Total Quality Management: An Assessment of Implementation in

Florida's Municipal Police Agencies

James F. Murphey

Abstract
The nature of law enforcement is undergoing great change as we prepare to enter
the next century. Nationally, people are demanding a more community-oriented,
problem-solving style of police service delivery. This change in agency philosophy, as
well as the changes in the workforce, create an environment in which the traditional law
enforcement management style becomes less effective and efficient. Total Quality
Management (TQM) is a viable alternative to the traditional style of autocratic
management.
This study used a survey to determine the current level of TQM implementation in
Florida municipal police agencies and the chief executives' knowledge of TQM
principles and practices. The study shows a low level of TQM implementation within the
state; however, agencies that have implemented TQM are found to be more highly rated
in areas of professional expertise, internal stability, interaction with the public, and
citizen and officer empowerment. Additionally, effective community-oriented or problem-
solving policing may be delayed until implementation of at least some TQM principles,
whether or not labeled as TQM.

Introduction
The management of processes and the leadership of people are two primary tasks
facing the public-sector executive, both today and in the future. The demand for
governing more efficiently creates tremendous pressure for change. The quality
movement has gained such acceptance in the private sector that it has put pressure on
governments to adopt similar principles. Total quality management (TQM), with its
concern for quality work product and the external and internal customers, is an
alternative management process that is gaining acceptance in the public sector.
While initially designed for manufacturing, TQM has been effectively implemented
in organizations producing a work product or service through people. Given the labor-
intensive nature of police service, the principles of TQM can guide the police executive
in responding to increasing demands for effective and efficient service.
Much has been written about the drive towards community-oriented/problem-
solving policing and researchers have looked at implementation of quality management
in various law enforcement agencies. But there are gaps in the research. In reviewing
the literature and trying to find effective methods of implementing quality management
within the Altamonte Springs Police Department, two questions arose:

1. To what extent has TQM been adopted in Florida municipal police agencies?
2. What differences exist between the agencies which have and have not adopted
TQM?

To answer these questions a survey of municipal police agencies was conducted

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in April 1993. A history and overview of TQM preface the results and conclusions of the
survey in order to better understand the concepts of quality management.

History and Development of TQM

Total quality management is built around a basic assumption that "all people
have a natural desire for accomplishment. Part of management's job is to provide
opportunities for that drive to benefit the organization." (Carr and Littman, 1990, p. 19).
While TQM may be viewed as a new management process, it is not. The concept
of continuous improvement was developed in the 1920s at Bell Laboratories by Walter
Shewhart. This basic model was statistical process control (SPC). It measured variance
in production systems and was integrated into measuring consistency of the work
product and processes.
Shewhart also formalized the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle, an attempt to improve
production through the use of the scientific model. The PDCA cycle is ongoing,
constantly being repeated. As a result, the process is constantly refined and improved.
Higher levels of performance should result (Carr and Littman, 1990).
W. Edwards Deming taught statistical process control to the defense industry
during World War II. These methods were kept classified as military secrets until after
the war. Deming then lectured Japanese business leaders in quality control and his
lectures became the basis for modern quality philosophy.
Deming, recognized as the "father of statistical quality control" (Peters and
Austin, 1985, p. 102), theorized that TQM leads to more self-inspection by the people
actually producing the product. Deming then found that quality is a function of
commitment by the people performing the task.

TQM in Japan. Joseph Juran and Armand Feigenbaum helped the Japanese refine
TQM and expanded the process to involve all departments within an organization using
the quality process (Carr and Littman, 1990). Kaoru Ishikawa took the concept a step
further, expanding it to include all employees. The resulting flow of ideas and
suggestions from within the organization helped focus the total effort towards "satisfying
customers." By doing so, quality improved.
By 1970, the Ishikawa model of "company wide quality control" had been
adopted by many of the larger Japanese companies. "The effect this management style
had on Japanese products is obvious: 'Made in Japan' now stands for world class
quality" (Carr and Littman, 1990, p. 24).

American Management and TQM. The latter half of the 1980s marked the beginning of
a resurgence in quality processes for American management. Peters and Austin, in their
book A Passion for Excellence, maintain that "the heart of quality is not technique. It is a
commitment to its people and product -- stretching over a period of decades and lived
with persistence and passion -- that is unknown in most organizations today" (Peters,
1985, p. 101). Quality is not a set of unrelated techniques but instead a holistic
philosophy. This philosophy is central to Deming's theory of "profound change" (Carr
and Littman, 1990, p. 25).
There are many different models of TQM, comprising numerous principles. Swiss
(1992) found four common tenets of TQM, as follows:

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 1.The customer is the ultimate determiner of quality.
2.Quality should be built into the product early in the production process.
3.The key to producing high quality is in limiting variability.
4.People working within systems, not individual effort, produce quality
results.
Management journals are filled with discussions of quality management practices
and the benefits of implementation in the private sector. Peters and Austin recount
numerous success stories of private sector organizations that have adopted quality
management principles. The benefits of the quality management model have not
escaped the public sector.

