Transcript ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE EMPLOYMENT SKILLS UNIT

ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE
POLICE FIELD OPERATIONS
AND
PATROL
I.
INTRODUCTION
A.
The uniformed field officer is the
personification of law enforcement
in the United States.
1.
Field officers become the representatives
of city government, because they are
highly visible.
2.
How does the community see
the police?
a.
Majority of the people in the
community respect the police
(1)
they know and respect
them as their protectors.
b.
Others, see the uniformed
officer as a nuisance.
c.
Some look upon them as
the enemy.
3.
The officer has a responsibility to
serve all members of the community
with equal dedication, respect, and
with a sense of justice.
4.
Approximately one - half of all the
local police departments in the
United States employ fewer than
10 officers.
a.
Less opportunity
in these small agencies
to specialize.
5.
At the other end of the spectrum, we
have 34 police departments and
12 sheriff's departments that are quite
sophisticated and highly specialized,
employing more than 1000 officers.
a.
Officers assigned a specific line of
duty, such as detective, juvenile
detective, burglary detective, or
homicide detective as example.
6.
The basic field unit is usually
known as the patrol division.
B.
Objectives of police field operations
1.
Defense of life and property
a.
The phrase -- "To protect and
serve"-- means to provide all
those services a police officer
will be expected and required
to provide.
(1)
Agencies must open lines of
communication between the people
and the officers who serve them.
(a)
Included in this category is the function
of "community relations"
(b)
"Community relations" is a series of
programs to educate and inform the
public about department attitudes and
policies concerning law enforcement
and crime prevention.
2.
Participative law enforcement
a.
Attitudes of the people about
how effective the police are in
protecting them is extremely
important.
b.
Teamwork between the public and
the police is very important if
police are to perform effectively.
c.
There needs to be a constant
interchange of ideas and expression
of needs between the police and the
people.
d.
Police need to make a constant
and deliberate effort to know their
district and the people in it.
(1)
Some people have called this
"community-oriented policing".
e.
The field officer's responsibility
is to ensure that this one - on - one
relationship between themselves
and the public yields maximum
results.
f.
There must be a constant effort to
allow the people to know the overall
attitudes of the department toward
its general and specific responsibilities.
g.
There is no better opportunity for the
police officer to cultivate attitudes
toward the police (positive, it is
hoped) than through personal and
informal contacts.
3.
Prevention of criminal and
delinquent behavior
a.
This police objective
is aimed at ways and
means of reducing
the desire to commit
crime.
b.
There is no way to measure
how much crime police prevent.
c.
It is nearly impossible for police to
convince the successful burglar who
makes thousands of tax-free dollars
per month that crime does not pay.
d.
The police have a responsibility to
identify those offenders, delinquents,
and near - delinquents before an
arrest becomes necessary.
e.
Through keen observation and
diligent investigation, the officer
attempts to locate and detain the
first-offender either before or during
the commission of a criminal act.
4.
Repression of criminal and
delinquent behavior
a.
Repression of crime is generally
accomplished either by having
police officers maintaining a highly
visible profile or by publicizing a
highly active undercover operation.
b.
The objective is to cause people
to decide not to commit crimes
for fear of being caught in the act.
c.
The theory is based upon
the assumption that people
will not commit crimes
if they believe they are
certain to be arrested
when they do.
d.
Police omnipresence - the
would - be criminal will refrain
from misbehaving because
of the likelihood that police
will suddenly pop out from
nowhere and arrest him.
e.
Crime repression by police patrol is to
try to create an impression of total and
continuous presence without creating
an air of oppressive dominance.
(1)
A continuous and unpredictable
patrol by the field officer is an
attempt to create this feeling of
omnipresence.
f.
One of the most effective activities of
the crime repressive role of the
police is the field interview program,
which consists of making actual field
contact with individuals police
encounter in their patrol area.
(1)
When a suspects presence causes
the officer to have reasonable
suspicion as to their identity and
motive for being where they are
under the circumstances that call
for further inquiry.
5.
Identification and apprehension
of, and conviction of, offenders
a.
Field officers must know their
patrol area and the behavior
patterns of the people in them.
b.
Patrol officers must be in a
position to readily identify obvious
or suspected violations of the laws
and to take immediate enforcement
action when possible.
c.
