Patrol and Policing Within the Police Department

Patrol and Policing

Within the police department there are numerous divisions which are responsible for different police functions. Among these divisions are directed patrol and proactive policing. Proactive policing involves police working in groups from outside the police department so as to respond to an issue that is emerging as opposed to responding after a crime has already taken place. This is the theory and practice of the employing of criminals before they actually commit a crime and through this there is prevention of the crime from taking place in the first place. It involves the use of statistics and mapping so as to maximize the patrol efforts that will ensure the community is a safe place. The police are organized in decentralized way such that every police officer has a neighborhood patrol that has its own objectives and goals to deal with. The police officers should therefore feel as though they are integrated or part of the community where they carry out their patrols and that they have similar values as well as beliefs so that they have confidence with their ability to make decisions. The police act on their own initiative so that they can develop data on crimes and the strategies they will use to suppress these crimes. It deters crime through showing police presence and through engaging the public so that they can find out their concerns (Department of Justice, 2012).

Proactive policing involves the police patrols being assertive and taking charge of the situation before the situation gets worse. This is part of community policing whereby there is cooperation between the police and the community in the identification and response to an issue of concern. Examples of proactive policing are foot patrols that are done in the community, the education and cooperation between government agencies and the community and outreach programs. This has led to improved relationships between local communities and law enforcers. Proactive policing became famous when the police department recognized and accepted the fact that the local community can offer assistance when it comes to controlling crime. There are various elements that make up proactive policing and these are the development of a partnership relationship between the community and police, the maintenance of order within the community and a reduction of the fear of crime. The police officers on patrol are expected to learn about the concerns of the citizens through their interactions which will enable them to come up with appropriate strategies to solve crimes. There are two strategies that can be used in proactive policing and they are undercover operations and field operations which are aggressive (Cliff notes, 2012).

Direct patrol involves instructions being given to officers to monitor particular areas which have been identified as a result of problem or crime analysis in situations where they are not responding to dispatch calls. Direct patrols can also be termed as reactive policing since they are response to particular request from individuals or groups within the community that entails immediate response to calls as well as carrying out follow up investigations (Department of Justice, 2012).Direct patrol comprises of three parts the answering of calls, the maintenance of police presence to deter crime and the prohibition of suspicious circumstances. Direct patrol lacks the component of being problem oriented which involves the community in dealing with crime issues. Direct patrols do not involve the community in any way when carrying out its operations.

Proactive policing leads to more arrests as, filling of reports and detention as compared to direct policing. This is because the officers involved in the proactive policing patrols have more information on the ground and hence will directly go for the culprits. This is opposed to the direct patrols where they have no background information on the crime and they are just out there hoping to get leads that they will use in making arrests. Direct patrols take place after a criminal activity has occurred whereas proactive policing takes place before a criminal activity occurs. Proactive policing takes place in situations where a criminal activity is anticipated so as to prevent it from taking place while the direct patrols are a way of responding to an actual crime incident after a tip off. The main aim of proactive policing is problem solving through preventive measures whereas the aim of direct patrols is to try and find out the people who were involved in an actual crime that has already taken place (Department of Justice, 2012).