Patrol Procedures

Chapter 4

Traditional Methods

• There are three traditional methods of uniformed patrol:

• Random Routine Patrol• Rapid Response to Citizens’ 911 Calls• Retroactive Investigation of Past Crimes by

Detectives

Random Patrol

• The police officer patrols a designated geographic area.

• Beat assignment• Dept. procedures dictate whether the initial

responding officer is responsible for follow-up investigation

Rapid Response to Citizens’ 911 calls

• The police officer receives a call from the police dispatcher, then responds to the call.

Retroactive Investigation of Past Crimes by Detectives

• If the call involves a crime, the police officer conducts a preliminary investigation and often refers the case to a detective who then conducts a follow up investigation of the crime

• Patrol takes the initial report and all follow-up is done by detectives

Kansas City Study

• First attempt to actually test the effectiveness of random routine patrol

• During 1972-73, Kansas City Department conducted an experiment to test the effects of routine preventive control. This year long experiment has been both influential and controversial.

K.C. Study Format

• Fifteen patrol beats in Kansas City’s South Patrol were used.

• Five of those beats were assigned to a control group with no changes in normal patrol staffing or tactics.

• Five other beats were chose as reactive beats, and all preventive patrolling was eliminated.

• The reactive beats and the proactive beats were all experimental groups.

K.C. Study Format

• Outside patrol units handled calls in the reactive beats, and units left the beats once they had handled the calls.

• During the experiment all activities during the 15 beats was monitored.

• Prior to the outset of the experiments researchers collected data on reported crime, arrests, traffic accidents, response times, citizen attitudes, citizen and business victimization for each of the 15 beats.

• No one in the community was advised during the entire year of the experiment

Kansas City Study Outcome

• Conclusions:• adding or subtracting police patrols from an area

made NO difference in the community.• No change in crime.• No change in citizen fear of crime.• No change in community attitude toward police.• No change in police response time.• No change in traffic accidents.

Kansas City Study

• It had been commonly believed that putting more officers on patrol would cause a decrease in crime, and taking away police would cause an increase in crime. The Kansas City Study demonstrated this was wrong.

Kansas City Study

• James Q. Wilson: “…All it shows is that changes in the amount of random preventive patrol in marked cars does not, by itself, seem to affect…how much crime occurs or how safe people feel.”

• Joseph D. McNamara: “…the experiment seemed to show that police officers uncommitted time-(responding to calls or self-initiated police time) which is approximately 50%, could be used more effectively.”

Alternative Patrol Strategies

• Directed Patrol• Split Force• High intensity patrol• Differential Response to Calls for Service• Uniformed tactical operations • Decoy operations • Stake out and sting operations• Code enforcement teams

Directed Patrol

• Involves officers receiving specific instructions on what duties to perform while not responding to calls.

• Based on:crime analysisspecific problemscomplaints received from the community

Split Force

• One portion of the patrol force handling all calls dispatched to patrol units, while the other only performs directed patrol assignments.

High Intensity Patrol

• A form of split force used by the Houston Police Department, placed more officers in different parts of the city during peak crime hours.

• Problems HIP- directed not to answer 911 calls and stay in designated areas, not enough regular patrol officers, therefore 911 calls would pile up.

Uniformed Tactical Operations

• Aggressive Patrol Tactics Involves stopping numerous people and vehicles in an attempt to find evidence that they may have committed a crime or may be committing a crime.

• Studies have indicated that aggressive patrol tactics such as in the field of interrogations could

• Reduce the crime rates• Increase arrests rates• Create problems with the community

New York City

• Stop and Frisk Policy• 2011 = 685,724 stops• 2012 = 533,042 stops (7100 weapons

recovered)• Portions declared unconstitutional as of

February 2013

• 1. In 2011, NYC officers made 685,724 stops as part of the “stop-and-frisk” policy. Of that group, 605,328 people were determined not to have engaged in any unlawful behavior. [NYCLU]

• 2. Only 5.37% of all stops in a recent five-year period resulted in an arrest. In short, many people stopped did nothing wrong. [NYT, 5/17/12]

• 3. In 2009, 36% of the time officer failed to list an acceptable “suspected crime.” Reasonable suspicion of a crime is required to make a stop. [NYT, 5/17/12]

• 4. More than half of all stops last year were conducted “because the individual displayed ‘furtive movement’ — which is so vague as to be meaningless.” [NYT, 5/14/12]

• 5. Of those frisked in 2011, a weapon was found just 1.9% of the time. Frisks are supposed to be conducted “only when an officer reasonably suspects the person has a weapon.” [NYCLU]

• 6. 85% of those stopped were black or Hispanic even though those groups make up about half of NYC’s population. [NYT, 5/17/12]

• 7. Young black and Latino men account for 4.7% of NYC’s population but 41.6% of the stops in 2011. [NYCLU]

• 8. The number of stops involving young black men in 2011 (168,124) exceed the city’s population of young black men (158,406).[NYT, 5/15/12]

• 9. Even in overwhelmingly white neighborhoods, police stopped more blacks than whites.[NYT, 5/15/12]

• 10. In 2012, police are on pace to make more than 800,000 stops, more than twice the population of Miami. [NYT, 5/15/12]

Decoy Operation

• Officer takes on role– Prostitute• Deering Oaks• Deering Street

– Robbery victim– Car with valuables

• Requires uniformed back up

Sting Operation

• Involve using various undercover methods to apprehend thieves and recover stolen property.

• Sting operations can account for a large number or arrests and the recovery of a significant amount of stolen property.

• Pawn shop• Raffle winner – to clear warrants

Predictive Policing

• Based on data analysis– Idea taken from retailers like Walmart & Amazon– Walmart – storm = duct tape, bottled water and

strawberry Pop-Tarts• Less reactive

Stake Out

• A stakeout consists of a group of officers who conceal themselves in a or about a location waiting for a crime to occur or a suspect to arrive

• Starbucks opening