It is an officer’s responsibility to
know what is a crime and what is not.
d.
The officer must begin the
investigation as soon as possible.
(1)
Locate and question victims
and witnesses.
(2)
Protect the crime scene
against further contamination.
(3)
Attempt to locate and
apprehend the suspect.
e.
The due process provisions of the
Constitution of the United States and
the courts interpretations have served
as controlling influences on such
police procedures as field interviews,
stop and frisk, arrest, search, seizure
of evidence, interviewing the suspect,
use of force, and various other
activities.
(1)
It is the officer’s duty to assure
fair presentation of evidence in
court to assure a conviction
that will withstand the test of
constitutionality.
6.
Traffic flow and collision reduction
a.
Traffic must be free - flowing
and collision - free so that
people may move safely
from one place to another.
b.
The police must determine
the causes of congestion and
to relieve it.
c.
This involves investigation
and the three E's: education,
engineering, and enforcement.
(1)
Enforcement most highly visible
aspect of the police traffic
responsibility.
(a)
Focus attention on those
violations that cause the
most number of injuries
and property damage.
(2)
Engineering - analysis of the
collision statistics show that
an inordinate number of
unlawful left turns at a certain
intersection are listed as the
cause of collisions.
(a)
May need a left turn lane and
a traffic signal with a left - turn
green sequence.
(b)
Officers in the field can
recognize these problem
because they are dealing
with it on a daily basis.
(c)
Officers should pass this
information on to the city
traffic engineer or public
works department.
(3)
The education aspect of traffic
control can reduce collisions by
requiring violators to attend traffic
school classes.
(a)
Education of the driving public
is aimed at changing the
behavior and attitude of people
who knowingly disobey the law.
7.
Maintenance of order and the
public peace
a.
This is one of the broadest
functions - It is in the "all other"
category.
(1)
Includes not only those activities
that have been legally delegated
to the police but also those
assumed simply because there
was no one else to do them.
(a)
Police must maintain a constant and
vigilant patrol, frequently making direct
contact with a number of people.

Demonstrates their presence
in a peacekeeping role.

Timely response to called - for
services to referee disagreements
in family and neighborhood
situations that would erupt into
full - scale fight situations without
their presence.
(2)
Police are required to attend
places where large numbers
of people congregate, such
as stadiums, theaters, and
places of political rallies to
maintain order and prevent
violations of the laws.
(a)
Police are also required to
enforce the people's rights
to assemble peaceably and
express their opinions and
beliefs.
(b)
Police may be dispatched
to quiet a boisterous party,
loud radio, or the public
gathering that grew into
a riot.
8.
The "order maintenance"
process includes many other
responsibilities, such as:
a.
Directing traffic at fires or
collision scenes.
b.
Controlling crowds and
preventing panic at
disaster scenes.
c.
Providing a stabilizing influence
in times of emotional upset.
d.
Most breaches of the peace
are settled merely by firmly
suggesting that the violators
desist and comply with the law.
II.
ACTIVITIES OF THE PATROL DIVISION
A.
Routine patrol and observation
1.
Basic patrolling activities are
usually referred to as "routine."
a.
An officer’s tasks should
never be taken so lightly
as to be considered routine.
b.
It should be the officer’s "routine"
not to patrol the beat the same
way twice.
(1)
Many intelligent and wealthy
criminals have attributed their
phenomenal successes to their
ability to work around the time
schedules of the field officers.
(2)
Criminals learn the shift hours,
patrol assignments, and number
of officers on patrol at any given
time.
(3)
They use this information to
analyze the patrol methods
employed by the officers
working the beats where they
intend to commit their crimes.
c.
Patrol officers should avoid driving the
same route in the same sequence when
they leave their office.
d.
Officers should avoid a fixed pattern
for patrolling their beat.
B.
Preventive attendance at public
gatherings
1.
Wherever people gather in sizable
numbers, the police should be
visibly present.
a.
Police presence should alert
anyone inclined to break the
law that there would be a
greater probability of arrest.
b.
This also assures a more peaceful
assembly
(1)
c.
Riot prevention is much
better than riot control.
Freedom of assembly is a
basic freedom assured by
the First Amendment to the
Constitution.
d.
