PATROL OPERATION WITH POLICE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

THE IMPORTANCE AND OBJECTIVES OF POLICE PATROL

PATROL is derived from the French word PATROUILLER which means to tramp
about through the mud of a military camp or roughly to travel on foot.
Patrol is the backbone of the Police department because of the following
reasons:
1. First of all, it is the only division that cannot be eliminated. All other divisions
of the police department may, if necessary, be eliminated. Patrol officers
can, and have, assumed the duties of other police elements in times of
financial crises requiring agency cutbacks.
2. Patrol officer is the primary agency representative. The majority of contacts
between the public and police occur between citizen and patrol. The first and
foremost police element is patrol; all other units exist to augment and
support this function. This is the only police element to be distributed in a
geographic manner calculated to provide rapid service anywhere in the
jurisdiction.
3. Patrol provides the initial response every event requiring police presence;
whether this is a major crime, serious injury, or a cat up a telephone pole.
The patrol officer is the only member of the law enforcement agency to be
involved in practically every incident calling for police action.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES:
Primary goals and objectives
The primary goals and objectives of police patrol are; maintaining order and
protecting life and property. These are among the most basic roles of government,
and government hires the police to perform these activities.
Secondary goals and objectives:
1.

Preventing crimes the police attempt to prevent crime by trying to

create a sense of omnipresence through routine patrol; responding to calls by
citizens with problems that may cause crime; and establishing and
participating in police-citizens partnerships designed to prevent crime.

2.

Arresting and prosecuting offenders arresting offenders and assisting

prosecutors in bringing charges against defendants is one of the primary
methods used by the police to maintain order and protect life and property.

3. Recovering stolen and missing property when people find property on

the street, they generally bring it to a police officer or to a police station.

When people lose property, they generally go to the police station in the
hopes that someone has turned it in. Besides all of their other duties then,
the police serve as societys foremost lost and found department.
4. Assisting the sick and injured because they are available seven days a
week and 24 hours a day and because they are highly mobile, the police
generally are the closest government agency to any problem.
5. Enforcing non-criminal regulations when government offices close, the
police become roving representative of the government who assist people
with problems no one else is available to handle. When lights go off in an
apartment building, the water main breaks, people call the police.
6. Delivering services not available elsewhere in the community the
police respond and take whatever actions they can to ameliorate problems
and deal with emergencies. They direct traffic, evacuate residents, and
decide whom to call for assistance.
Because of the diverse activities performed by the police specifically the
patrol officers in their daily contact with the public, their responsibilities
are categorized into two, namely:
a. Law Enforcement this embraces crime prevention and crime control role,
including the customary police functions.
b. Order Maintenance peace keeping on community service role or social
services.
UNIT II. FACTORS AFFECTING PATROL OPERATIONS
A. Factors affecting police performance
1. External factors
a. trust and confidence of the people
b. participation of the public in patrol activities
c. support of the barangay officials
2. Internal factors
a. higher pay
b. endorsement by higher authorities
B. Factors influencing decision making at an operational level Operational level decision makers judgments are governed by the same
kinds of influences that affect decisions of higher level administrators. But,

because officers operate within a much smaller political sphere, they find
their relationships with the more limited community potentially more intense.
The reciprocal impact of both officer and community becomes clearer. It is
easier to bargain within these more intimate relationships.
1. Community input if citizens do not report crimes to the police or summon
on officer when service is needed, police will intervene only in those
situations that they personally observe. Witnesses and victims who do not
cooperate with the police limit police discretion.
A common reason why citizen do not report auto accidents or burglaries to
the police is that their insurance might be cancelled or their rate increased if the
report is made. Conversely, they might report if they believe such report is
necessary in order for them to collect the insurance. The relationship between the
victim and offender and the attitude of the citizen toward police also have a great
influence on the willingness of the citizen to report. In a sense, the community
members express their expectations to police in their interactions with them.The
clearer the statement, the better police can structure their discretion to meet the
communitys need.
2. Situational factors several studies have found specific situational factors
to be influential in discretionary decision making. Major factors include the
attitude and appearance of the offender, political factors such as community
attitudes, pressures, and biases.
Another important factor is, whether the situation is on view ( one that the
officer has been and in which he or she intervene without invitation) or , is one to
which the officer was summoned by citizens.
3. Environmental factors
a. personal values
b. pressure of police supervisors and peers
c. personal perception of what alternatives to assess are available
An officer who grew up in a conservative environment may find decision
making in a liberal environment uncomfortable. Routinely, the officers will be
required to assess cultural and social engineer at the moment, in his discussion of
police use of deadly force, points to an apparent correlation between attitudes of
violence in a community and use of deadly force. Where high rates of police
violence existed, he found high rates of citizen against police violence also.
4.