TQM and the Public Sector

Improving the quality of service in the public sector may be more difficult than in
the private sector. The failure of governments to improve that quality has "...prompted
calls for the complete overhaul of management procedures" (Milakovich, 1991, p. 195).
Kline (1993) notes two primary factors which led the private sector to adopt TQM:
profit and fear. In the public sector he sees several other factors, including fiscal stress
and voter resistance to taxes. A 1987 Gallup Organization poll (Kline, 1993) surveyed
citizen opinion about government efficiency and cost and found the majority of
respondents believed governments "sometimes" or "hardly ever" performed duties
efficiently or at the best possible cost.
A 1985 American Society for Quality Control survey asked respondents to
identify the cause of complaints about public sector quality. The major complaints
reported were:
• Poor performance
• Failure to get the work done properly
• Slow service
• Cost of the service
• Indifference of service personnel.

For local government, the most frequent complaint was slowness of service
(Kline, 1993).
The International City Managers' Association has recognized the pressures on
the public sector caused by "good service" and "quick responses" from private
enterprise. The association's recommended solution was to "develop a customer
orientation that is based upon market research and emphasizes high-quality service and
responsiveness to customer demands" (Kline, 1993, p.262).
Local governments have experienced recession-based revenue losses. They are
unable to turn to state and federal levels for assistance because these governments are
struggling with their own financial difficulties (Sensenbrenner, 1991). Osborne and
Gaebler (1992) note that by 1992 local governments had lost 25 percent of federal
funding received in 1978. Revenue losses and financial difficulties have forced
governments to look for alternative ways of doing business.

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 Tom Kelly, the county manager for Volusia County, Florida, identifies TQM as a
viable alternative for local government. "The flow of dollars from federal and state
governments is drying up," he says. "Consequently, we have to work smarter -- more
efficiently and effectively. Quality management helps us to do this" (Keehley, 1992, p.
10).

Reformed TQM for Government. No single model of TQM is effective in all situations but
it can be implemented successfully within the public sector. Swiss (1992) recognizes the
business orientation of TQM and addresses the changes necessary to adapt it for the
public sector. His four tenets of the "reformed TQM" for governments include:

1. Client feedback - track the reaction of the agency's immediate clients

and use them as one consideration in decision-making.
2. Tracking performance - while managing by the numbers is definitely
not a component of TQM, quantitative measurement of quality
performance is.
3. Continuous improvement - receptivity to new approaches is essential
for high performance.
4. Worker participation - another term for empowerment. TQM values
increasing participation throughout the organization.
As in private sector implementation, TQM in government requires reaffirmation
that people are not the problem in quality. Instead, the systems under which they work
are the problem (Osborne and Gaebler, 1992).

Law Enforcement Management Practices

The "traditional" style of law enforcement management, commonly seen in police
agencies, is based around the need for "professionalism" within the police service. This
"professional" or "reform" style of police management developed as a response to
corruption and political patronage perceived throughout law enforcement. While drastic
measures were needed to control these negative influences, the need to control the
police became the primary management objective, often more important than providing
services to the citizens in the neighborhood (Couper and Lobitz, 1991).
Moore and Stephens (1991) foresee a revolution in police management. They
see the current model of internal control and standardized procedures being upset by
three factors:
1. The economic success of the Japanese.
2. The success of private-sector organization and research into their
management practices.
3. The growth of the service economy with its focus on customer needs.

Significant changes predicted by Naisbitt and Auburdene (1985) already have

affected law enforcement agencies:
1. The best workers will seek out organizations that facilitate and encourage
personal growth.

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 2. Coaching, teaching and mentoring are all the role of the effective manager of
tomorrow.
3. The authoritarian management style is being replaced by a new, people-
oriented and networking style.
4. Creativity and intuition will become more valuable to the organization than the
traditional, numbers-oriented management processes.

Community Policing. These values are important to the community/problem solving

policing model. Lee Brown, former commissioner of the New York City Police
Department and former chief of police for Houston, Texas, advocates community-
oriented policing. He has redefined the role of the neighborhood patrol officer: "We want
him to be a community organizer, community activist, a problem solver..." (Osborne and
Gaebler, 1992, p. 49).

