Administrative Support

In 2023, the Professional Standards Office continued its work to ensure that the members of the AACOFD were provided a safe, professional workplace where they could focus on delivering the citizens of AACO with the first-class service they deserve. This past year, the office was aligned with the newly established Administrative Services Division, which continues improving administrative functions and processes in many areas of the organization. 

Procurement of Blue Teams

The workload of the Professional Standards Office has grown to a level that proved too great for current information management systems to manage effectively. In 2022, the PSO began to search for administrative incident/case management software to be used internally, primarily to track disciplinary and EEO-related cases. After exploring and evaluating several potential solutions, the department settled on and procured the software program Blue Teams. Soon, all department members will have access to the program, which will be used to communicate and track many daily functions. These will include special reports, requests, various inquiries, EEO and citizen complaints, commendations, and more to track communications better and to provide statistical data to help the department better steward our resources. In 2023, the Professional Standards Issues logged nearly 200 cases, including discipline, EEO, and stakeholder inquiries. 

Transparency and Equity in Discipline and EEO-Related Issues

Early in Chief Wolford's administration, a survey of members regarding department areas needing improvement indicated a strong desire to see discipline administered more fairly and consistently. In response, a new disciplinary process was established. While we continue to tweak the process as obstacles arise, a follow-up survey showed marked improvement, with a nearly 15% increase in the membership's agreement that discipline is being administered more fairly and consistently. 

Policy and Procedure Update

Updating departmental policy and procedures began in 2020. While many have been completed, this ongoing project proves much to be done. This has become, and will remain, a foundational workload for the Professional Standards Office.