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The evaluation of law enforcement officers is often a challenge to an organization

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The evaluation of law enforcement officers is often a challenge to

an organization. Some organizations utilize very extensive evaluation tools and methods; others to a significantly lesser extent.
The Greenfield Police Department requires performance appraisals at the end of each year. The appraisals use a numerical scale to evaluate several broad areas of performance. Categories include knowledge of policies, dependability and productivity. The appraisal forms provide room for optional narratives to explain numeric scores. Supervisors conduct appraisal interviews with their officers before forwarding the appraisals to the appropriate manager.
 Detective Sergeant Bilko supervises a Unit which consists of 10 detectives. His detectives consider him a nice guy and a hard worker who often assists them with their cases. Sergeant Bilko is a fishing buddy of several of his detectives. Detective Quick is one of the most talented detectives in the entire county. He takes on the most difficult and complex cases with a remarkable success rate. He is well liked in the community and by fellow officers. He is a credit to the department. Detective Delay does not make nearly the contribution that Detective Quick makes. He spends a good deal of time in several local coffee shops, and his fellow officers often say he missed his calling as a talk show host. Detective Delay is popular and entertaining, but not a great detective. He is usually assigned simple cases and often needs prodding to turn his cases in on time. Sergeant Bilko asks his detectives to complete their own performance appraisal forms before their appraisal interview. He reviews the forms with them during the interviews and seldom questions the ratings. Every year his detectives all receive nearly identical above-average scores. Detective Quick's performance appraisal score is indistinguishable from Detective Delay's.
You are a new Bureau Commander, a Division Commander, or a Chief (the titles will vary depending on your department); the issue of the appraisals has been brought to your attention. Performance appraisals are tied to merit raises in your department; failure to receive a sufficient score may have financial consequences. What steps should you take which have impact across your organization to ensure that appraisals reflect the true level of performance being performed by your officers?