The officers’ first duty when
arriving at the scene of an assembly
is to determine that it is lawful.
(1)
Police should remain present
to assure the assembly
continues to be peaceful.
2.
There are times and places where
anything more than a casual police
presence and departure could be
misinterpreted as oppressive.
a.
Officers standing around the
polling place on election day
could be perceived as
government intervention into
the free - election process.
C.
Benevolent and community services
1.
Police are often called upon
to perform many services that
do not appear on any list of
job specifications for police
officers.
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2.
Although not required by any
law, many of these tasks have
become traditional simply by
the officers' own willingness
to do them as a service to the
people who ask for them.
a.
Police are called upon to
perform midwife duties at
childbirth.
b.
They are expected to render first
aid to collision or disaster victims,
even though those activities are
generally the responsibility of
medical service personnel who
are better trained and qualified
to perform the task.
c.
Sometimes officers have
been known to dip into their
own pockets to help less
fortunate people on their beat.
3.
Police are called upon to referee
neighborhood or family quarrels
when they have reached the
violent stage.
4.
Police sometimes deliver death
messages when the appropriate
spiritual counselors cannot be
located.
5.
Officers may be called upon to help
people get into their homes or autos
when a is not available.
6.
There seems to be no other agency that
is geared to cope with the unusual and
expected.
7.
Police departments also provide
chauffeur service for visiting
dignitaries and local officials.
a.
If the transportation is for the
purpose of providing protection,
then it is a police responsibility.
D.
Business and property security
1.
Security of personal and business
property is the responsibility of
the people who have legal custody
of that property.
a.
It is also the responsibility
of local police to protect
that property.
b.
Therefore, it becomes a joint
responsibility of both owner
and the police.
c.
Police agencies should advise
the public on how they might
make their property as secure
and crime resistant as possible.
d.
If it were possible to educate
successfully all these would - be
victims of the need for security,
the role of the police would be
much easier.
E.
Inspection services
1.
Inspections for security against
theft are obvious responsibilities
of the patrol force. But there are
additional types of inspections
that police agencies may be
required to perform.
2.
One of the more important is to
look for fires and fire hazards at
the same time as the check for
security against crimes.
3.
Since the officer is already on the
streets, it is most efficient to extend
the inspection responsibilities of the
police and then require the officers
to report the law violations or unsafe
conditions to the appropriate
agencies.
4.
Included in the various types of
inspections the field officer performs
are:
a.
b.
utility outages,
streets and sidewalks in need
of repair,
c.
building code violations,
d.
health and safety violations,
e.
unsanitary conditions in
restaurants and grocery stores,
f.
obscured traffic signs and signals,
g.
professional and business
license violations.
5.
Enforcement action might include
issuing citations or making arrests
for criminal violations and / or
submitting a comprehensive report
to be forwarded to the responsible
agency for further
investigation and
follow - up to correct
the problem.
F.
Responding to calls for service
1.
The great majority of calls for
police service do not involve
matters that lead to an on - the spot arrest or any other action
beyond what the officer handles
at the scene.
2.
Neighborhood children
damage fences or border
plants along property lines
causing disputes.
3.
Neighborhood children get
involved in a fight that
eventually leads to a squabble
between their parents.
4.
Husband and wife arguments
and fights sometimes require
an officer to help settle the
dispute.
5.
Police officers may find it
necessary to scold a neighbor
child for some sort of real or
imagined misconduct.
6.
In these civil disputes, police presence
is legal principally because they were
invited or because the disturbance is
in public and a primary responsibility
of the police is to preserve the peace
and ascertain whether anyone has
broken the law.
7.
Most of the time, the police action
will consist of reminding the
participants that their problem is
a civil one and that they will have
to seek a solution to their problem.
a.
Through one of the many services
that the officer will refer them to.
b.
Or, advising them to settle their
differences amicably so that the
officer may return to his other
duties.
8.
It takes a tremendous amount of
tact and diplomacy to handle these
so - called "minor" problems.
a.
The child who fails to respond
to a parent's discipline in a
demonstration of contempt
for an authority figure may be
a family problem today but a
police problem tomorrow.
9.
Many matters involving repossession
and property rights, landlord tenant
arguments, employer and employee
relations, arguments about property
lines, and a multitude of "gripes"
about various government services
will be laid in the officer’s lap.
