of 1,050 troopers, an increase of over 100 percent.

Data sources have changed considerably since the development of the current staffing formula. In the late 1990’s, the Department of State Police completed the installation of a computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system in each of the seven field divisions and it has provided an independent source of data to measure agency workload and the level of service provided by the Department. Aside from improvements in functioning of the dispatch function, the CAD system records pertinent data for each call for service. Among these are the date and time that a call for service is received by the agency dispatcher, the date and time that a trooper is dispatched on the call, the date and time that a trooper arrives on scene at the call, and the date and time that a trooper completes action on the call. For each call, the dispatcher notes the priority of the call.

In the early 1990’s, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) realized the need for a manpower allocation method for law enforcement agencies and contracted with Northwestern University to develop the Police Personnel Allocation Manual (PAM) Model for state law enforcement agencies. The PAM model was thoroughly evaluated to determine its appropriateness as a replacement for the Modified Mission and Staffing Formula. Several factors inhibit the effectiveness of the PAM model, including the number of user-defined subjective input variables. As a result, staffing levels produced in the PAM model can be manipulated. In addition, the over complexity of the PAM model rules out its viability as an option for updating the staffing formula.

As a result, the Trooper Allocation and Distribution Model (TADM) was developed and was geared specifically to the Department’s unique data collection processes. The model is based on both reactive (calls for service) and self-initiated workload data from CAD, administrative workload data from the Weekly Activity Reporting System (WARS), and proactive patrol workload data (unobligated time) from WARS.

The following table compares staffing levels for the Modified Mission and Staffing Formula and the Trooper Allocation and Distribution Model with authorized and actual staffing levels. It is important to note that 37 additional sergeants are recommended to maintain a 1:12 span of control.

Staffing Level Comparison.....................................Number of Troopers

Trooper Allocation and Distribution Model.......................1,397
Modified Mission and Staffing Formula...........................2,092
Authorized Staffing Level (2002).....................................1,042
Average Actual Strength for (2002)....................................913

Additionally, since the Trooper Allocation and Distribution Model is based on calls for service from the public as reported independently in the CAD system, the VSP staffing model provides a rational basis for requesting changes in the number of troopers authorized.

The following recommendations are provided for consideration:

Adopt the Trooper Allocation and Distribution Model as a replacement for the Modified Mission and Staffing Formula.

Enhance the CAD system by the addition of a records management system (RMS) capability. This would eliminate the need for troopers to submit weekly activity reports.

Evaluate the current level of service being provided by quarterly reviews of response time for calls for service and determine whether or not a higher level of service (a greater percentage of calls for service having a trooper available for immediate dispatch) would be appropriate for Department staffing calculations.