Educational and experiential factors college-educated police recruits

were slightly more likely to choose alternative to arrest. Their findings

suggest that education does have some effect upon discretionary decision
making. ( Carter, Sapp and Stephens 1989)
The Police Exercise of Discretion
Discretion is the wise use of ones judgment, personal experience and
common sense to decide a particular situation. The police are decision makers, and
most of the decisions they make involves discretion. Discretion is part and parcel of
the police role.
The policeman on the beat, or in the patrol car, makes more decisions and
exercise broader discretion affecting the daily life of people every day, and to a
greater extent in many respects than a judge who will ordinarily exercise in a week.
No law book, no lawyer, no judge can readily tell how the police officer on the beat
exercise his discretion perfectly in everyone of the thousands of hour to hour work
of a police officer.
The police are trained to be self-reliant and make decisions. Most of the
decisions they make involve discretion. The police exercise discretion whenever
they must use their own judgment and personal experience in deciding when to act
when confronted with specific situations.
Should there be full enforcement of the law by the police or can selective
enforcement be restored to as a result of discretion. The fact of the matter is that
the police do not enforce all laws all the time against all law violators.
Several factors can be attributed for the lack of full, strict, or total law
enforcement such as:

Broadness and inflexibility of the criminal statutes

Ambiguity and vagueness of the law

Over criminalization of the criminal law, or too many laws

The need to individualize the law in action (selective enforcement)

Main Problems arising from uncontrolled discretion are:

it lacks uniformity for implementation

it may be discriminatory

it fosters police corruption in victimless crimes

it converts the law into a personal instrument of social control through the so
called sidewalk justice

OCCUPATION HAZARDS

A career in law enforcement can be exciting, challenging, and rewarding for

people who are oriented and committed to public service. Yet it can be devastating
for those who are not prepared for its rigors. Thousands of dedicated, well-meaning
people who thought that police work was the career for which they were destined
have discovered that the mental, physical, social, or economic costs of continuing
such career were too high. Many others have perished within the field but at
considerable expense on their part and that of others.
Law enforcement is a hazardous craft that requires strong, caring individuals
who can deal consistent with stressful situations. Overtime, the impact of the
dangers and stressors inherent in policing affect individual police officers differently.
Some, perhaps most, go through their entire careers without suffering personally in
any unusual or specific way. For other potential appears to take a special toll on
their lives. The sense of community isolations, the potential dangers, and the
unique life style all seem to work together to affect adversely certain officers
physical, mental, and social well-being.
A. Physical Hazards
1.

Violence danger is an inherent part of police work, and this danger is

reinforced by the element of authority. Police are required to enforce laws,
laws that are many times either more conservative or more liberal than the
area or person against whom it is being enforced. Police officers are always
interacting with people in moments of crisis. Thus, more often than not, the
police are perceived more as adversaries than as friends.

The threat of death and injury due to violence as well as the physiological
impact of possibly having to cause death or injury to others is a fact with which law
enforcement officers must content. The keys to coping with these hazards are
personnel selection and training.
2.

Accidents - law enforcement officers have about an equal potential to lose

their lives due to accidents as due to homicide. Automobile accidents,
motorcycle accidents, aircraft crashes, being struck by vehicles, accidental
shootings, falls, and drowning, tend to be the most common causes for
accidental deaths among officers.

3. Contagious disease during the later half of the twentieth century, police
officers hand relatively little to fear from contagious diseases. Some of the
most common communicative diseases, such as gonorrhea, herpes, and
syphilis, would hopefully not be contracted while on duty. Outbreaks of such
old horrors of earlier times as diphtheria, polio, tetanus, small pox and
whooping cough were being controlled through vaccinations.
B. Psychological Hazards

Historically, many people believed that policing attracted persons with a

propensity toward authoritarianism and cynicism those with a specific police
personality. A research suggests that there is no specific personality: rather, that
the socialization process in becoming a police officer creates a working personality
that the police officer uses in the performance of the job.
The working personality and the accompanying sense of isolation are the
result of conditions inherent in the practice of police work. Another aspect of the
police personality is the concept of cynicism. This is the belief that all people are
motivated by selfishness and evil. Unfortunately, after years of seeing humanity as
its worst, many police officers subscribe to it.
Cynicism become an emotional plank deeply entrenched in the ethos of the
police world, and it serves equally well for attack or defense. For many reasons,
police are particularly vulnerable to cynicism.
1.

Emotional Distress. Due to the hazards that are inherent in the law
enforcement, all officers will, on occasion, experience emotional distress.
Although other occupation may be far more dangerous, the constant
exposure to stressful stimuli makes policing one of the most difficult
occupations.

The threat of violent death and injury, the constant exposure to human
tragedies, the responsibility for others, the feelings of alienation and helplessness,
the demands of shifts work, the limited career opportunities, and the lack of input in
administrative decision making, all combine to create stress for even the most
stable well-adjusted persons. It is of vital importance that law enforcement
administrators and employees realize the source and consequences of stress before
officers can learn to cope with the stress that is inherent in policing, they must be
taught to overcome John Wayne Mentality, which means the police refuse
to acknowledge any weakness. Once officers have learned to acknowledge the
existence of stress, they can be taught how to identify and neutralize those
stressors with which they as individuals must content.
2. Mental Illness. If the distress is not dealt with appropriately, it may
escalate into behavior that, threaten the welfare of the officer and/others.
The individual officer may suffer from relatively mild emotional disturbances,
which require only counseling and reassurance, or she/he may be plagued by
severe mental disorders that are career or even life threatening in nature.

Law enforcement agencies must not only have assistance programs designed
to help officers contend with emotional distress but must also develop strategies to
aid those for whom problems become too severe for continued police service.

Medical pensions, extended health coverage, and family support services are only
fair for those who have paid too high a price for their police careers.
3. Suicide. Being a police officer also increases ones risk of falling victim to
suicide. Preliminary suicides appear to identify higher levels of suicides
among police officers than among other professionals or occupations.

Given the general nature of police work, many officers who feel suicidal are
either afraid or have no one to turn to in discussing their feelings. This leads to an
even greater sense of isolation, with many believing that suicide is the only way
out.
4. Substance abuse. Psychological dependency. Police administrators
frequently report that alcohol is a severe problem with officers and often
report the existence of alcohol-related problems. The use and abuse of
alcohol among police officers is apparently one way of coping with the
problems inherent in the job.

