ROANOKE, Va. – Roanoke’s City Manager’s Office requested an outside assessment of the city’s police department.
The request for an organizational assessment went live on the city’s website earlier this month.
According to the post, the purpose of the assessment is for an external agency to assess the police department and make recommendations on operational efficiencies, organization structure, and performance measures.
10 News reached out for a comment from the City Manager’s Office and Roanoke Police Department.
Both agencies released the following statements:
“The Roanoke Police Department is an exceptional organization benefitting from strong leadership and dedicated law enforcement personnel. This fact is validated by the Department being among only a few nationally accredited agencies in the Commonwealth. The objective of the organizational assessment is to build upon this strong foundation, ensuring policing in Roanoke remains nimble and responsive. Alongside previously approved pay increases and various bonuses, this assessment will help ensure the organizational structure, use of technology, responsibilities of senior leadership, etc. continue to contribute to an exemplary organization best positioned to respond to the challenges of the day.”
Roanoke's City Manager Bob Cowell
“As an agency, the Roanoke Police Department is always looking for the best, most effective way to allocate our resources, personnel and services. We know that we are doing a great job under very unprecedented challenges, but we also know that there is always room for improvement in everything we do. We are looking at this organizational assessment as a resource that will help us determine what we can bring to this agency that will improve our already professional, dedicated response to the City of Roanoke and its residents. As the City Manager and I were discussing this organizational assessment and the benefits it would offer, both agreed that it could help pinpoint the focus of our senior leadership positions, utilize personnel that we have in the best manner, adapt new technology and add dexterity to our robust list of services. Our hope is that this assessment will help us determine any opportunities to further solidly our success.”
Roanoke City Police Chief Sam Roman