The Madison "Principles". Successful community-oriented policing must have concern

for both the external customer (the citizen) and the internal customer (the employee).
While the results of this style are often seen in terms of the community, the internal
customer must be empowered to develop and implement non-traditional solutions. In
developing the concept of "neighborhood-oriented policing," Lee Brown maintains that
police should not only respond to calls for service but also help citizens of the
neighborhood find solutions to the causes of crime (Osborne and Gaebler, 1992, p. 49).
Arguably, the most well-known implementation of TQM in law enforcement
occurred in Madison, Wisconsin. Twelve principles guided that implementation (Couper
and Lobitz, 1991, p. 48):
1. Believe in, foster and support teamwork.
2. Be committed to the problem-solving process, use it and let data, not
emotion, drive decisions.
3. Seek employees' input before you make key decisions.
4. Believe that the best way to improve the quality of work or service is to
ask and listen to employees who are doing the work.
5. Strive to develop mutual respect and trust among employees.
6. Have a customer orientation and focus towards employees and
citizens.
7. Manage based on the behavior of 95 percent of employees and not the
5 percent who cause problems. Deal with the 5 percent promptly and
fairly.
8. Improve systems and examine processes before placing blame on
people.
9. Avoid "top-down," power-oriented decision-making whenever possible.
10. Encourage creativity through risk taking and be tolerant of honest
mistakes.
11. Be a facilitator and coach. Develop an open atmosphere that

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 encourages providing and accepting feedback.
12. Develop, through employee teamwork, agreed-upon goals and a plan
to achieve them.

In sum, these "Madison principles" differ considerably from the traditional,

autocratic style of police management. They can lead the modern police executive
through the process of implementing TQM within the organization.
The potential benefits from implementing TQM in government, especially law
enforcement, are numerous but no definitive studies were found dealing with the
implementation of TQM in Florida law enforcement. This study was designed to
determine the extent to which municipal police agencies in Florida have implemented
TQM, and the difference between TQM and non-TQM agencies in terms of department
operations, attitudes and performances. The study is based upon a survey of Florida
municipal police agencies.

TQM In Florida Police Departments

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent of TQM implementation and
the organizational changes TQM caused within municipal police agencies. A survey was
developed and mailed to 318 police chiefs in Florida in April, 1993. A follow-up reminder
was sent approximately two weeks later. The cover letter for the survey explained the
reason for the survey and encouraged chiefs to cooperate by sharing their opinions and
feelings.
Of 318 surveys, 143 or approximately 45 percent were completed and returned.

The Survey Instrument. The survey was divided into seven sections of questions. The
initial section was designed to determine the chiefs' level of knowledge and
implementation of TQM within their organizations. The respondents were asked to rate
their level of knowledge about TQM on a continuum from not having heard of the
concept through having completed an evaluation of TQM within their agencies. The
response to this question was used to categorize the respondents. The chiefs also were
asked how they had received training in TQM.
The chiefs were then asked to describe the agency's service style. These
statements described either the 1) autocratic, rule-driven style, 2) the empowered style,
or 3) a transitional style of management.
The second section surveyed agency methods of obtaining input and
communicating with the internal and external customer. The respondents were asked
the last time they had utilized the following techniques (never, to more than five years
ago):
• Community-wide survey
• Customer survey
• Customer follow-up
• Citizen Advisory Group Contact
• Citizen Complaint Tracking System
• Internal Agency Suggestion Box

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 • Internal Agency Improvement Program
• Employee Advisory Board/Committee

The third section asked respondents to rank-order several factors in terms of

their influence on the decision- making process. These factors were:
• Fiscal Requirements
• Training Requirements
• Staffing Requirements
• Community Support
• Support for Governing Body
• Support from other Public Agencies
• Internal Support from Lower Ranks
• Internal Support from Upper Ranks
• Administrative/Management Philosophy
• Agency Organizational Structure

The fourth section asked the respondent to rate the entire agency in factors
significant to quality management. The respondents were cautioned to rate the entire
department, all members of the agency, and not just the chief or sworn officers. The
factors were rated on a scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high):
• Community trust
• Compassion and commitment to the job
• Professional expertise
• Internal stability
• Interaction with the public
• Officer empowerment
• Citizen empowerment
• Information flow/availability
• Willingness to take risks
• Willingness to abandon old methods
• Willingness to analyze problems
• Willingness to solve problems
• Ability to respond to changing circumstances
• Ability to respond to problems
• Ability to innovate
• Ability to handle problems or issues outside your enforcement
mission
• Ability to prevent problems

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 • Ability to analyze problems
• Ability to make improvements

Fifth, consistent with the concepts reviewed in the literature, respondents were
asked to select one of three statements that best described the relationship between
TQM and community-oriented policing. Sixth, respondents were given the opportunity to
make any comments regarding their experiences with TQM or community-oriented
policing.
The seventh section of the survey dealt with demographics of the agency and
information regarding the Chief of Police.

