Purpose and Effectiveness of Police Patrol - 1764 Words

The Purpose and Effectiveness of Police Patrols To begin studying this topic I’d like to provide a brief definition of a patrol officer. In law enforcement, patrol officers are uniformed police officers assigned to patrol specified geographic areas. They are the officers most commonly encountered by the public. Their duties include responding to calls for service, making arrests, resolving disputes, taking crime reports, and conducting traffic enforcement, and other crime prevention measures. The patrol officer is the first on the scene to arrive. What they do or fail to do at the scene can greatly influence the outcome of an investigation. The patrol officer, as the person daily in the field, is closest to potential crime and oftentimes†¦show more content†¦Law enforcement administrators have traditionally relied on three (3) indicators to measure agency effectiveness and to determine the amount of funding for particular operational programs such as increased police patrols. First, crime statistics always have played an important role in providing direction to police agencies. But, by relying on crime statistics as conclusive evidence that specific programs or philosophies are achieving their anticipated results, observers often fail to ensure that these statistics accurately reflect what they claim to measure. For example, some politicians often view decreases in crime as indicators of successful programmatic responses to funding priorities, and although the converse is often used as justification for additional funding, some long-range studies suggest that police agencies have little control over increases and decreases in crime. This is so, researchers believe, because the police have no control over the sociological conditions that are blamed for fueling the growth of crime. As we learned from the textbook â€Å"Criminal Justice In Action† Social Process Theories state that the major influence on any individual is not society in general, but t he interactions that dominate everyday life, hence the learning and labeling theories. For this reason,Show MoreRelatedThe Purpose and Efectiveness of Police Patrol Essay834 Words   |  4 PagesRunning Head: POLICE PATROL Purpose and Effectiveness of Police Patrol Police patrol is the ‘backbone of policing’. It accounts for more than two-thirds of a department’s personnel. Their main purpose are similar to those of security guards, only they have a wider area to survey. These watchmen go around the community and arrest or question suspicious people and possible law offenders. Due to this fact, they are avoided by criminals. After World War II the idea of police patrol became a criticalRead MoreOrganization of the Police Department899 Words   |  4 PagesPolice departments have tasks of organization that is divided according to purpose, area and time. Work Assignments are given to certain groups that are divided amongst the department and have a distinct purpose that is unique from the other groups. For example; a police detective performs certain duties that are distinct from that of a patrol officer and vice versa. Each division has their own purpose to achieve certain functions within the department, to maintain effective functions within theRead MoreNewark and Philadelphia Policy Review1276 Words   |  6 Pagesthe impacts the programs have had to date. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of police foot patrol as a means of deterrence through apprehension and as a means of risk reduction, community and problem oriented policing, high crime neighborhood hot spots, and violence prevention. This will be done through the examination of the Newark, NJ and Philadelphia, PA foot patrol experiments. The Philadelphia and Newark foot patrol experiments were both determined to be a successRead MoreThe Importance of Organization in a Police Department786 Words   |  4 PagesThe organization of a police department plays a vital role in the effectiveness of the police department. There are three major concepts you should consider when organizing a police department. They are as follows: area, time, and purpose. I will briefly discuss each concept as it relates to the organization and effectiveness of the police department. The area that any given police department is responsible for plays a huge part in it organization. For example, if a police department is responsibleRead MoreCrime Reduction And Governments By Hiring More Police Essay1529 Words   |  7 PagesPolice are the officials primarily assigned to the task of crime reduction and governments are naturally tempted to address perceived crime problems by hiring more police (Marvell Moody, 1996). It is thought that if police are seen more frequently in an area, potential criminal may be persuaded to think that there is a high likelihood of arrest in that area (Sampson Cohen, 1988). It is not known really if adding police does in fact reduce crime (Marvell Moody, 1996), but it goes back to whatRead MoreMidterm Essay Exam1637 Words   |  7 Pagesintensive police patrols directed to an 80-block hotspot area where the homicide rate was 20 times the national average. It represented a unique approach to crime prevention through preventive patro l. Question 1 Is this approach different from traditional patrol? If so how? If not, how is it similar? What did patrol officers in this experiment do that was different from what basic patrol officers do? What was the relationship between the officers in this experiment and other patrol officersRead MoreCommunity Policing And Community Crime1578 Words   |  7 PagesCommunity policing advises all parts of police business and also supports problem-solving practices. Community policing consist of strategies, tactics, and values. Thus, community policing is also sometimes know as problem-oriented policing. The sole purpose of community policing is so that police can be proactive and address any problems that may arise within the community that could potentially be a safety hazard. Community policing all branches from the idea that police officers are a multifunctional socialRead MoreCitizens on Patrol1411 Words   |  6 PagesCitizens on Patrol What would an individual do to keep their home or neighborhood safe? The answer has become quite popular over the last few decades. In fact neighborhood prevention is becoming extremely popular as well as successfully reducing crime in some neighborhoods. One of the major forms of neighborhood crime prevention is citizen patrol. Citizen patrol or often referred to as citizen on patrol is extremely popular due to the fact that it solely relies on surveillance. FurthermoreRead MorePolice Enforcement And Community Policing1657 Words   |  7 Pagespolicing has become a new trend in law enforcement. A majority of contemporary police departments now claim to use community policing. Community policing builds on basic policing practices with an emphasis on crime prevention and lasting solutions to problems. Community policing was established in the 1970s, but did not become popular until the 1990s. The goal of community policing is to rebuild the bond between citizens and police offi cers, while at the same time reducing crime and fear. This then restoresRead MoreWhy Ut Nor Atm Would Slingshot Me Into A Career Of Law Enforcement1532 Words   |  7 Pages1879 and is the third oldest public institution of higher learning in the State of Texas. It is located approximately one hour north of downtown Houston in the hills, lakes, and forests region of East Texas in Huntsville. It is one of the oldest purpose-built institutions for the instruction of teachers west of the Mississippi River and the first such institution of its type in Texas. The school is named for Sam Houston, who made his home in the city and is buried there. To enroll in Sam Houston