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and tasks. I can set great timeframes and goals for my You may be able to knock out two regular—dare
staff by applying it to my own personal supervision I say boring—tasks in 30 minutes. However, get one
style. major fight that day at the jail, and you could be taking
I might have a list of 10 goals I want my unit to statements for hours. Now, this example is a little tricky
accomplish throughout the month, but only 2 of those because our nonpriority details are still important for
goals will really give me the projected or desired out­ various reasons—the important ones being Title 15,
come I want. Therefore, I organize my unit goals at the possible ACA Standards, and BSCC Compliance for
beginning of the month by degree of importance. A lot those of us in California.
of people normally do this if they have some decent But the fact remains that on any given day 80% of
organizational skills; however, if you don’t—and it is a your time will be spent on a priority call. Knowing this,
struggle for you—try to apply the 80/20 Rule to your it’s important to teach young officers how to manage
time management and see if your units become more time appropriately. Then when the priority incident
productive. does occur, the housing unit doesn’t fall behind on
feeding, recreational time, etc. Proper application of this
Pareto Applied to Corrections principle can save your jail major time in moments of
We can use the example of daily housing unit duties crisis.
when looking at the Pareto Principle as it relates to
corrections. In one correctional shift (depending on The Pareto Principle in Everyday Life
how busy your jail is), you may have 10 major tasks Even though this article applies this principle very
for the day that must be completed. In applying the basically to law enforcement, it can be applied to almost
Pareto Principle, approximately 20% of those tasks (or anything in life. For a second, think about nutrition.
2) would occupy about 80% of your overall time spent Eating healthy 80% of the time, while splurging approx­
during the day. Which is fairly accurate if you think imately 20% of the time, often gives us great weight loss STRATEGIES FOR INCREASING RESILIENCE AND RETENTION
about the amount of regular, mundane duties versus results.
priority incidents on a normal day. How often does our personal property account for
the number of memories and priceless items that we
own? I will tell you—only 20% of what we own truly
matters to us. We all have a favorite sweater or a favor­
ite pair of jeans we constantly wear. What 20% of your
closet wardrobe do you choose to wear 80% of the time?
The next time you are doing something, whether
it is law enforcement related or not, think about the
Pareto Principle and how it can be applied. You may
be surprised at how relatable this principle is and how
often it can be used for success in law enforcement or
otherwise. 

Sources
Mansen, M. (n.d.) How to 80/20 your life. Retrieved from
https://markmanson.net/80­20­your­life
Kruse, K. (2016, March 7). The 80/20 rule
and how it can change your life. Forbes.
Retrieved from www.forbes.com/sites/
kevinkruse/2016/03/07/80­20­rule/?sh=7bc44e443814

Lieutenant Carrie Carone, CJM, has led a 19-year career
with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office and is currently
the head of civil litigation. She holds a bachelor’s degree
in criminal justice from Sacramento State University and is
currently working on a master’s degree in organizational
leadership from Arizona State University. She holds a POST
Management certificate, OSHA and FEMA certifications, and
is currently an AJA Certified Jail Manager. She can be con-
tacted at ccarone@acgov.org.

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