Analysis of the Results

The study assessed two key factors, based upon the police chief's opinion, to
determine the extent of TQM implementation in Florida municipal police agencies: what
the Chief knew about TQM; and what the Chief had done to implement TQM, i.e, to
what extent the agency's organizational style reflected a TQM philosophy of
empowerment and communication/input.

Knowledge of TQM. Respondents were divided into 5 major categories along the
following continuum:
1. Chiefs who had never heard of TQM.
2. Chiefs who had heard or read about, or been trained in TQM.
3. Chiefs who had adopted TQM as a management philosophy for
their agencies.
4. Chiefs who had implemented TQM within their agencies.
5. Chiefs who had developed measures to determine the success or
had completed an evaluation of TQM within their agencies.

As shown in Figure 1, more than 17 percent of the responding chiefs of police

had not heard of total quality management. More than 57 percent of respondents
indicated they had heard, read and/or been trained in TQM yet did not indicate they
planned to implement this management philosophy. Of the remaining agencies, 6
percent reported they planned to implement TQM, while 19 percent had adopted,
implemented or were evaluating TQM. (Note: Chart would not convert)
Many different sources for TQM training were reported by the Chiefs; however,
no provider had widespread use. The following vendors trained more than one survey
respondent:
• FBI National Academy (4 respondents)
• Florida Power and Light Team (4 respondents)
• City of Altamonte Springs (2 respondents)
• Southern Police Institute (2 respondents)

Empowerment. Chiefs were asked to classify their agencies using one of three

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descriptions: 1) traditional, 2) empowered or 3) transitional. These responses were
analyzed in relation to each chief's knowledge of TQM, as shown in Table 1.

Table 1
TQM Level and Agency Management Philosophy Today

Traditional Empowered Transition

Not Heard 24% 28% 20%

Heard 39% 43% 16%

Planned 67% 22% 11%

Adopted 100%

Implemented 17% 83%

Evaluated 18% 64% 18%

Looking at the table on a horizontal plane, chiefs who had not heard of TQM were fairly
evenly distributed among the three choices. Chiefs who had heard, read about, or been
trained in TQM were also evenly divided on whether their agencies were best described
as traditional or empowered; few were in transition.
A significant number of chiefs planning to implement TQM described their
agencies as currently having a traditional, autocratic style.
Chiefs who indicated they had already adopted TQM were unanimous in
describing their agencies as empowered. Only 50 percent of these chiefs described
their agencies as empowered one year ago. The vast majority of agencies that
implemented TQM were described as currently being an empowered organization. In
the past year, the percentage of empowered agencies in this group almost doubled.
The trend changes when analyzing agencies that have completed an evaluation
of TQM. While the majority were described as empowered, a significant number (36%),
of the agencies were described as transitional or traditional.

Communication and Input. Communication and input from both internal and external
customers are important to the quality management process. The questionnaire asked
respondents to indicate if they utilized specific techniques to facilitate this
communication from both the citizen (external customer) and employee (internal
customer). The results are shown in Tables 2 and 3.

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 Table 2
Communication Techniques for the External Customer Utilized
within the last 30 days, by degree of TQM implementation

Never Heard Planned Adopted Implemented Evaluated

Community
9.5% 6.8% 12.5% 9.1% 36.4%
Survey

Customer
9.5% 14.3% 33.3% 25.0% 36.4% 36.4%
Survey

Customer 54.5%
25.0% 35.2 % 25.0% 33.3% 75.0%
Follow-Up

Citizen
Advisory 30.0% 31.5% 11.1% 50.0% 55.6% 45.5%
Contact

Citizen
Complaint 30.0% 38.9% 44.4% 66.7% 70.0% 54.5%
Tracking

Table 3
Communication Techniques for the Internal Customer Utilized
within the last 30 days, by degree of TQM implementation

Never Heard Planned Adopted Implemented Evaluated

Internal
Suggestion 10.0% 27.8% 28.6% 50.0% 66.7% 45.5%
Box

Internal
Improvement 14.3% 52.8% 44.4% 50.0% 100% 81.8%
Program

Employee
15.0% 43.1% 33.3% 50.0% 70.0% 63.6%
Advisory Board

For the most part, chiefs who had not heard of TQM had not utilized these
techniques in the past 30 days to obtain feedback or input from the external customer.
As the chiefs' knowledge of TQM increases through training and experience, the
utilization of these techniques reportedly increases. This is also reflected in several of
the comments made on the survey instrument. One chief, not having heard of TQM,
stated: "We receive feedback from the community usually one on one if they have a
problem." This is very different from another chief, who commented, "The only way law
enforcement can be successful is through forming a partnership with their community."
A third chief commented: "...the citizens enjoy our emphasis on getting the officers to
interact with the citizens." Communication with the citizens, through whatever process,

10
increases with the level of TQM implementation.
The results for the internal customer seem to track the results for the external
customer. Chiefs who had not heard of TQM report much lower use of internal
communication systems than any other group. As their knowledge increased through
training and experience, the use of these techniques reportedly increased. Agencies at
the evaluation stage had lower utilization than agencies just having implemented TQM.