Although alcohol is the drug of choice among police officers, caffeine and
nicotine are also extremely popular. It is not unusual for officers to drink several
cups of coffee, glasses of tea, or soft drinks during their workday. Similarly, many
officers use tobacco products while on duty. In addition to being chemically
addictive, these drugs are also psychologically addictive, in that they often develop
as means of killing time during periods of tedium.
C. Physiological hazards
1. Substance abuse: Chemical dependency. The impact of drugs and
alcohol is even more devastating physically than psychologically. All too
frequently, casual use of such substances leads to chemical dependency.
Social users of tobacco, alcohol, or narcotics now find themselves in constant
need of that particular drug in order to get by. This addiction results not
only in social difficulties but can become life threatening.
2. Physical health. In addition to substance abuse, a number of other physical
hazards exist for police officers. Stress, poor nutrition, and lack of exercise
also contribute to poor physical health.
Terry 1981 has documented numerous physiological effects of police stress.
Some of these problems include headache, indigestion, ulcer, lower back pain, and
high blood pressure. In addition, Norveil, Belles, and Hughes (1988) have found
that police officers have higher risk of mortality associated with cancer, diabetes,

and heart disease than the non police. It is evident that, strong relationship exists
between job-related stress and physical illness.
D. Social hazards
1. Isolation from the public. One of the difficult aspects of policing is the
sense of isolation from the community. Perhaps this is endemic to law
enforcement given the nature of the job. In addition to enforcing unpopular
or at the very least nonconsensual laws, police are required to be suspicious.
Required to ask questions, to demand answers, to proceed forcefully against
all appearance of transgression..to penetrate the appearance of
innocence..to discover craftiness
2.

Isolation from the family. All too often, policing becomes a disruptive
influence for the family. The potential for danger, the authoritarian nature of
the job, the round-the-clock shifts and constantly changing shifts, and
accommodations that must be made in family life all work together to
increase tension in the law enforcement family. As a result, many believe
that marital problems are endemic to law enforcement.

E. Economic hazards
1. Salary limitations. If ones goal is to accumulate great wealth, he/she
should not become a law enforcement officer. Despite their education,
training, and professionalism, unless they rise to top administrative positions,
become corrupt, or win the lottery, they will experience a lower-middle-class
existence.
2. Career limitations. Everyone cannot become the chief of police in a large
metropolitan agency. Nor will all those who wish to become supervisor do so.
Whether ones career is successful depends on how one defines success.
Many officers who have spent their entire careers as patrol officers in small or
midsized law enforcement agencies are rightfully proud of their
accomplishments. Similarly, there are many frustrated persons (at all ranks
and level of policing) who feel that they never received a fair chance.
3. Liability issues. Failure to act in a manner that is felt to be consistent with
proper law enforcement procedures could result in a minor reprimand. More
serious violations could result in more severe disciplinary actions, such as
suspensions, compulsory transfer, demotions, or even terminations.
Violations that are felt to have infringed on the legal rights of others could
result in costly civil litigation at the state levels. Violations thought to
constitute criminal actions could result in arrest, conviction, and
imprisonment.

Whether officers are convicted or subsequently acquitted of all charges, the

economic impact of legal costs and career damages can be devastating to both the
officers and their families
PATROL ACTIVITIES
1. Patrol and Observation constant and alert patrolling with a keen sense of
observation on person and things is a gauge of an efficient patrol officer.
Because only people commit crime and they invariably do so with the
medium of things, the beat or the mobile patrol crew must focus their
attention on these two factors that if left unobserved and unattended, will
constitute hazards. Conceptually, a hazard is any person, things, situation or
condition that, if allowed to exist may induce an accident or cause the
commission of crime.
2. Called for services the patrol officer, whether on foot or in a radio
equipped car, respond to every conceivable call from the public. This is
because the police have always been expected to know how to deal with
every problem, although most of them are totally unrelated to actual policing
functions. Due to diverse range of interpersonal problem the patrol office
must mediate in his daily contact with the public, it is important that he must
be provided with a background knowledge and understanding of both normal
and deviant behavior which he will encounter in the community.
3. Inspectional services are effectively performed by foot patrol officers in
uniform. As they go about their routine tasks of walking their assigned beats
they pay particular attentions to person and things. Particularly at night,
when assigned in business, financial and commercial districts, they inspect
and check doors and display windows of establishments. In residential areas,
particularly where apartment-type of buildings abound, inspectional service
of the police is necessary.
4. Control of public gatherings considering the present thinking among the
different groups of demonstrators, notwithstanding acts as malicious mischief
and vandalism, aggravated by labor strikes and tantamount to anarchy, the
police have their hands in these crowd control situations. In the forefront for
this police activity is the patrol force whose manpower is drawn from the
different police stations. Depending upon the scene of happening, the size of
the gathering, and the gravity of the situation, each police station is held
responsible to maintain peace and order in its jurisdiction. However, if the
assembly is big and unruly, and in the estimate of the situation violence may
erupt, the station commander can seek the assistance of the specialized
strike force to quell and disperse the crowd.
Crowd psychology is a factor in crime prevention. Demonstrations, in any
form, whether involving the academe, labor, or subversion, in order to initially be

