Police Reform Through Data-Driven Management

Abstract

Over a 2-year span, the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) transformed from a department struggling to comply with its expansive federal consent decree to one exploring even broader reforms through a data-driven management approach. NOPD believes more than ever in the adage you manage what you measure. NOPD conducts monthly audits of consent decree compliance and distributes the results to hold leadership accountable for implementing reforms. Through frequent audits, NOPD has produced dramatic, swift compliance improvements. Concurrently, NOPD leadership introduced a data-driven management framework that addressed all facets of management: MAX (Management Analytics for Excellence). This article presents the viewpoints of two sides of the consent decree: NOPD and the federal judge overseeing implementation of the consent decree. NOPD and its monitoring partners use MAX’s performance metrics to monitor reform implementation and address areas requiring improvement. This article details how to implement reforms through a data-driven management approach.