Agency Decision Making. The respondents were asked to rank 10 factors in terms of
their relative importance in the decision-making process. Table 4 summarizes their
opinions.

Table 4
Factors Influencing the Decision Making Process,
by Level of TQM Implementation

Never Heard Heard Planned Adopted Implemented Evaluated

Fiscal
3 3 1 5 6 3
Requirements

Training
4 8 4 7 8 5
Requirements

Staffing
6 7 3 4 7 3
Requirements

Community
2 1 2 3 1 1
Support

Government
1 2 3 2 3 2
Support

Public Agency
9 10 7 8 10 7
Support

Support Lower
7 5 5 6 4 2
Ranks

Support Upper
7 6 6 9 5 4
Ranks

Admin/Mgt
5 4 3 1 2 3
Philosophy

Agency Org
8 9 8 10 9 6
Structure

By reading the chart horizontally, the change in the significance of the factors can
more easily be interpreted as the level of TQM knowledge or implementation increases.

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While many of these factors seem to remain constant in terms of relative importance,
there is a significant change in the importance of support from the lower ranks. Chiefs
who had not heard of TQM rated this factor low, seventh. Chiefs who have implemented
TQM rated this factor as fourth most important. Agencies at the evaluation stage rated
this factor as second most important.
Chiefs planning to implement TQM rated fiscal requirements as the most
important factor, which may be a reflection of the perceived cost of changing to this
management style or the expected costs of providing more community-oriented service.

TQM and Community-Oriented Policing. The literature asserts a high relationship

between TQM and community-oriented policing. Respondents were given a choice of
three statements:

A. Total Quality Management must exist to implement community-oriented policing.

B. Total Quality Management enhances community-oriented policing.
C. Total Quality Management has no relationship to community-oriented policing.

In analyzing the responses, lack of a response to this opinion question was considered
as "no opinion." The results of this query are presented in Table 5.

Table 5
Relationship Between TQM and Community-Oriented Policing,
by Level of TQM Implementation

Never Heard Planned Adopted Implemented Evaluated

Must Exist 8% 9.8% 22.2% 25% 25% 27.3%

Enhances 32% 75.6% 77.8% 75% 75% 63.6%

No
1.2%
Relationship

Missing/
60% 13.4% 9.1%
No Opinion

Looking at the data in a vertical plane allows easy interpretation of the opinion of
the respondents. By a wide margin, chiefs who had not heard of TQM had no opinion or
did not answer the question. Chiefs with some knowledge of TQM believed that it
enhanced community-oriented policing. The percentage of chiefs in agreement with the
statement that TQM must exist to implement community-oriented policing increases with
the degree of knowledge or implementation.
Comments from the respondents seem to echo a relationship between TQM and
community-oriented policing. One chief noted: "Customers' perception of the service
you provide is the true test. Total quality management and community-oriented policing
are synonymous." Another chief commented, "TQM is community-oriented policing."

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Perception of the Agency. The literature reports many benefits to organizations
implementing TQM, both in the private and public sectors. TQM, if successfully
implemented in the police agency, should increase the agency performance in several
areas.
On the average, agencies who had adopted, implemented or were evaluating
TQM scored higher than agencies not implementing TQM. There was a statistically
significant difference between these two groups (p<.05) in five categories:

Professional expertise
Internal stability
Interaction with the public
Officer empowerment
Citizen empowerment.

These empowerment differences were predictable given the managerial processes of

TQM. It was interesting to find that respondents scored TQM agencies significantly
higher in professional expertise and internal stability. This rating is echoed in several
survey comments:

„ "In the '90s if departments do not involve themselves in TQM and COP, they will not
survive."

„ "Everyone who has any sense has been practicing TQM and community-oriented
policing long before they have been given a label ...."

„ "TQM, empowerment, decentralization, multidirectional communication and insisting

employees hold themselves accountable are the only ways that the [criminal justice]
system will be able to respond to the demands of our environment and community.
Lock-up policies, paramilitary games and things such as accreditation get in the way of
innovation and creativity. The 'way we've always done it' mentality is why the criminal
justice system is getting its butt kicked and why, in the long run, we are so damned
ineffective. Initial response to Andrew, Waco, and prison grid-lock are all recent
examples."