successful must attract attention. The demonstrator first concern is to arouse the
curiosity of the people in their show and eventually win their sympathy to their
cause.
5. Responding to emergencies constant availability to public calls gives the
patrol force a unique reputation for efficiency. The fact remains that, in many
cases, the patrol office is the single police entity with trained and
experienced personnel on duty where human emergencies and domestic
crisis arise. The fact is, the public is immediately attended to in time
of their need under every conceivable kind of situation. This is the
yardstick that measures the patrol force efficiency.
6. Attending to complaints the uniformed patrol officer on the beat must
be, looked upon by the community as their friend and protector. This is the
image he must constantly strive to maintain. In so doing, he will always be
confronted with situational problems, most of which are not criminal in
nature. Still, patrol officers must make every effort to settle the problem
amicably because most of these cases are potentially a stimulus to criminal
acts. However, he must be cautious to explain to the parties involved the
limits of his authority because most often the ground for action is civil in
nature
7. Conduct initial investigation how reliable a patrol officer records the
events of a crime to which he responds will have a definite impact on the
case outcome when detectives takes over to pursue the case. Actual cases
have demonstrated the important contributions made by patrol officers
during the investigative process. Records have shown that, notwithstanding
the efforts of detective specialists, it is often the information developed by
the patrol officer during his initial investigation of the crime that determines
whether a case will eventually be solved. The information supplied by the
victim and/or the witness to the responding patrol officer can be an important
factor fort he solution of the crime. Based on contemporary procedures of
many police departments, most often the patrol officer, being the first to
arrive at the scene in required to stand-by to protect the crime scene until
the arrival of investigators or until the investigators are through in their crime
scene investigation. Different police departments have different operating
procedures in crime investigation. Patrol officer is limited to conduct
only initial investigation at the scene. The objective is for the patrol
officer to concentrate in his preventive task.
8. Preservation of crime scene since crime scenes are classified into
indoor, outdoor and vehicle, the first concern of the patrol officer is to
estimate the situation. If it is an outdoor scene, he must approximate the
area to be covered by the investigation; if it is indoor, he must prevent the
entry and exit of people; if it is a vehicle, to protect it from being moved or

tampered. Generally, the success of most criminal investigation begins at

the crime scene. The patrol officer should be cognizant of this.
9. Criminal apprehension despite the utmost efforts by the patrol force in
its crime prevention strategies, crime occur. Consequently, it becomes a
police responsibility to apprehend the criminal. Hence, patrol commanders
must be aware that this responsibility is their main concern, must program
their manpower development in such a manner that constant availability of
patrol officers to public calls is always assured; that members of the patrol
force, whether on foot patrol beats or in mobile patrol sectors, can readily
apply the element of surprise in the apprehension of the criminal.
10.Writing of reports report writing is the last of the ten basic functions and
activities a patrol officer has to perform. To many law enforcement officers,
whether performing patrol work or investigation functions, report writing is a
dilemma. When they enter police service they have only the vision of activity
and excitement-pursuing criminals and solving crimes.
They do not realize that amount of paper work involved; that for every police
action there must be a report-writing reaction. In a police organization, reports are
the source of planning, for policy formulation, for decision making and for operation.
Since the patrol officer, by nature of his work, is primarily the constant man of the
department with the community, his observation of persons, things, and happenings
must be properly documented by means of carefully prepared report.
ORGANIZATION AND STAFFING OF THE PATROL FUNCTIONS
CONCEPT OF ORGANIZATIONBasically, organization consists of arranging personnel, and functions in a
systematic manner designed to accommodate stated goals and objectives in the
most efficient manner possible. A poorly organized police department cannot
function effectively even with the best management. Similarly, an organized police
agency will not operate with maximum efficiency if it is not well managed.
The act of organizing is indispensable to proper management, and without
some form or organizational structure, most police operations could not be carried
out. If the organization is poor and if the organizational concepts are poorly
understood or applied, the efficiency of the department will severely affected.
ORGANIZING FOR PATROL
The organization and operation of the patrol force is said to be a semblance
of the pattern of organization of a police department because patrol is the police.
Due to the nature of work they perform, they adhere very closely to rigid chain of
command, specific assignment of duties and responsibilities, and functional job
description that distinguishes between line and staff authority.

The objectives of the patrol are the same as those of a police organization.
The uniformed patrol officer represents all the powers and responsibilities of the
police. In a very real sense, the uniformed patrol force is the police while the
specialized branches represent in depth applications of responsibilities and
techniques that the patrol officer initiates. In fact, the beat officer, in August
Vollmers opinion, should be a virtual organic unit.
The operational heart of a police organization is the patrol force to which
other departmental divisions relate in a supportive capacity. The patrol force
incorporates all objectives inherent in the police organization.
Since the problem of crime is the concern of government and crime
prevention is the basic responsibility of the police, enforcement of laws through
effective patrol work is its motivating ingredient to achieve peace and order.
Undeniably, the programs of the community are inseparably linked with peace and
order. Without peace, without order, society is doomed politically, socially,
economically, and culturally.
A police department is organized first and foremost for crime prevention. In a
newly created community a prime concern of local government officials and citizens
is peace and order. Hence, priority is the establishment of a police department
entrusted with the basic responsibility of crime prevention. They are aware of the
police role of safeguard the communitys progress and stability. Operationally, this
task is the sole responsibility of the patrol force of any police organization.
The prevention of crime is a fundamental role of the patrol force. The
preventive role of the individual patrol officer on his beat is a basic element of
modern police service. The mere presence of a properly organized and efficiently
operating patrol force is conceded to be one of the greatest crime determine thus
far developed by organized society.
DETERMINATION OF PATROL FORCE
REQUIREMENTS:

PATROL FORCE SIZE.