10.
Although officers have little or no
authority over any of the principals
in these matters, the public expects
police to solve the problems,
whatever they are.
a.
An officer must deal with them
intelligently and with diplomatic
persuasion.
11.
People commit suicide.
The police are called.
12.
A woman is having baby.
The police are called.
13.
An elderly bedridden person
falls out of bed and needs help
getting back into the bed.
The police are called.
14.
An explosion destroys the
three lower floors of a hotel.
The police are called.
The police respond to whatever
emergency arises take appropriate
action, prepare the necessary
report, and then resume patrol.
G.
Animal control
1.
There are separate agencies that
handle problems of lost, stray,
abandoned, or injured animals.
2.
The police department will be
called in to investigate and
enforce violations of animal
abuse.
3.
With the constant availability of
a police patrol unit, it will not be
unusual for an officer to have to
round up an occasional dog or
cat or snake that strayed away
from its home.
4.
An officer will also be called upon
to provide for the treatment of
injured animals and disposal of
those less fortunate ones that
are killed in traffic.
H.
Traffic Direction and Control
1.
One major responsibility of a
field officer is to assure safe and
efficient movement of vehicular
and pedestrian traffic.
2.
Traffic control and collision prevention
require constant vigilance.
3.
Officers must respond to traffic
collisions and protect the scene
from further damage and injury.
4.
The patrol officer will be called upon
to provide traffic control services at
scenes of fires, large crowds and
gatherings at public events, rush-hour
traffic, and traffic tie - ups caused by
inclement weather or unusual road
conditions.
5.
Whatever the problem, the field
officer will be expected to address the
problem the best way that they can
and to call for whatever assistance is
necessary to protect the scene and
restore it to normal.
I.
Information services
1.
The field officer and the department
are expected to be the wellspring of
information about everything in its
jurisdiction:
a.
Where everything is and whatever
is happening, and where it is
happening.
b.
Officers should know the
street - numbering plan for the city.
c.
The patrol officer should know
where the all - night service stations
are located, which pharmacies stay
open late and provide emergency
all - night services to the ill.
d.
People will ask about the old - fashioned
ice - cream shop, rare book store, sheet
music store, bicycle repair shop, or a
place to have film developed while they
wait.
e.
The officer is the weather bureau,
the chamber of commerce, and the
departments goodwill ambassador.
f.
The patrol officer is the best source of
information for fellow officers and
other emergency services as to the
location of road closures and other
hazards, street parties, and other
occasions where it appears there will
be trouble later if you let it get out of
hand during the evening.
J.
Preliminary investigations
1.
Field patrol officers perform
preliminary investigations of
traffic collisions and criminal
law violations.
2.
The patrol division is actually in the
better position to handle these
initial investigations.
a.
The first officer on the scene
must look after the safety of
the victim and witnesses.
b.
The patrol officer may need to
apprehend the suspect if one
is at the scene.
c.
The first officer’s arriving will be
required to take immediate steps
to protect the scene from any
further contamination.
d.
The officers’ job is to observe carefully
all evidence before anyone has had a
chance to contaminate it -- to reflect or
to change their stories or to fabricate
alibis.
3.
The field officer will question the
victim, the witnesses, and any
suspects that he/she may encounter.
4.
An important aspect of the
investigation is the collection of
evidence, cataloging it, and then
preparing the reports.
5.
Additionally, officers investigate
vagrants, loiterers, and street walkers.
6.
Officers conduct field interviews
with people whose presence in a
particular place and under certain
circumstances cause them to have
a reasonable belief that they should
be checked out.
K.
Collection and preservation of
evidence
1.
Important to the investigation
process is the proper handling
of evidence for the purpose of
assuring a fair trial of the accused.
2.
The field officer must be careful
to avoid contaminating any more
evidence than is necessary.
a.
The officer must assess carefully
the situation when he arrives and
then methodically collect and
prepare the evidence for
transportation to the laboratory
for analysis.
b.
Maintain a log on the chain of
possession for all evidence.
c.
The officer may be required to
prepare sketches and diagrams.
L.
Arrest of offenders
1.
Second only to caring for the
injured, the field officer’s
primary responsibility at
the scene of a crime is to
locate and arrest the
offender.
2.
