Some people believe that the best way to "learn" a profession is to "teach it." Others believe there is no substitute for experience gained in the "real world." We believe that both are important and that a valuable synergy is gained by combining years of classroom teaching with real-world experience and application. Our philosophy is to operate in both arenas which allows us to carry real world experience into the classroom for our students, and a deeper understanding of law enforcement management issues back into the field for our clients.
Our services are very specific to the disciplines of "Personnel Resource Allocation", "Personnel Work Scheduling", "Personnel Deployment", and "Work Schedule Optimization." To say it more simply, "how many people" should be "working at a specific time" and "assigned to a particular area" in order to "reduce overtime" and "improve quality of service."
Etico Solutions specializes in training workshops, consulting services, and data-driven studies of law enforcement agencies to improve efficiencies and determine appropriate staffing needs based on identifiable workloads. We have presented testimony as an expert witness in contract hearings and arbitration proceedings for police staffing needs, police work scheduling issues, health effects of various schedules, and the effects of schedule changes on agency performance. We have also worked with agencies and police protective associations as they navigate through work schedule changes in their agencies.
When conducting staffing studies for agencies, we do not offer overnight results or preliminary findings in a week's time. Our methodology includes an exhaustive review of agency data which includes, but is not limited to: calls for service, officer leave times, scheduled time off, training, and sick leave usage. When our work is completed, the agency is presented with a foundational study that can be used to justify the need for current or future staff. In addition, our clients are able to replicate our process to update their staffing needs in years to come.
Over the past fifteen years, Etico staff has instructed thousands of law enforcement managers on the topic of resource allocation, deployment, and scheduling. After many years of part-time teaching for Northwestern University and the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Etico began offering workshops under it's own name on a full time basis. Today, our staff are regular presenters at command colleges in Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois. Additional courses are offered throughout the country as a result of partnerships between Etico Solutions and progressive police agencies that are interested in hosting our courses.
As each year passes, our list of services continues to expand. Our primary focus remains, however, on improving police agencies through appropriate staffing, appropriate deployment, and appropriate scheduling of existing resource.