The Bureau divides the State into 7 districts, which are comprised of 65 posts and 2 teams. The Bureau also includes the Special Operations Division and the Motor Carrier Division. The Special Operations Division provides support services to the Department and also to local law enforcement agencies. This support includes aviation services, communications, and emergency support. The audit did not include the Motor Carrier Division, which we audit separately.

During fiscal year 1993-94, Bureau officers drove 8,111,688 road (traffic) patrol miles, assisted 53,886 motorists, investigated 229,979 complaints and 23,847 motor vehicle crashes, and issued 245,222 hazardous traffic citations and 75,056 nonhazardous traffic citations.

As of September 30, 1994, the Bureau (excluding the Motor Carrier Division) had 1,790 employees. This included 640 supervisory and management staff (354 uniformed and 286 civilian employees) and 1,150 troopers at posts. For the fiscal years ended September 30, 1994 and September 30, 1993, the Bureau (excluding the Motor Carrier Division) expended $124.9 million and $119.6 million, respectively.

Conclusion: We concluded that Bureau goals and objectives provided adequate direction to Bureau staff so that they could carry out their required functions. However, our audit disclosed that many Bureau goals and objectives were not clear and measurable (Finding 1).

We also concluded that the Bureau could improve its process for evaluating the effectiveness of its programs and activities (Finding 2).

Noteworthy Accomplishments: The Bureau has implemented a comprehensive process by which strategic plans are developed for all key programs and operating units. Although this process can be improved by developing goals and objectives that are clearer and measurable (as discussed in Finding 1), the Bureau's strategic plans have been beneficial in directing the efforts of the Bureau's uniformed and civilian employees and its use of other resources.

The Department, in conjunction with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Northwestern University Traffic Institute (NUTI), applied the National Police Allocation Manual (PAM) to determine the trooper needs of the Bureau. Prior to the application of the PAM model (which was developed by NUTI), the Bureau had no empirically based mechanism for determining adequate staffing levels. Bureau management credits the PAM model for convincing the Legislature to increase the trooper staffing level at the posts from 1,177 in fiscal year 1993-94 to 1,352 in fiscal year 1994-95 (an increase of approximately 15%).

Audit Objective: To determine if the Bureau's management information system captured the necessary performance data to allow management to effectively measure the accomplishment of its goals and objectives.

Conclusion: We concluded that the Bureau's management information system generally captured the necessary performance data to allow management to measure the accomplishment of its current goals and objectives.

Noteworthy Accomplishments: The Department has developed a comprehensive management information system to provide its management with the outputs of its programs and activities. Also, during 1993, Bureau staff completed a comprehensive survey of surrounding state and provincial law enforcement agencies. The Bureau was using the data gathered in this survey for comparison to the administration and planning of its own programs and activities and to strengthen and improve its own operations.

Audit Objective: To assess the effectiveness and efficiency of Bureau programs and activities.

Conclusion: We found that Bureau programs and activities generally were effective and efficient. However, the Bureau could improve its effectiveness and efficiency in two areas by completing the assessments of Drug Abuse Resistance Program (DARE) officers (Finding 3) and by formally assessing aircraft needs of its Aviation Section (Finding 4).

To accomplish our objectives, we conducted a preliminary survey of Bureau programs and activities. We met with Bureau management to discuss how the Bureau had defined and established its overall goals and objectives and the goals and objectives for districts and specific programs and activities. We reviewed the methods used by the Bureau to measure the accomplishment of its goals and objectives and the Bureau's overall performance. We also reviewed the adequacy of the data and statistics generated by the Bureau and used to report and monitor the results of its programs and activities.