Efficiency and Effectiveness In Big-City Police Departments

*This report explores two fundamental concepts used to evaluate organizational activity: efficiency and effectiveness. These are defined in terms of the relationship between inputs and outputs for organizations and their relative processing costs. The concepts are then applied to police departments, and data from a large sample of cities are used to explore the impact of several factors which presumably maximize efficiency and effectiveness. Evidence is presented that organizational reforms (hiring black policemen) and innovations (employing computers and civilians) enhance both dimensions of organizational performance.