Police all across the U.S. perform many tasks to ensure its citizens are safe. They are mediators between the legal system and the public and adapt the law when maintaining order.
Police are public servants -- their motto is to protect and serve. They must negotiate, mediate and arbitrate among citizens. In order to function and complete all of their important tasks, they must remain organized and because they do have so many responsibilities, it is difficult for them as a whole to build any sort of professional identity.
Much emphasis is put on police officers being crime fighters, when in actuality they spend much of their time maintaining order and providing services for citizens. They must deal with “special populations” -- which includes the homeless and people suffering from mental disorders -- and need the proper training to fulfill this side of the job. It is important for police officers to know how to stop criminals as well as maintain a sense of order in their communities.
There are three styles of policing: watchman, legalistic and service. While each style has its focus points, all three overlap each other. There are, however, many differences between police agencies and individuals who practice community policing. This includes the measures of effectiveness and efficiency as well as the public’s expectations in their police.
Police officers use a variety of patrol methods -- besides a patrol car -- to maintain order. Many police use motorcycles, bicycles, horses, marine watercraft, aircraft and all-terrain vehicles or simply patrol on foot. Recently, police agencies have implemented several different reforms and experiments as a way to better evaluate their performance in public. Instead of trying to meet a specific quota, many agencies are focusing more on the quality of life in their immediate communities. However, having enough police to patrol is still an area for concern, because law enforcement demands make it difficult for officers to allocate the necessary resources in a constructive way.
The media plays a crucial role in the public’s attitude and image of the police. Due to this, many police departments have developed media relations programs in order to facilitate honest and timely communications and press conferences with members of the media.
The purpose of this course is to introduce basic functions of police officers. A substantial portion focuses on police patrol, which is the division that has the first and most contact with the public. Specifically, the course examines patrol allocation, types of patrol, strategies and the evaluation of police performance.
By the end of the course, students will be able to define the following terms: order maintenance, service, watchman style, patrol allocation, foot patrol, directed patrol, differential response, saturation patrol, compstat and media relations.