NCJ Number
203384
Journal
Sheriff Volume: 55 Issue: 6 Dated: November-December 2003 Pages: 34-36
Date Published
November 2003
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article describes the problem-oriented policing program in rural Dane County, WI.
Abstract
Rural settings create unique challenges for law enforcement based on the large geographical area under their jurisdiction. While community policing initiatives have been operational for many years, they generally occur in urban settings where neighborhoods are within close proximity to one another. The article describes the problem-oriented policing strategy implemented by the Dane County Sheriff’s Office, which originally sprang from a call analysis study regarding the effectiveness of police responses to calls for service. A committee that was formed to investigate the effectiveness of Dane County law enforcement efforts led to an examination of various policing models, including the Split Force model, the Temporal model, and the Total problem-solving policing model. The committee determined that Dane County law enforcement worked under the Specialized Unit model, in which two or more officers have primary responsibility for community policing activities. The committee ultimately recommended the creation of a new model of policing which was labeled the Team model. The article describes this Team model as involving the redistricting of patrol beats with the officers assigned to each beat responsible for addressing recurring problems on their beat. The implementation of the Team model is described, including the redistricting of beats, staffing considerations, and cooperation with community members and stakeholders. Since the move to the Team model, the reception from the community has been overwhelmingly positive and recurring problems in Dane County have begun to be contained and eliminated. The Team model is thus recommended to other rural law enforcement agencies.