AJ 53 – Police Field Operations

1
AJ 53 Police Field Operations

• Chapter 5
• Basic Patrol Procedures

2
Patrol Basics

• Duties and Responsibilities
• Moving around within a designated area
• Active observation
• Interactive participation with citizenry
• Purpose
• Visible presence to all
• Symbol of safety and security to law abiders
• Reminder to potential law breakers
• All types of patrol should result in daily,
  face-to-face contact with citizens
• Link to Homeland Security?

3
Patrol Activities

• Administrative Activities
• Community department meetings, equipment
  maintenance
• Officer-Initiated Activities
• Proactive efforts based on traffic/pedestrian
  stops, PR contacts, etc.
• Assigned Calls-For-Service
• Calls received by Dispatch
• Follow-Up/Directed Patrol
• Specific to ongoing investigations

4
Vehicle Patrol

• Most common mode of patrol transportation
• Patrol car becomes officers mobile office
• Communications Equipment
• Types of vehicles used for various
  purposes/situations
• General patrol duties
• Pursuits
• Marked vs. Unmarked vehicles
• Off-road
• Disadvantages?
• Easily recognizable
• Barrier to interaction with citizens
• Costs

5
Types of Patrol

• Foot Patrol
• Maximize contact with people in malls, parks,
  beaches, trouble spots
• Allows for increased personal interaction
• Less mobile slower response time
• Bicycles
• Mobile, unobtrusive, access to equipment
• Motorcycles
• Primarily for traffic enforcement

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Types of Patrol (continued)

• Horses/Mounted Patrol
• Parades, crowd control, search and rescue
• Welcoming and intimidating
• Small Vehicles
• Electric vehicles, ATVs/quads, Segways
• Airplanes and Helicopters
• Traffic, search and rescue, narcotics, etc.
• Boats and Jet-Skis
• Waterways, holiday crowds, search and
  rescue/recovery

7
General Preparation for Patrol

• Keep a Positive Attitude
• Must be developed and maintained despite
  overwhelming negative encounters Not all people
  are bad!
• Maintain positive off-duty relationships
• Be Curious and Suspicious
• Situational awareness
• Observational perception
• Wonder why people do what they do
• Become a Student of Human Nature
• Learn as much as possible about people and social
  interactions
• Develop a broad base of multi-cultural
  experiences
• Be Professional, Courteous, Empathetic, and
  Compassionate to All!

8
Pre-Patrol Preparation

• Knowledge and Information
• Local, state, national current events
• Legal updates, case-law decisions, etc.
• In-service training classes
• Beat Familiarity Beat Integrity!
• Demographics, business, residential, rural
• Streets/numbering system, routes
• Floor-plans of likely calls for service
• Liquor stores, banks, schools, apartment
  complexes

9
Pre-Patrol Preparation (contd)

• Briefing
• Beat assignments, recent activities
• Reports
• Read crime/incident reports from your beat
• Vehicle Inspection
• Careful and thorough!
• Gas, damage, lights/siren, equipment, etc.

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Beginning of Patrol

• Check-in
• Talk to officer going off-duty who has been
  working your beat
• Check Your Beat
• Cursory check of area
• Random, varied pattern
• Dont establish permanent routine!
• Keep log of times activities
• Homeland Security issues/locations

11
Foot Patrol Considerations

• Recent trend of returning to foot patrols
• Increases face-to-face encounters
• Builds and maintains Trust Respect
• Get to know people while on foot
• Be cautious of unethical gratuities
• Good opportunity for PR contacts
• Actively observe surroundings/goings-on
• You are still on patrol

12
Vehicle Patrol Considerations

• Consider vehicle as mode of transportation
• Dont hide inside patrol car
• Get out and walk around
• In general, patrol at normal flow of traffic
• Slow enough to observe surroundings without
  impeding other drivers
• Windows open, radios low
• Patrol Patterns (p. 168)
• Spiral, zigzag, quadrant, cloverleaf
• Driving Factors
• Vehicle, traffic, weather, fatigue, pursuits
• EVOC training

13
Plainclothes Patrol

• Unmarked vehicles
• In uniform or plain clothes
• Advantages
• Stealth and anonymity
• Observation and approach to illegal activity
• Immersion in crowds, special events
• Challenges
• Identification
• Communications
• Weapons
• Contact with uniformed officers

14
Building Checks

• In vehicle or on foot
• Need to physically shake some doors
• Note floor plans for future reference
• Check vehicles/persons in area or parking lot
• Loud vs. quiet approach
• Communication with Dispatch, other officers
• Check for signs of forced entry
• Broken locks, pry marks, tools, etc.

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Building Checks (continued)

• Open Door
• Someone inside?
• Enter alone or wait for partner?
• Consider K-9 if available
• Weapon drawn?
• Employee? Janitor? Burglar?
• Lighting issues
• Vision adjustment
• Flashlight vs. light switch
• Checking interior
• Listen!
• Doors may be open, locked, etc.
• Expect someone to be there!
• Make contact with Responsible Party

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Crime-Prevention Checks

• Excellent PR tool!
• Residential
• Vacation checks
• After theft, burglary, etc.
• Commercial Institutional
• Good use of foot-patrol time
• Offer advice to business owners
• Check business licenses

17
Attractive Nuisances

• Be aware of potentially hazardous or troublesome
  locations
• Vacant/Abandoned buildings
• Teen party houses
• Parks or playgrounds at night
• Drug use/sales
• Liquor stores, bars, etc.

18
Gangs and Gang Activities

• Not just a big city problem
• Pre-teens to young adults
• Typical activities/crimes
• Tagging, graffiti, vandalism
• Theft, Robbery, Burglary
• Alcohol use, Drug use/sales
• Fights Weapons
• Patrol Officers responsibilities?

19
Surveillance

• Surveillance observing a place, person, or
  object for the purpose of
• Identification
• Developing information
• Determining relationships
• Gathering evidence
• Loose vs. Fixed surveillance

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Surveillance Considerations

• Gather as much intelligence as possible
• Before and during operation
• Discreet communications
• Combine various methods
• Foot, vehicle, individuals, and teams
• Develop a plan for contingencies
• Expect the unexpected!

21
Stakeouts

• Fixed surveillance for suspect, crime
• Planning and preparations
• Notifications and cooperation
• Location and equipment
• Food, water, bathroom
• Communications
• Relief of personnel
• Plan for contingencies

22
Specialized Enforcement

• SWAT, Gangs, Narcotics, Vice, etc.
• Special training/equipment required
• Somewhat autonomous but still within Department
  policies procedures
• Requires communication/coordination with
  uniformed patrol

23
Undercover Assignments

• Requires careful planning/preparation
• May require memorization of new identity/personal
  history
• Challenges of isolation and separation
• May have to build relationships with
  less-than-desirable people
• Impact on family?