Once an officer effects the arrest,
he may use one of several alternative
methods to introduce the arrestee
into the criminal justice system.
a.
Officers may take the arrestee
to jail, where the "booking," or
processing, begins for some
offenses.
b.
In some situations, the arrestee may
be taken directly before a magistrate
in lieu of booking and bail.
c.
For some violations the offender
may be issued a citation and are
allowed to sign a promise to appear
in court on or before a specified date.
(1)
The citation method has been
used extensively in traffic cases
for many years, and in some states
more recently, it has been extended
to cover most misdemeanor
violations when
immediate release
poses no threat to
life or property.
M.
Preparation of reports
1.
Nearly everything the officer does
while assigned as a field patrol
officer will be committed to some
sort of a written or printed report.
2.
The field officer will be required to
prepare a detailed report on:
a.
Who was involved in an incident,
b.
What were the circumstances,
c.
When and where did the crime or
incident occur
3.
Preparation of reports is one of the
most time - consuming of all police
activities and one of the most
demanding.
4.
The reports that officers prepare are
used as the basis for determining
whether to charge an individual with
a crime.
5.
A poor report will be interpreted
as a poor job.
N.
Testifying in court
1.
This is the final step in the
investigation process.
2.
The officer is responsible for
presenting evidence and
testimony factually and without
bias.
3.
The final determination of guilt or
innocence is the responsibility of
the judge or Jury.
III.
DISTRIBUTION OF THE PATROL FORCE
A.
Introduction
1. It is uncertain as to how many
crimes are actually committed
every year, but it is widely agreed
that considerably more are
committed than are actually
reported.
2.
How many crimes the patrol force
will prevent, if any, is another
figure that we can only speculate
about.
3.
Of the crimes that are reported
each year, the numbers that are
cleared by arrest are much
lower than we would like to see.
4.
The police department is charged with
prevention, repression, and solution
of crimes within the framework of
limitations of funds, human resources,
and available equipment.
5.
Distributing the patrol force so that
it may do the most good is a major
area of concern for a police agency.
B.
Policy decisions concerning
distribution
1.
When developing a priority
sequence on field assignments,
certain questions
must be answered.
a.
Which calls for service will be
handled by telephone, and which
ones will require an officer to be sent.
b.
Which calls will be "counseled out"
by advising the calling party that
the matter can better be handled
by another agency?
c.
What portion of the crime
investigations will be handled
by patrol officers, and at what
point will cases be turned over
to the specialists?
d.
How much of the public relations
function of the department will
directly involve the patrol officers?
e.
How will priorities be established
to give precedence to certain types
of calls over others?
2.
Each department has developed
a manual of procedures concerning
all anticipated police activities and
attached priorities.
S.O.P.
Patrol
Arrest
Tactics
Pursuit
C.
Factors that determine patrol
deployment
1.
Making maximum use of human
resources and equipment is the
responsibility of the police
chief, particularly when
deploying the patrol force.
a.
There are never enough people
authorized to accomplish all the
police objectives.
b.
Arranging work days and hours,
vacations, holidays, and days off,
the object is to meet the community's
demands for police services when
needed.
2.
The following variable factors
must be taken into consideration.
a.
Resident and transient
populations, particularly in
business and tourist centers.
(1)
A beach community
(2)
The county seat or
industrial center
(3)
A "bedroom community"
b.
Numbers and types of crimes
and arrests.
c.
Locations of crimes and arrests.
d.
Traffic collision statistics and
patterns.
e.
Locations of "frequent incidents"
or hazards
f.
Disproportionate concentrations
of population
g.
Zoning plan of the city (relative
locations of business, industrial;
residential, and other types of zoning).
h.
Size of the jurisdiction (in square miles)
and shape
i.
Geography and topography.
(1)
j.
Mountains, bays, ravines,
rivers, lakes, etc.
Parks and recreational facilities.
k.
Streets and highways.
(1)
Consider total mileage and
configurations, traffic flow
patterns, state of repair and
construction.
b.
reach sound conclusions,
c.
and make the investigation
meaningful and valuable.
l.
Modes of transportation and
locations of transportation terminals.
m.
Known locations where criminal
offenders live and go for recreation.
n.
Number and qualifications of
officers available for field duties.
D.
