Audit of Irvine Police Urges Improvements

While the Irvine Police Department is doing a good job serving the public, it could operate more efficiently and improve the way managers deal with rank-and-file officers, according to an audit commissioned by the City Council.

Two outside auditing firms spent nine months examining the department and generally reached positive conclusions. But auditors also highlighted areas for improvement, including changing the way officers patrol the city by creating several separate patrol districts.

The report concluded that the department’s “no call too small” philosophy can waste officers’ time with trivial matters. Police should reexamine this policy and use civilians to respond to some minor calls, such as burglar alarm reports, which are often false, the auditors suggested.

“The commitment to ‘no call is too small’ has come to mean officers race around the city from address to address and try to deal with incidents, leaving little time for serious problem-solving on more deeply rooted concerns of residents,” the audit states.

Though most Police Department employees said they were satisfied with their work, some officers expressed concern about unfair treatment by their bosses, auditors said. These officers attributed the problem to personality conflicts among managers and lack of leadership.

The auditors praised the department for having a high recruitment standard, with more than half of all officers holding college degrees.

The report credited the department with creating several innovative programs and found that more than 99% of residents polled felt safe in the city, which has one of California’s lowest crime rates.