Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training Jan

							                                                  Department of Public Safety Standards and Training
                                                                                    550 N Monmouth Avenue
                                                                                  Monmouth, OR 97361-1330
                                                                                              503-378-2100
                                                                                          FAX 503-378-3306
January 16, 2004                                                                  http://www.dpsst.state.or.us

Introduction to Annual Performance Report

This report is submitted in accordance with the “Instructions: Annual Performance Report.” The
Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) is reporting on two measures that
were approved for the 2003-05 budget cycle. Oregon law defines DPSST’s primary mission as it
relates to establishing minimum employment standards, certification requirement, and training
for Oregon’s public safety personnel. Our 32,000 constituents serve Oregonians across the state
as law enforcement, corrections, parole and probation officers; private security officers; 9-1-1
communications personnel, and firefighters. Because our training and certification functions
directly impact all of our stakeholders on an ongoing basis, DPSST chose to monitor our
performance in these areas through external stakeholder surveys.

Performance accomplishments:
The goal for PM 259-01 was to achieve an “acceptable” rating of 4.0 on a scale of 1 to 7. During
CY 03, 41% of the police surveys from six classes and 51% of the corrections surveys from four
corrections classes were returned. (Due to class cancellations and time needed to obtain results,
the Parole and Probation and Telecommunications survey instruments were not included in the
CY 03 data.) The combined survey average of 4.47 was well above our expectation, given the
training limitations caused by the inability to conduct longer, more scenario-based training at our
current facility.
It is of particular interest to note that the only areas where we averaged below 4.0 were three
categories in the Basic Police Course. These areas were “Appropriate Time to Write Reports,”
“Investigative Skills,” and “Problem Solving and Decision Making.” We were already aware
that these areas do not receive sufficient attention in the current 10-week Basic Police Course; a
significant increase in scenario-based training in the 16-week course when the new facility opens
will address these and other training deficiencies . This data helped validate these and other
shortcomings in the current training program.
The goal for PM 259-02 was to have 90% of the respondents rate the service of the Records unit
as at or above the mark of “Average.” Of the1258 surveys sent out, approximately 18 percent
were returned. 96.6% of the respondents noted that the service was at or above “Average,”
which far exceeded the goal. Of particular note, 87.7% of the respondents noted that the service
was “Above Average,” which already exceeds the 2004 and 2005 goals.

Degree and type of agency influence on chosen benchmarks and high-level outcomes:
DPSST’s stakeholders strongly influence agency strategies and policies through the policy-level
work of the Board on Public Safety Standards and Training (BPSST) and the Policy Committees
for Police, Corrections, Fire, Telecommunications, and Private Security. These bodies,
consisting primarily of representatives from all of our agency constituents, are charged with
establishing the policies that the agency carries out. We are driven by stakeholder needs as we

Department of Public Safety                  1                                 Introduction to
Standards and Training                                             Annual Performance Report
                                                                            January 16, 2004
implement and enforce standards, certification and training, and we are accountable to those
stakeholders to effectively carry out this mission.
We chose the two performance measures contained in this report both because of their
importance to the stakeholders and because of the direct influence that we have in achieving the
results. While many factors affect them (hiring practices, field training program, environment,
etc.), it is the agency’s duty to effectively meet the goals expressed in these measures. DPSST
does not link our measures to high-level outcomes or Oregon Benchmarks such as the state crime
rate because we cannot establish any clear link between the crime rate and our activities.
Without such a link, we have virtually no ability to influence the benchmark, making it an
ineffective measure of the agency’s performance.