Designation of districts
1.
Using the preceding factors a
police administrator must
apportion its policing
jurisdiction into patrol districts
that can be equitably handled
by the assigned officers.
2.
With the aid of computer data agencies
assign their officers based on the
needs of the districts.
3.
The field officers must be aided
by current and valid information
about the crime and other police
required activity in their respective
districts.
4.
The purpose of patrol is to minimize
the successes of criminals through
strategy based upon knowledge and
experience.
IV.
TYPES OF PATROL
A.
Foot patrol
1.
The original type of police
patrol.
2.
The officer is confined
to small areas and it
limits the scope of
activities.
a.
Foot patrol is still among the
most effective types of patrol.
b.
The methods of foot patrol
consist of the fixed post, line beat,
and random patrol.
c.
Foot patrol is restricted to small
areas and is used to deal with
special problems that cannot be
handled by the officers in radio
cars.
d.
Fixed foot patrol is usually
used for traffic, surveillance,
parades, and special events.
e.
Moving foot patrol is used where there
is considerable foot traffic, as in
business and shopping centers, bars
and taverns, high - crime areas, and
special hazard areas and on streets
where there are many multiple - family
dwellings.
B.
Horse patrol
1.
Horses may be used for large
park areas or similar places
where automobiles either
cannot go or may be forbidden.
2.
Horses also work quite well for
moving crowds of people.
3.
Search and rescue in hilly, undeveloped
terrain is very successful by teams of
officers on horseback.
C.
Motorcycles
1.
Primarily used for traffic control
and enforcement.
2.
Speed and maneuverability are
outstanding characteristics of the
motorcycle.
D.
Bicycles and small vehicles
1.
The bicycle has been used by
many agencies as a simple and
inexpensive means of silent
transportation to carry police
officers throughout their districts.
2.
Small newly developed motorized
vehicles have been employed by
various police agencies for whatever
needs they meet.
a.
Small vehicles may
be used for routine
patrol to replace or
augment foot or
automobile patrol.
b.
Officers may wear casual street
clothing and provide patrol
coverage with these vehicles
without being identified
as police officers until
the moment arises
when an arrest is
imminent.
3.
Bicycles and other small vehicles
permit the foot patrol officer to
carry equipment that otherwise
would be carried in an automobile.
4.
The small vehicle as a patrol unit
can cover shopping malls, pathways
and trails, and other places where
automobiles cannot travel.
5.
Some agencies employ the use
of snowmobiles and dog sleds
in the northern states and Alaska.
6.
Gliders for silent overhead
observations of suspected
farming of illegal crops.
7.
Balloon tire motorcycles for the
beaches, and boats for the waterways.
E.
Helicopters and fixed - wing aircraft
1.
Fixed - Wing aircraft are
excellent for patrolling long
stretches of highways or open
undeveloped land.
2.
Fixed - Wing are
used to transport
people and
equipment.
3.
Police use them for surveillance,
and for search and rescue.
4.
The first airborne police unit in
the United States was created in
New York City in 1930, to apprehend
daredevil pilots flying and doing
stunts above the city.
5.
The helicopter can be flown at
lower altitudes and it may be used
when marginal visibility conditions
exist.
a.
The helicopter is a true champion of
versatility.
b.
The helicopter is used for rescue,
medical evacuation, traffic control,
general patrol, criminal apprehension,
surveillance and searches.
F.
Automobile patrol
1.
The most extensively used and
the most effective means of
transportation for police patrol.
2.
On the beach it may be a
Jeep with four - wheel drive
and balloon tires.
3.
General street patrol, it is an
efficient late - model car with
high - performance capabilities.
a.
b.
It may be a dune buggy for
desert patrol or like a safaritype vehicle for mountains
and forest areas.
In the urban community, the
vehicle is the distinctively
marked late model automobile.
4.
The police car is a mobile police
station.
G.
Boats and amphibian vehicles
1.
In jurisdictions that patrol
beaches, shorelines, and inland
waterways, various types of deep
- water and shallow - water boats
are put into service.
2.
Smuggling of people and contraband
from coastal waters into inland harbor
areas is a constant problem.
3.
Investigation and apprehension
can be accomplished only with
the aid of boats and helicopters.
this concludes
Police Field Operations
and
Patrol