Integrated patrol - case study of a law enforcement experiment in Anne Arundel County, Maryland

FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin,The, Nov, 1997 by Robert A. Johnson

When viewed in this way, the absence of fear may signal a perception of confidence in the police and may have more assessment value than traditional measures. To that end, a high-profile crime-fighting force whose ability to solve crime quickly, use good judgment, and remain flexible as the task demands, is essential. Applying flexibility of response within the traditional organizational structure also can maximize productivity, reduce downtime for personnel, and increase overall effectiveness.

Applying the Philosophy

The shift supervisor--whose job is to focus personnel on case-clearance--must act as the linchpin of this operational change. As a basic tenet of the integrated patrol philosophy, police officers are permitted to determine the enforcement activities necessary for their particular area and respond accordingly. If an officer's entire shift is devoted to responding to 911 calls for service, then follow-up would be encouraged during downtimes. Conversely, an officer with fewer service calls during a shift would be expected to work in conjunction with other personnel to provide necessary enforcement action or to gather intelligence or engage in problem-solving activities. As the team concept is crucial to this philosophy, it is not always necessary that officers be productive within the limitations of the term's traditional definition. An officer may be productive by assisting team members with a new computer program, instructing team members about search warrants, or working on any number of necessary staff functions.

Still, this flexible approach requires that all team members adhere to a number of absolutes. First, team members must interrogate all arrestees for the purpose of gathering additional intelligence or solving additional crimes. Second, team members must keep current on criminal activity, wanted suspects, and crime patterns occurring within their areas of assignment. Last, team members should develop and maintain citizen contacts for the purpose of intelligence-gathering.

In order to coordinate this approach, the commander not only must know what initiatives each officer pursues and provide encouragement, but also provide the necessary time and resources to complete tasks. In this way, the commander becomes an activity facilitator rather than an activity director. Commanders who subscribe to the traditional method of measuring officer performance by counting reports, tallying tickets, and totaling the number of drunk driver apprehensions, may find adjusting to this new approach troublesome.

For this type of endeavor to succeed, commanders must possess a meaningful appreciation of each subordinate's skills, abilities, work habits, goals, etc., and use this knowledge to apply the correct motivational stimulus at appropriate times. By deftly coordinating and directing creativity rather than limiting it, commanders need only open the door for creative thought and action and stay out of the way.

Case Study

In January 1996, the Anne Arundel County Police Department initiated an experimental integrated patrol strategy in its western patrol district. The demographics of this primarily residential area of suburban Maryland--including a military complex and a number of commercial pockets--as well as a steady increase in calls for service created conditions conducive to a change in deployment strategy. The experiment would be limited to the midnight shift, which was tasked with establishing and refining a model patrol strategy.