Conclusions and Implications for the Future

This research was undertaken to determine how prevalent TQM is in Florida
municipal law enforcement and to look at the differences between TQM and non-TQM
agencies.
It is disturbing that more than 17 percent of the Chiefs of Police in Florida had
not heard of total quality management. Even more disturbing was that more than 57
percent of the respondents were not planning to implement TQM, even though they had
heard, read or been trained in TQM concepts. No single training vendor was reported as
having provided training to a significant number of chiefs. The low level of TQM
implementation among municipal police agencies may be a result of a failure of our
executive-level training programs to expose chiefs of police to this alternative
management process. Additionally, TQM may be too new, regarded as too much of a

13
fad, or be too difficult to implement. Some comments suggest the latter:

„ "(The) Hardest part is to obtain 'buy in' from older, street-level officers who were
developed in the 'old school.'"

„ "I am totally committed to the selling and transition to a community-oriented policing

philosophy. It is not being done without significant pain and agony."

„ "C.O.P. is absolutely the way to go in C.J. today. To put it in a medical analogy, we

need trauma doctors - regular street cops to respond to emergencies - but we also need
family doctors - C.O.P. - to keep emergencies to a minimum. But we have to be
committed to it, not just involved. The diff(erence) is like eggs and bacon. The chicken is
involved, the pig is committed."

As a management process, TQM is almost a complete reversal from the

traditional autocratic management style. As such, it does require a major commitment
for successful implementation. One would expect significant differences between TQM
and non-TQM agencies, and this study has found several.

Management Philosophy. The answers to questions about management philosophy,

reported in Table 1, show:

„ Non-TQM agencies may not truly recognize the differences between the traditional,
empowered or transitional management philosophies, or the chiefs may not have
actually looked at these differences when categorizing the agency.

„ Chiefs planning to implement TQM have probably spent considerable time examining
TQM issues and concepts. They recognize that the agency management style has been
overwhelmingly traditional and that the agency has a long journey to achieve TQM
empowerment.

„ Agencies having adopted or implemented TQM describe themselves as having

achieved an empowered management philosophy.

„ Agencies having conducted an evaluation of their TQM implementation have

significant numbers back in the traditional and transitional management categories. This
suggests that the evaluation has shown the agency has not come as far in
empowerment as first believed. Perhaps the implementation of TQM is more difficult to
truly achieve than expected in the earlier stages of implementation.

Communication. Tables 2 and 3 showed that increasing involvement in TQM brings an

increasing realization of the need for input and feedback. This is consistent for both the
external and internal customers. As the agency goes farther along in the TQM process,
the percentages increase. This is expected because they have had a greater
opportunity to try some of these techniques. Agencies in or completing the evaluation
stage may have devoted more time to the task of evaluation than to actually practicing

14
the communication techniques common in TQM.
On the whole, TQM agencies report far greater interaction with both the external
and internal customer, as compared to non-TQM agencies. These interactions may be
responsible for the statistically significant higher ratings in citizen empowerment and
internal stability.

Decision Making. The survey indicates that the chiefs ranked the criteria in very similar
orders of priority regardless of TQM or management philosophy.
For chiefs planning to implement TQM, fiscal requirements were ranked as the
factor having the most influence in their decision-making, which may reflect a concern
with the cost of changing to and maintaining such an empowered management process.
For agencies in the evaluation phase of TQM implementation, the most
important factors were community support and support from the lower ranks. This
further supports the empowerment of both the internal and external customer.

TQM and Community-Oriented Policing. TQM agencies recognize the value of a

community-oriented policy relative to other, non-traditional policing approaches. This
validates the current literature, which asserts TQM is a requisite for successful
implementation of community-oriented policing.

Agency Performance. TQM agencies perceive themselves as doing a better job overall
than non-TQM agencies, ranking themselves higher in almost all areas. Although the
average rankings were higher, the only real differences between TQM and non-TQM
agencies were:

Professional expertise
Internal stability
Interaction with the public
Officer empowerment
Citizen empowerment.

These results are consistent with the basic TQM tenets, which emphasize
empowerment and rely on decision-making by those involved in the process. The
results are also consistent with the findings of increased communication with both the
internal and external customer. The perception of greater professionalism and greater
interaction with the public may also explain the significant difference between TQM and
non-TQM agencies in the area of agency stability. Internal perception of officer
empowerment, along with agency stability, allow the police officer to better perform the
police mission within the community; thus, the agency capability to perform the police
mission is enhanced.
It is these factors which make TQM a valuable solution to the internal and
external challenges our profession faces as we approach the next century. For our
profession to benefit from these opportunities, the following recommendations are
offered:

1. More effective education in TQM needs to be developed and made available. This

15
would facilitate more chiefs in recognizing the values of TQM and, hopefully, more of
them will convert to this philosophy. While including the benefits of TQM, this training
should also provide techniques to make successful TQM implementation easier,
diminishing the "pain" and "agony" commented upon earlier.