Future challenges:
The future will bring many challenges to DPSST and its important public safety mission. Budget
cuts made during the 2001-2003 biennium have already resulted in a 15% reduction impacting
staff and the services we are able to provide Oregon communities. DPSST no longer has its
Leadership program, Distance Learning program, or Accreditation Section. Budget cuts have
also impacted the Regional and Fire Training programs. DPSST has been the only source
available for many agencies throughout the state to obtain these services. Therefore, these cuts
have had an impact on city and county public safety agencies statewide. An example of the
impact of the loss of the Leadership Program is that most front-line supervisors (sergeants,
lieutenants, etc.) no longer have the ability to receive any formalized training in high-liability
areas before they begin to lead their personnel in the field.
Another future challenge is the construction of a new facility. The legislature has authorized the
construction of the new Oregon Public Safety Academy in Salem. This will result in the need for
additional revenue and personnel to carry out our legislative mandate of 16-weeks of Basic
Police training.
A final challenge relates to funding for our fire training and certification program. The Fire
Insurance Premium Tax (FIPT) funds these programs, and revenue reductions have already
resulted in the loss of two employees. These positions primarily serve Oregon’s 8,000 volunteer
firefighters. Although program funding was stabilized with the passage of House Bill 3051 in
the 2003 legislative session, it was stabilized with reduced revenue that has not allowed
restoration of the key training and support positions.
It is also important to note that the agency has recently added an on-line records review system
(“Snapshot”) that will allow constituents to view their training records on-line rather than having
to request them from staff. As with any new technology, there is a great deal of education
necessary to get the users comfortable with the new system and to make them less reliant on the
older paper-based system. We are uncertain at this point if the new on-line review system will
improve customer service ratings in the near term or not. We believe over time that the on-line
system will greatly benefit the constituents, but given the high marks achieved this year, it may
not be apparent in the surveys. Additionally, this new service may require future modification of
Performance Measure 259-02, as local agencies and employers become accustomed to having
direct on-line access to their officers’ training records, rather than accessing them through
DPSST staff.


Department of Public Safety                  2                                 Introduction to
Standards and Training                                             Annual Performance Report
                                                                            January 16, 2004
ANNUAL PERFORMANCE PROGRESS REPORT
PART I, MANAGING FOR RESULTS
Agency: Department of Public Safety Standards and Training
Contact: Eriks Gabliks                                              Phone: 503-378-2100 ext. 2255
Alternate: Alan Scharn                                              Phone: 503-378-2100 ext. 2203

The following questions shed light on how well performance measures and performance data are
leveraged within your agency for process improvement and results-based management.
1   How were staff and               Stakeholder groups consisting of policy committees and the Board on Public
    stakeholders involved in the     Safety Standards and Training (BPSST) guide DPSST’s policies, rules and
    development of the agency’s      general direction. The measurement tools for 259-01 were presented to the
    performance measures?            committees and BPSST for recommendations and approval prior to being sent
                                     to constituent agencies. Agency staff was involved in the creation of the
                                     measures and measurement tools for 259-01 and 259-02.



2   How are performance measures     Measurement tools are used to gauge the performance of DPSST staff in
    used for management of the       meeting stakeholder expectations in the quality of the service we provide. The
    agency?                          primary driver for DPSST’s direction is BPSST and the policy committees, but
                                     the performance measures offer a secondary means to gauge our performance.


3   What training has staff had in   Three staff members attended Progress Board performance measurement
    the use of performance           training. Agency managers spent approximately three hours with Jeff Tryens
    measurement?                     working on the DPSST measures. Agency managers have discussed using the
                                     measures to gauge the effectiveness of current training and identify areas to
                                     adjust when time and facilities are available. The measures have also been
                                     discussed periodically at agency town hall meetings.

4   How does the agency              Through the agency website at http://www.dpsst.state.or.us/. BPSST and the
    communicate performance          policy committees are also briefed on the results. The measures serve as an
    results and for what purpose?    additional tool to help them monitor the agency’s effectiveness in meeting the
    (Please include your agency’s    policy goals set by BPSST and the policy committees.
    URL for Performance Measures
    and this Annual Report)

5   What important changes have      DPSST has improved customer service through the ability of agencies to access
    occurred in the past year?       their training records online. Previously, agencies would have to call DPSST to
                                     have their officer training records sent to them. Now agencies can access
                                     individual training records online and print them out locally.




Department of Public Safety                       3                                      Introduction to
Standards and Training                                                       Annual Performance Report
                                                                                      January 16, 2004