Cobb County, Georgia Police Department Organizational Performance Efficiency Review and Assessment
In 2022, Cobb County engaged PFM to complete an Organizational Performance Efficiency Review and Assessment. Based on a preliminary assessment of 15 departments and countywide operations, Cobb County selected the Cobb County Police Department (CCPD) as one of two departments for further review. PFM’s objective for the department review was to assess how CCPD's culture, resources, processes, and coordination with other County departments affected its ability to fulfill its core priorities: ensuring public safety, developing excellent officers, and fostering community trust. The review came at a pivotal time for the Department, as it was experiencing significant leadership turnover.
Applying our proven methodology for organizational and operational assessments, we provided the Department and County leadership with new insights and actionable recommendations. We developed a performance measurement and management framework, including draft key performance indicators aligned with CCPD's and the County's strategic plans, to guide the department's future direction.
Leveraging insights gained from interviews with staff at all levels and key County stakeholders plus our expertise in analyzing personnel, financial, and operational data, we identified 23 key findings and made 11 recommendations to enhance operations, policies, procedures, and internal controls. For each recommendation, we provided a data-driven rationale, a clear action plan, suggested timelines, and key considerations such as costs and the need for cross-departmental coordination.
Among the most pivotal of these findings, we discovered that the distribution of officers among precincts and beats was highly uneven. While this was a commonly known frustration among Department personnel, the issue had not been previously quantified. We analyzed call volume and staffing by precinct and beat and presented these findings alongside qualitative information to provide new insights for Department leadership. We offered two recommendations for immediate action to determine optimal resource-workload alignment that would improve officer experience and public safety. In the months following the delivery of our final report, the department took steps toward implementing the first of these recommendations.
Our comprehensive approach and actionable solutions equipped the Cobb County Police Department with the tools to improve efficiency, enhance public safety, and better serve the community.