2. With the predicted continuing battle for scarce resources, law enforcement agencies
will be required to prioritize the different services and activities of the organization. To
maintain, and hopefully enhance, citizen support for the agency, customer input must be
strongly considered. The comment made by one chief, that agencies which "...do not
involve themselves in TQM and COP will not survive," may be accurate as we enter the
next century. In any event, as we work to improve agency efficiency and the
effectiveness of the services we are able to provide, TQM should be an essential
component. The techniques learned during TQM implementation can assist the agency
in this, sometime difficult, process.
Perhaps we should not think of TQM as something new and different, but only as
the way we go about our business -- the business of providing quality law enforcement
service to our community.
In any event, further research is needed. Validation of the input from the internal
and external customer needs to be done, through surveys of these groups for TQM and
non-TQM agencies. Standard measures of performance need to be developed and the
perceptions of the chiefs need to be validated from both the internal and external
customers.

James F. (Jim) Murphey has been with the Altamonte Springs Police Department for over 22 years. He is
currently assigned as the Commander of the Management Support Bureau, having previously
commanded the Criminal Investigations and Administrative Services Bureaus.
Commander Murphey received a bachelor's degree, with honors, from Rollins College, and
graduated from the 139th session of the FBI National Academy. A graduate of the FCJEI Senior
Leadership Program and numerous professional training programs, he has served as an instructor for the
Executive Institute, Rollins College, and IACP and other training centers. He is a member of many
professional organizations, including the Florida Police Chiefs Association.

References
Carr, D.K., & Littman, I.D. (1990). Excellence in government. Arlington, VA:
Cooper & Lybrand.

Couper, D.C., & Lobitz, S.H. (1991). Quality policing: The Madison experience.
Washington, DC: Police Executive Research Forum.

Kline, J.J. (1993). State governments' growing gain from TQM. National
Productivity Review, 12(2), 259-271.

Milakovich, M. E. (1991). Total quality management in the public sector. National

Productivity Review, 10(2), 195-213.
Moore M. H., & Stephens, D. W. (1991). Beyond command and control: The
strategic management of police departments. Washington DC: Police Executive

16
Research Foundation.

Naisbitt, J., & Aburdene, P. (1990). Megatrends 2000: Ten new directions for the
1990's. New York: William Morris and Company.

Naisbitt, J., & Aburdene, P. (1985). Reinventing the corporation. New York:
Warner Books.

Osborne, D., & Gaebler, T. (1992). Reinventing government. Reading, MA:

Addison-Wesley Publishing Company.

Peters, T., & Austin, N. (1985). A passion for excellence: The leadership
difference. New York: Random House.

Sensenbrenner, J. (1991, October). Quality for cities. Nation's Business. pp. 60-
61.

Swiss, J. E. (1992). Adapting total quality management (TQM) to government.

Public Administration Review, 52(4), 356-361.

Walton, M. (1991). Deming management at work. New York: Perigee Books.

Author Notes
There are several people without whom this study could not have been
completed and to whom I owe a great debt of gratitude:
Dr. Diane Zahm, for helping design the survey instrument, and for struggling
through several preliminary versions of this paper. Her suggestions were always a
challenge to make the final product just a little better.
Kit Goodner, for continually finding a way for his computer to "crunch" the
numbers and provide the statistical analysis leading to the results reported within the
paper.
Chief William A. Liquori, for allowing me the opportunity to participate in the
Senior Leadership Program.
Finally, Edith Walker. Throughout the entire process, "Edi" was always there,
offering encouragement, understanding and support. She convinced us we could get it
done. I hope the final product meets her expectations.

17
April 12, 1993

Dear Chief:

I am attending the Florida Criminal Justice Executive Institute's Senior Leadership

Program. As a requirement of this program, I am conducting original research on Total
Quality Management and Florida's police departments. The research will be based on
the attached survey, which asks you several questions regarding your knowledge of
Total Quality Management and also about a variety of department issues and activities.

Your survey responses will be kept confidential and the information you provide will be
reported in the aggregate, so that an individual department can not be identified in my
final report.

It is important that I have the chief's perspective on these questions, as a follow-up

project will address similar issues among the other ranks in each police department.
Please return the survey to me in the enclosed self-addressed envelope on or before May
15, 1993. Your participation in this project will help me to gain a clear picture of
Florida's police departments and how they are preparing for the 21st century.

Should you have any comments or questions, do not hesitate to call me at (407)830-
3811.