Given the fact that personnel resources are limited in every police agency
no police administrator ever has as many officers as might be desired---what
proportion of the force should be assigned to patrol.
First, there is no magic number, and no role of thumb that can provide
guidance. In small agencies, it is common for 80 to 90 percent of the force to be
devoted to patrol. In very large agencies, the proportion might be 50 percent or
less.

The single most important factor is the number and nature of the services
that the patrol officers are expected to provide. If patrol officers are required to
make complete investigations of every criminal incident reported or discovered on
their beats, plus respond to all non-criminal crises, plus devote a considerable
amount of time to preventive patrolling, plus handle a variety of nonproductive
tasks, then certainly a large number of patrol officers will be needed.
Geographical and population factors also influence the need for patrol
officers. If population density is relatively high, a single officer may be kept busy
responding to calls for service within a small geographical area. If population
density is low, one officer may be enough to handle all calls that arise in a very
large area. However, response time may be unacceptably large because of the long
distances that an officer must travel to respond to a call.
These are not the only factors that affect the size of the patrol force. The
basic efficiency of the agency and the productivity of the patrol officers themselves
have an importance influence. If administrative and operational procedures are
designed to assist officers in carrying out their tasks quickly and effectively, and if
the officers are competent, well trained, and highly motivated, fewer officers will be
needed to handle a given quantity of work.

But the ruling factor, in practical terms, usually is the size of the agencys
budget. Few police administrators are given a budget large enough to hire all the
officers they would like to have. Consequently, the usual procedure is to tract the
personnel who must be assigned to non-patrol duties. Whatever is left determines
the number of patrol officers available. This base number may be decreased by,
shifting non-patrol officers to patrol-or by persuading the parent government to
increase the agencys budget.
Decreasing the size of the patrol force is not always a bad idea. For example,
in a small department it may be the standard practice for patrol officers to perform
all of the tasks involved in booking their prisoners including fingerprinting,
photographing, assigning a jail cell and so on. This may be a time-consuming
procedure. At some point, it is likely to be preferable to assign one officer as the
full-time booking officer, thereby reducing the amount of time that the patrol
officers must spend off the street. Even if this means there will be less patrol officer
on duty, the increased efficiency of the entire force may out weigh the loss.
However, if the agency has a booking officer whose duties are not sufficient to keep
officer occupied full time, it might be preferable to shift the booking officer to patrol
and require the patrol officers to do their own booking of prisoners, or to assign
other duties to the booking officer.
PATROL FORCE STAFFING

It is not possible, of course, to retain all competent patrol officers within the
patrol division. Even though the administrator must make conscientious efforts to
avoid draining the patrol force to supply manpower for specialized units, the fact
remains that the patrol division must usually accommodate most of the new officers
who join the department. The patrol division is also the largest division, and thus
there are far more basic police-officer positions within the patrol force than in any
other division. Since it is therefore inevitable that good patrol officers will gravitate
away from patrol, even in the best of systems, the department should compensate
for their loss by staffing middle-level and command-level positions in patrol with the
very best talent available in the department.
SCHEDULING
The police administrator and middle-management supervisors must make
decisions about the assignment of shift hours, rotation of beat assignments, and
rotation of shifts. Once the policy is established, there not be further planning work
except when changes in procedures are contemplated.
Frequent change of beats undesirable. The highest quality of patrol services
results from the permanent assignment of an officer to a beat. Police hazards vary
from place to place, and the resulting police duties consequently vary in nature
from beat to beat. Advantages may be taken of difference in abilities and
preferences of patrol officers by assigning them to beats having duties for which
they are best suited. Frequent beat changes prevent an officer from becoming well
acquainted with persons, hazards, and facilities on his beat; they also interfere with
continuity of service because the investigation and disposition of cases sometimes
extend over several days, and when a change is made, there is delay and
sometimes neglect in disposing of these cases.
Finally, frequent changes of beat assignments make it difficult to place
responsibility for unsatisfactory conditions. Procedures that interfere with the
application of the important rule that officers should be held responsible for the
performance of their duties must not be tolerated.
Rotation of shifts is undesirable. Most efficient patrol service is attained by the
permanent assignment of patrol officer to a platoon unit such time as the quality of
his/her services and the need for them justify transfer to another platoon. Police
hazards, facilities, persons aboard, and physical conditions vary according to the
hour of the day or night; consequently, knowledge of conditions on one shift is not
as useful to service on another shift.
Police duties at night are quite different from police duties during the
daytime, and the officer should not be rotated if the advantages of specialization
are to be derived and if the officers skills to be developed in handling certain types
of situations.

Usually, the first platoon (midnight to 8 A.M shift) is considered the least
desirable, and the second platoon (daylight shift) the most desirable. Recruits
should be assigned for training and experience to the first platoon, where their less
frequent contact with more critical citizens lessens the disadvantages of their
experience. Also, if recruits exposed only to qualified field-training officers, they are
likely to develop superior attitudes and work habits. Well-trained, experienced, very
active officers are needed on the third platoon (evening shift); officers should be
assigned to this shift as they become skilled by experience in police service and as
they develop seniority.
As they become older in years, more experienced, and less active physically,
officers should be transferred finally to the day shift as a reward for long, efficient
service; their knowledge of police service and acquaintance with the general public
will prove most useful on this shift, and they will be subjected to less physical strain.
Permanent shift greatly facilitate having different numbers of officers on each shift,
in proportion to workload. Rotation of shifts, on the other hand, may force a chief to
adopt the same number of beats on each shift simply because of the scheduling
difficulties
TYPES OF PATROL.
The most common and known form of police patrol the world over is that
performed on foot by a police officer in uniform. Its success in controlling crime was
discovered in London since 1763, when Henry Fielding, aided by his brother St. John,
both of whom successively, were Bow Street magistrates, organized a force known
as the Bow Street Foot Patrol. This was a group of men, privately employed and,
specially trained as thief takers. Its demonstrated utility gave rise to Robert Peels
Metropolitan Police Act of 1829.

