1. CHAPTER 5
On Patrol

2. On Patrol Patrol as Work Purposes and Nature of Patrol
Deployment should consider the where and when of crime
Many still deploy patrols based upon convenient beat dividers
Major purposes of patrol, according to ABA
To deter crime by maintaining a visible presence

3. On Patrol To maintain public order
To enable the police department to respond quickly to law violators or other emergencies
To identify and apprehend law violators
To aid individuals and care for those who cannot help themselves
To facilitate the movement of traffic and people
To create a sense of security in the community

4. On Patrol “JDLR” Nonemergency calls to 911
“Just doesn’t look right”
Nonemergency calls to 911
Detroit and Los Angeles staff over 60 percent of patrol units with two officers
Atlanta and Baltimore have no two-officer units
Most agencies assign 77 to 95 percent of their patrols resources to automobiles

5. On Patrol Patrol Work as a Function of Shift Assignment
Shift assignments
Day shift have the greatest contact with the citizens
Usually, officers with the most seniority work the day shift
Swing shift usually makes more arrests than day shift
Night shift is a different world
The shift is busy at the start and then the officer fights boredom at the end of the shift

6. On Patrol Influences of One’s Assigned Beat
Three “cops’ rules” are part of the beat culture
Don’t get involved in another officer’s sector
Don’t leave work for the next duty shift
Hold up your end of the work

7. On Patrol Where Danger Lurks
During 2000, 151 police officers were killed in the line of duty
The annual average in the 1990s was 153
The annual average in the 1980s was 187
The annual average in the 1970s was 222

8. On Patrol An Unappreciated American Icon: The Patrol Vehicle
A Sanctuary and a Place for Vital Gear
A mobile haven
An office
A rolling symbol of authority
Evolution of the Patrol Vehicle

9. On Patrol Studies of the Patrol Function
Kansas City Preventive Patrol Experiment (1973)
City divided into 15 beats
No preventive patrol
Police only responded to calls for service

10. On Patrol Increased patrol activity Usual level of service
No increase in crime in any of the patrol zones
No change in citizens’ fear of crime or their attitudes toward the police
No change in the ability of the police to respond to calls
Patrol methods ere subject to question

11. On Patrol Team policing Officers were divided into small teams
Assigned permanently to small geographic areas or neighborhoods
Officers were to be generalists
The concept was abandoned because of strain on resources
Was the beginning of the movement toward COP

12. On Patrol Directed patrol (1975) Split-force program
Computer data of crime locations and times to set up deterrent runs
The program did not reduce crime, but rather displaced it
The program quietly died
Split-force program
1/2 of patrol assigned to basic patrol units
1/2 were assigned to a structured unit
Deployed in high-crime areas
Police productivity increased 20%
Crime decreased 18% in the first year

13. On Patrol Foot patrol Renewed interest in late 1970s
Crime levels were not affected by foot patrol
Did have significant effect on the attitudes of the area residents
Residents felt safer
Officers had higher levels of job satisfaction
Officers felt safer on the job than motor officers

14. On Patrol Response times Kansas City (1977)
Study found that response time was unrelated to the probability of making an arrest or locating witnesses
Dispatch nor travel time was strongly associated with citizen satisfaction
The time it takes to report a crime is the major factor determining whether an on-scene arrest takes place and whether witnesses are located
Two-person patrol cars are no more effective than one-person cars in reducing crime or catching criminals
Injuries to police officers are not more likely to occur in one-person cars
Most officers on patrol do not stumble across felony crimes in progress

15. On Patrol Discretionary Use of Police Authority
Attempts to Define Discretion
If the police see something that does not look right, they must decide whether to intervene in the situation and how to intervene
In a traffic stop, police have 770 different combinations of action that may be taken

16. On Patrol Criminal law has two sides Formality
Found in the statutes and opinions of the court
Reality
Found in the practices of the enforcement officers
When formality and reality differ, reality prevails

17. On Patrol Determinants of Disciplinary Actions
Variables that enter into the officer’s decision
The officer’s attitude
The citizen’s attitude or demeanor
The citizen’s social class, sex, age, and race
Pros, Cons, and Politics of Discretionary Authority
The inverse relationship between the officer’s rank and the amount of discretion that is available
The exercise of discretion is an essential part of police work
There is a myth of full enforcement of the laws
The issue of police discretion is shrouded in controversy

18. On Patrol Advantages of the use of discretion
It allows the officer to treat different situations in accordance with humanitarian and practical goals
Justice tempered with mercy
Disadvantages of the use of discretion
Partiality
Breeding ground for corruption
Police do not know the consequences of their discretionary decisions

19. On Patrol Police discretion is part of the American political process
State legislative commands are ambiguous
Legislatures speak with three voices
They enact state statutes that seemingly require full enforcement of the laws
They provide only enough resources for limited enforcement of them
They consent to such limited enforcement

20. On Patrol A Related Function: Traffic
Policing Today’s Motorized Society
Traffic stops account for about half of the contact Americans have with the police
More than half of the nearly 20 million Americans stopped will be cited
Traffic stops are a major source of friction between the police and the citizens
Crackdowns on speeding have no impact on fatality rates and have little influence on traffic violations or accident rates

21. On Patrol Traffic Accident Investigation
Formal training in the area of accident investigation is essential
The era of accountability and litigation
The public demands skilled accident investigations

22. On Patrol In Pursuit of the “Phantom Driver”
Public support for the police in their efforts to apprehend the hit-and-run drivers
Physical evidence and witness statements must be collected
The police may have to use psychology to get a confession from the hit-and-run driver