Sincerely,

Commander James F. Murphey

Altamonte Springs Police Department
225 Newburyport Avenue
Altamonte Springs, FL 32701

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 Florida Criminal Justice Executive Institute
Total Quality Management Survey
April 1993

Total Quality is a management concept which addresses the way an agency is

organized to provide service. How much would you say you know about Total Quality
Management, or TQM? (Check all that apply.)

_____I have HEARD about TQM

_____I have READ about TQM

_____I have been TRAINED in TQM (by whom? )

_____I PLAN to adopt TQM as a department philosophy

_____I have ADOPTED TQM as a department philosophy

_____I have IMPLEMENTED TQM PROGRAMS in my agency

_____I have DEVELOPED MEASURES for determining the success of TQM in my agency

_____I have completed an EVALUATION of TQM in my agency

Please read the following statements:

a.My officers are trained to respond to calls for service as quickly and as professionally
as possible. Written policies and procedures guide daily activities and ensure
professionalism throughout our chain of command.

b.In order to provide the best service possible, officers must use their discretion to deal
with the problems they confront. Community and officer involvement in service
decisions helps us to address small problems before they become big problems.

c.Much of my agency's work revolves around calls for service, yet we recognize the
value of officer discretion and the need to focus on service delivery.

Which of the above statements best describes your agency TODAY?

Which of the above statements best describes your agency 1 YEAR AGO?
Which of the above statements best describes your agency 5 YEARS AGO?

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When was the last time you received input on your agency's performance by way of:

a.Community-wide survey 1MO 6MO 1YR 5YRS >5YRS NEVER

b."Customer" survey 1MO 6MO 1YR 5YRS >5YRS NEVER

c."Customer" follow-up
(phone or personal contact) 1MO 6MO 1YR 5YRS >5YRS NEVER

d.Citizen advisory group contact) 1MO 6MO 1YR 5YRS >5YRS NEVER

e.Citizen complaint tracking system 1MO 6MO 1YR 5YRS >5YRS NEVER

f.Internal agency suggestion box 1MO 6MO 1YR 5YRS >5YRS NEVER

g.Internal agency suggestion/

improvement program 1MO 6MO 1YR 5YRS >5YRS NEVER

h.Employee advisory board/committee 1MO 6MO 1YR 5YRS >5YRS NEVER

Rank the following (1 = most important, 10 = least important) in terms of their

influence on agency decision-making:

_____FISCAL REQUIREMENTS

_____TRAINING REQUIREMENTS

_____STAFFING REQUIREMENTS

_____COMMUNITY SUPPORT

_____SUPPORT FROM THE GOVERNING BODY (City Council, County Commission, etc.)

_____SUPPORT FROM OTHER PUBLIC AGENCIES

_____INTERNAL SUPPORT FROM LOWER RANKS

_____INTERNAL SUPPORT FROM UPPER RANKS

_____ADMINISTRATIVE/MANAGEMENT PHILOSOPHY

_____AGENCY ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

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On a scale from 1 to 10 (1 = low, 10 = high) rate your department in the following
areas. Consider all members of the agency, both sworn and non-sworn, and not just
yourself.

Community Trust 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Compassion and commitment to the job 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Professional expertise 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Internal stability 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Interaction with the public 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Officer empowerment 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Citizen empowerment 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Information flow/availability 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Willingness to take risks 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Willingness to abandon old methods in order

to try new ones 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Willingness to analyze problems 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Willingness to solve problems 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Ability to respond to changing circumstances 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Ability to respond to problems 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Ability to innovate 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Ability to handle problems or issues

outside your enforcement mission 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Ability to prevent problems 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Ability to analyze problems 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Ability to make improvements 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

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In your opinion, which of the following statements best describes the relationship
between Total Quality Management and Community-Oriented Policing?

_____Total Quality Management must exist to implement Community-Oriented Policing.

_____Total Quality Management enhances Community-Oriented Policing.

_____Total Quality Management has no relationship to Community-Oriented Policing.

Do you have any comments about your experiences with Total Quality Management or
Community-Oriented Policing?

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Please complete the following information about yourself:

Years in current position:

Years in law enforcement:

Highest degree earned: Year earned:

Which of the following leadership/management programs have you attended:

_____FCJEI Senior Leadership Program

_____FCJEI Chief Executive Seminar

_____FPCA Chiefs Seminar

_____FPCA Advance Chiefs Seminar

_____SPI Administrative Officers Course

_____FBI National Academy

_____FBI LEEDS Program

_____PERF SMIP

Please provide the following information on your agency:

Number Sworn: Number Non-sworn:

Population Served:

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND YOUR INPUT

Please return to:
Commander James Murphey
Altamonte Springs Police Department
225 Newburyport Avenue
Altamonte Springs, FL 32701
(407)830-3811

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