On the modern police department, there are many types of patrol. In this
unit they will be discussed as the type of patrol, the advantages and disadvantages
of each and various techniques that may be utilized. Most patrols are assigned to a
particular area called a BEAT, and they are referred to as Beat Patrols.
The size of the BEAT is determined by:
a. The type of area to be patrolled ( business, farming, residential, recreation,
etc.)
b. The type of criminal activity that occurs in the area.
c. The frequency of crime in the area

To properly cover the beat, when it is needed, patrols assigned in shifts.

Shifts are usually determined by, the number of personnel available and, the
frequency of calls for police service.
A. FOOT PATROL
The foot patrol is the most expensive type of patrol; and most departments
have reduced their foot patrols to a minimum because of this. However, it does
have certain advantages that warrant its continued use if even on a limited basis.
Usually, a foot patrol is assigned to an area of dense population such as the
downtown area, or where there is heavy traffic congestion and the assistance of an
officer is needed to help eliminated traffic jams.
Foot patrol is used to secure two types of police geographical units:
1. Post a fixed position or location where an officer is assigned for guard duty.
2. Beat the smallest area specially assigned for patrol purposes.
Types of Foot Patrol
1. Fixed foot patrol is usually used for traffic, surveillance, parades and
special events
2. Mobile foot patrol is used where there is considerable foot movement
such as patrolling business and shopping centers, high crime areas, and in
places where there are many or multiple family dwellings.
a. line beat patrol is used in securing a certain portion of roads or street
b. random foot patrol is sued in checking residential building, business
establishments, dark alleys, and parking lots.
Some of the advantages of the Foot Patrol Beat
1. The foot patrol officer can provide immediate traffic control when it is
needed. Being within a close proximity to problem areas, he will know when
his assistance is needed due to the increase of traffic. He does not have the
problem of parking his vehicle, nor finding a place to park it without causing
further traffic problems.
2. More person-to-person contact can be made with the public. This provides
greater chances to promote good public relations. However, if the wrong
man is given this assignment, it can backfire and harm public relations. The
foot patrol officer makes more personal contacts and is seen more by the
public than any other type of patrol, therefore becomes an important link
between the department and the public.

3. The officer can actually get to know the physical layout of his beat better.
There are many things that an officer misses by patrolling his beat in a police
car because of the speed he is traveling and because of the size of the beat.
4. He gets to know the public on his beat better, and can develop criminal
informants easier. He can also make rendezvous with informant easier
without being noticed since he does not have to park his police car nearby.
5. A foot patrol officer can sneak up on situation where a patrol car is easily
noticed when it approaches.
Basic Techniques and Procedures of Foot patrol
1. Do not establish a set of pattern of patrolling procedure
2. Walk systematically (with purpose) on the beat while on patrol
3. Do not smoke nor drink while on patrol especially during night shift.
4. Walk near the curb during daylight. This technique offers:

a better view for observing street activity

less chance of obstruction by pedestrian on the sidewalk if you are required

to take quick action

higher police visibility, which is effective in crime prevention

5. Walk near buildings during night patrol.

6. Do not immediately open the door when intending to get inside. Observe and
evaluate first the situation.
7. Check the interiors of buildings and rattle door knobs to ensure that the
premises are secure
8. Enter and inspect alleys when not seen by public.
9. Watch for persons loitering or hiding in doorways, either ingress or egress
10.Use fire escapes to inspect building rooftops once in a while.
11.Be attentive or on alert for the sound of breaking glass
B. AUTOMOBILE PATROL
The automobile is the most economical type of patrol, and offers the greatest
tactical ability when used in numbers. The automobile has advantages over all other
methods of transportation for general patrol under ordinary conditions.

Some of the advantages of the automobile patrol

1. When speed and mobility are needed such as in a large area that must be
covered by few officers, the speed of the automobile allows them to service
the whole area and do so efficiently.
2. It is of the best means of preventive enforcement. The patrol type police can
with its distinctive colors, red light and doors insignia, is very effective in
deterring criminal activity by making people conscious of the presence of
police enforcers, and by creating an awareness of punitive action.
3. It offers the officer protection. It protects him from the weather and to some
extent from traffic in that he would probably suffer less if hit by another car
while he is in the patrol car than he would if he is walking.
4. It permits the officer to carry extra equipment such as rain gear, extra
clothing, first aid equipment etc.
5. Patrol vehicles can be used as barricades in roadblocks, and they also offer a
higher degree of safety during pursuit of criminals.
General techniques and procedures in automobile patrol
1. Thoroughly check the patrol car before leaving the garage.
2. Do not establish route patterns in patrolling the area of jurisdiction (sector)
3. Do not develop the habit of using only the main arteries (primary routes) in
your area. Most criminal activity occurs at the back streets, out of sight from
the main thoroughfares.
4. Always take note the license numbers of strange or suspicious vehicles.
5. Do not spend too much time in drive-inns or coffee spots.
6. Get out from the patrol car regularly/frequently
7. Se an example to other motorists
8. Avoid driving too fast on general patrol conditions except during emergencies
or in pursuing criminals/suspects. Maintain a cruising speed of 20-25 mph
during patrol. This is slow enough to make detailed observations without
impeding the traffic flow.
9. When conducting solo patrol, maintain frequent contact with the dispatcher
or other communication personnel in the field or at the HQ.
10.If you are patrolling with a partner, divide the observation area around your
vehicle

11.Minimize hiding behind hills, curves or signboards to trap traffic violators.

