EVALUATION OF SPECIALIZED POLICE PATROLS

• NCJ Number: 53932
• Author(s): B J SOWDER
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 13 pages
• Grant Number(s): 75-NI-99-0067; 75-NI-99-0067-S-I
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice; US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Corporate Author: Burt Associates, Inc
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: PRESENTED AT THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE EVALUATION, WASHINGTON, DC, FEBRUARY 1977 - PANEL 12 EVALUATING ALTERNATIVES TO TRADITIONAL POLICE PATROL

Annotation

USING A NATIONAL SAMPLE OF 21 SPECIALIZED POLICE PATROLS, A SYSTEMATIC CLASSIFICATION PROJECT WAS UNDERTAKEN BY THE INSTITUTE FOR HUMAN RESOURCES RESEARCH.

Abstract

ANALYSIS OF THE 21 GEOGRAPHICALLY DISPERSED PATROLS WAS PRECEDED BY A REVIEW OF THE RELEVANT LITERATURE AND BY MAIL, TELEPHONE, AND FIELD SURVEYS OF SPECIALIZED PATROLS ACROSS THE NATION. THE STUDY FOCUSED ON THREE QUESTIONS: (1) WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT SPECIALIZED PATROL; (2) WHAT TYPES OF PATROL ARE MOST EFFECTIVE; AND (3) WHAT TYPES OF PATROL ARE MOST FREQUENTLY EMPLOYED? - IT WAS FOUND THAT SPECIALIZED POLICE PATROLS ARE INCREASING IN NUMBER. ALSO , IT WAS FOUND THAT THREE FORMS OF PATROL TACTICS ARE MOST FREQUENTLY USED: (1) CIVILIAN CLOTHES, (2) UNIFORMED TACTICAL, AND (3) MECHANICAL DEVICES. CIVILIAN CLOTHES UNITS ARE THE MOST PREVALENT TACTIC USED, AND UNIFORMED TACTICAL UNITS ARE USED ALMOST AS FREQUENTLY. THE REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE SUGGESTS THAT APPROPRIATE SPECIALIZATION OFFERS FIVE ADVANTAGES: (1) UNIT LEADERS CAN BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE UNIT'S LEVEL OF EFFICIENCY; (2) SPECIALIZATION BRINGS ABOUT IMPROVEMENTS IN TRAINING; (3) SPECIALIZATION MAY GENERATE GROUP COHESIVENESS, JOB SATISFACTION, AND GOOD MORALE; (4) MEMBERS OF THE UNIT MAY DEVELOP A VESTED INTEREST IN THE UNIT AND IN THEIR DEPARTMENT; AND (5) SPECIALIZED PATROLS MAY GENERATE PUBLIC SUPPORT. CONTACT WITH APPROXIMATELY 400 POLICE DEPARTMENTS LED TO THE IDENTIFICATION OF THREE CATEGORIES OF SPECIALIZED PATROL: (1) LOW VISIBILITY PATROLS; (2) HIGH VISIBILITY PATROLS; AND (3) COMBINED HIGH/LOW VISIBILITY PATROLS. HOWEVER, THE RELIABILITY OF THE DATA BASE IS QUESTIONED, AND ONLY A TENTATIVE SET OF CONCLUSIONS COULD BE FORMULATED ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE AND EFFECTIVENESS OF SPECIALIZED PATROL. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT ALL THREE PATROL CATEGORIES WERE EFFECTIVE IN MEETING THEIR OBJECTIVES OF DETERRENCE AND APPREHENSION. IT IS FURTHER SUGGESTED THAT A COMBINED USE OF UNIFORMED TACTICAL AND CIVILIAN DRESS TACTICS MAY BE THE MOST SUCCESSFUL APPROACH. FUTURE STUDIES ARE URGED. REFERENCES ARE LISTED. (MLC)