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KPD Receives Final 21CP Climate Assessment Report

The Knoxville Police Department has received the final report from the climate assessment that was conducted by 21CP Solutions, which highlighted numerous areas where the Department is excelling as well as several areas where there is room for growth.

Prior to being sworn in as the Chief of Police on June 13, 2022, Chief Paul Noel contracted with 21CP Solutions to lead a climate assessment of the KPD. The climate assessment consisted of voluntary input from all KPD employees, both sworn and non-sworn, in the form of an anonymous online survey and concentrated focus groups. Over 95 percent of the KPD’s sworn personnel completed some or all of the survey, while over 94 percent of the Department’s non-sworn personnel completed the survey. 21CP assessors also held seven individual focus groups lasting around 90 minutes apiece. A total of approximately 70 KPD employees took part in the focus groups.

“This climate assessment was a vital piece of my process of evaluating our organization,” Chief Noel said. “The findings from the assessment help further my understanding of the ways that I can best support the members of our Department. Collectively as a Command Staff, we will use these findings as a tool to develop strategies and initiatives to improve employee morale and enhance the culture of the KPD.

“I really appreciate that the vast majority of our employees participated in the survey and that those who took part in the survey or focus groups were willing to provide very candid and honest feedback.”

The climate assessors identified several key areas of strength as described by KPD personnel, including the following:

- 93 percent of all survey respondents reported feeling respected by their colleagues.
- Nearly 80 percent of survey respondents reported that there is a clear process for employees to escalate issues with a colleague or supervisor toward a resolution.
- Around 60 percent of KPD sworn and non-sworn employees responded that they feel the KPD provides opportunities for employees to develop the skills necessary to advance in their careers.
- Around 60 percent of respondents also reported that they feel the KPD does support a culture of continuous training and mentorship for employees.
- Most employees, both sworn and non-sworn, largely agreed that the KPD provides support for the physical and emotional wellbeing of employees.
- Nearly 70 percent of respondents reported that they have the equipment necessary to successfully perform their job.

“It’s encouraging that employees widely feel respected by their peers and perceived that the people within the Department are a strength of the organization, which reaffirms what I have experienced in my first four months on the job,” Noel said. “It’s also encouraging that our people feel that we generally dedicate sufficient resources to the wellbeing of employees. We still have a lot of room for improvement in those areas, but that says to me that we are on the right track.”

The 21CP assessors also pinpointed several important areas where employees expressed the need for improvement, including the following:

- Employees widely brought up the topic of communications, specifically from those in the decision-making process. Employees reported that decisions are often made that impact them without an opportunity to offer input or receive an explanation behind the decision-making process.
- Only 32 percent of employees reported that, in their experience, the promotional process is fair. 38 percent did not answer that specific question.
- Various concerns related to diversity, equity and inclusion were raised across several demographic groups.
- Field Operations officers widely preferred a 10-hour shift over the current 12-hour shift or possible 8-hour shift.
- Employees raised concerns that illuminated that the department’s technology infrastructure is disjointed, inefficient and inadequate for a contemporary police department, indicating that the KPD could benefit from dedicated IT personnel as well as a multi-year technology funding plan.

“We wanted employees to be completely honest in their assessment of our organization,” Noel said. “We cannot get better if we don’t have a comprehensive picture of where we are as an agency. The assessment highlighted that we have a lot of room from growth and improvement. We will evaluate these findings, implement them into our larger strategic vision for the department and re-evaluate where we are at in the next 18-24 months once we have the time to implement substantive measures.”

The full 21CP Climate Assessment of the KPD can be found online here.

Posted by serland On 20 October, 2022 at 2:25 PM