This is bad PR and serves to erode community confidence in the police sense
of fair play.
12.Frequently check the potential trouble spots in your patrol area.
13.Stop periodically among parked cars at the entrance of side streets to
observe activity on the street.
14.Check the occupants of vehicles that stop beside and behind you at
intersections.
15.Check parking lots in your patrol area regularly for abandoned stolen
vehicles.
16.In stopping and checking a vehicle, park at the rear side of the suspect
vehicle. Leave the door slightly open unless the area is highly populated.
17.Make it a habit not to leave the key in the police car even for just a minute.
One Man versus the two man automobile patrol
Two man patrol car
1. A two man patrol car provides the officer with a greater safety factor doubling
the manpower and the physical protection.
2. The mistake that one-man makes may be caught by his partner, and vice
versa.
3. One officer does not have to drive a full eight hours, and therefore, he is
physically fit and can do a better job. The variety of tasks makes the job
more interesting.
4. Two pairs of eyes are better than one. It is difficult to drive in our present
traffic let alone devote much attention to what is going on around us while
we are driving.
5. One-man can operate the radio while the other drives.
6. On quiet nights the driver can have someone to talk to and help keep him
awake. Morale is improved through companionship.
One-man patrol car
1. The preventive enforcement is doubled by having as many police car on the
street.

2. When the officer is alone, he devotes his full attention to his driving and the
beat rather to the conversation with his partner.
3. In a two-man car, the officers begin to rely on each other, and as a result of
human error, an officer expects support when it isnt there. A man alone
develops self-reliance.
4. In the two-man car, an officer will take more chances than if he is alone. He
apparently builds a false sense of security, and sometimes acts without
caution because he does not want to appear to be a coward in front of his
partner.
5. Personality clashes are reduced. Riding in a small patrol car with another
person for eight hours will soon reveal most of his faults. In a short time
these faults can get on the other persons nerves.
NOTE:
Historically, the traditional foot patrolling in the Philippines was initiated in
August 7, 1901 by operation of Act No. 183, known as the Charter of Manila,
enacted on July 31, 1901. Governor William Howard Taft, the first Civil Governor of
the Philippines formally created the Manila Police Department. Likewise, the second
recorded event concerning patrol method in police work was on March 10, 1917, as
provided for in the Revised Administrative Code of the Philippines when it
mentioned, Requirement of police service or patrol duty for male residents.
After fifty-three years of foot patrolling in the Philippine policing system the
first automobile patrol was introduced on May 17, 1954 by the Manila Police
Department, through the initiative and foresight of Hon. Arsenio H Lacson, the first
elected Mayor of Manila Isaias Alma Jose was designated by the Mayor to organized
the first automobile patrol. He was appointed the first Chief of the Mobile patrol
Bureau that he commanded for ten years.
C. HORSE PATROL (Mounted patrol)
The horse patrol is one of the oldest types of patrol next to walking. At the
present time there is still need for the horse patrol where the terrain is steep and
rough. The disadvantage of the horse patrol is the cost of stables and upkeep, and
their limited use in a city. They are not much good at chasing criminals in an
automobile. They tire easily and require close physical attention.
The following are some of the most common uses of horse patrol:
1. Park patrol
2. Beach patrol

3. Posse and search duty - any community that is close to, or part of a
mountainous area has the problem of chasing down escaped or wanted
person who have fled to their areas. They also have the problem of children,
hunters and fishermen becoming lost in those areas. The mounted posse is
undoubtedly the best means of locating these persons when used in
conjunction with the helicopter.
4. Parade and crowd control

The horse also provides its rider with higher and better plane of vision than
the driver of a patrol car.

D. DOG PATROL
History shows us that dogs have been used as a means of personal protection
throughout recorded history. During world war 11,the military on all side widely
used dogs as a means of security and protection. ( Egyptian first to use dogs in
patrolling). In US, dogs have been used in police patrol since 1900. In April 1957,
Baltimore was the only American police force that used trained dogs handler teams
on patrol. As of April 1968, about 200 police agencies used a total of 500 man dog
teams in police patrol work.
The key to the successful use of police dogs in patrol is based first of all on an
understanding and willing master; second is, on the proper selection and training of
the dogs; and finally is, on preparing the general public for their use.
To become a dogs master or handler, the officer must first of all have an
understanding of animals. He must be willing to make personal sacrifices in
keeping the dog, as must his family.
The selection and training of dogs is very important, and can present many
problems. Not all breeds of dogs are suited for police work. Even among those
most suited for police work there many that didnt work out. The type of dog that
so far seems to be the best suited for all round police work is the German Shepherd.
The use of dogs can work out fine, but if the public thinks that they are a
danger to the community as well as to the criminal, they will not last. A well
planned public relations campaign must be conducted to show the general public
that the police dog is gentle except when commanded by his master, and that his
use will be restricted to the more serious offenses.
Uses of dogs or K-9s in police operations
1. Provide great assistance in search and rescue as well as in smelling out drugs
and bombs.
2. Provide protection for one officer patrol.

3. Great value in crowd control. Trained dogs are fearless and loyal to their
handlers have a significant psychological effect on would-be trouble makers.
4.

Extensively used in international airports to detect narcotics and bombs

because of their keen sense of smell. A dog is capable of recognizing an
odor 10 million times better than a human can.

5. Specially trained dogs are extremely effective in finding bodies dead or alive,
just buried or buried for years.
6. Locating trapped people during emergencies.
7. Can be an asset to public efforts. Well trained police dogs can be used for
demonstrations in public affairs, schools, or parades.
What breeds of working dogs are best suited for police works?
1. German Shepherds the most frequently used and highest scoring dog for
police work.
2. Black Labrador retrievers and Giant Schnauzers
3. Rottweilers, Doberman pinschers
4. Bouviers and Newfoundlands
5. Airedale terriers
6. Alaskan malamutes
Disadvantages of using K-9
1. Most police dogs work with only one handler.
2. K-9, like most dogs, is territorial, and its handler and its K-9 cruiser are part of
its territory.
3. Dog training is expensive. Dog training usually takes 10 to 20 weeks.
4. Police department that K-9 section is vulnerable to law suits.
E. AIRCRAFT PATROL .
Among the more recent trends in patrolling is the use of aircraft, either
helicopter or fixed-wing. Today, it has become necessary for the police use aircraft
in performing both routine and specialized patrol activities. The use of aircraft is not
totally new. In 1925, the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department has already
formed a volunteer Reserve Aero Squadron. Full-time Aero detail is still an official
unit in this police department today. Before 1929, the New York police department

began using aircraft. In 1947, the New York Port Authority began using helicopters
for surveillance, transportation, and rescue. Other cities and state agencies in USA
have employed helicopters, usually during daylight hours. In 1986, the state of
California developed an experimental program using helicopters for police patrolling
known as SKY KNIGHT. During the latter part of 1959, the Public Safety Department
of Dade County in Florida used the aerial patrol concept. At present, it is effectively
utilizing fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters in regular patrols to prevent crime and
apprehend offenders or engage in surveillance activities.
Advantages of Fixed-wing Aircraft Patrol
1. Patrolling long stretches of highway or expresses of inaccessible land.
2. Excellent for traffic control in long stretches of highways, for search and
surveillance and other special missions.
Disadvantages of Fixed-wing Aircraft Patrol
1. Fixed-wing aircraft has very little flexibility in congested metropolitan areas.
2. Needs a space of flat land for lift-off and landing.
3. Very expensive to operate.
Advantages of Helicopter Patrol
1. Able to travel at low speeds, to hover if necessary, and to land even in small
patch of flat land.
2. Increased visual range/scope.
3. More efficient for rescue, medical evacuation, surveillance, and other high
profile police activities.
4. Improved response time to emergency calls and other called-for service
5. Increased rate of apprehension of professional and organized crime groups.
6. Improved efficiency of regular patrol units through airborne reconnaissance.
7. Increased ability in conducting searches for missing/lost people suspected
offenders and escaping prisoners.
8. Provide a better system of flood lighting areas to be patrolled at night.
9. Capable of broadcasting information to a large area through airborne
speakers.
10.Provide rapid emergency transportation of personnel.

11.Added security to patrol officers on foot, motorcycles or in patrol cars through

backup offered by aerial patrol.
Disadvantages of Helicopter Patrol
1.

Very expensive high cost of training of pilots/operators, buying, fuel, and

special facilities for housing and maintenance.

2. Public complaints about the noise and about being spied upon.
3. Forcibly grounded during bad weather; smog and light or intermittent clouds
affecting visibility.
4. Presence of various hazards especially in congested areas.
5. There are landing patterns or procedures that must be followed, which delays
landing time.
6. Pilots must work shorter periods of time than regular police shifts since driver
of helicopters easily suffer work fatigues.
7. There are many tactical problems to overcome such as location of police units
on ground and the exact location of addresses.
8. Element of surprise is lost since criminals could hear the helicopter coming
even from a great distance.
F. BICYLE PATROL
Bicycle patrols are more common in temperate urban areas where limited
coverage areas are available. The use of bicycles instead of cars can make police
officers more easily approachable, especially in low-crime areas. Bicycles can also
be issued to police officers to enhance the mobility and range of foot patrols.
Bicycles can also be effective crime-fighting tools when used in densely populated
urban areas. The bikes are nearly silent in operation and many criminals do not
realize that an approaching person on a bike is actually a police officer.
Furthermore, if the criminal attempts to flee on foot, the riding police officer has a
speed advantage while able to quickly dismount if necessary.
In the Philippine setting the bicycle patrol was once introduced by the Manila
Police in 1939 to augment the foot patrol coverage in parks and residential areas.
Unfortunately, when two patrol officers were killed, one was stabbed when chasing
in his bicycle a bag snatcher at the Luneta Park, while the other one was sideswiped
by a bus. Bicycle patrol was abandoned it was then considered hazardous.
Advantages of Bicycle Patrol
1. It is economical or inexpensive to operate.

2. It has the combine advantage of mobility and stealth because it can be

operated very quietly and without attracting attention.
3. To control burglaries which are getting out of hand.
G. MOTORCYCLE PATROL
Although the use of motorcycle has lost ground to the use of patrol cars in
recent years, their need in congested traffic will insure their continued use as a form
of police patrol. The two-wheel motorcycle is quite adaptable to traffic
enforcement, parades and escort duty. It has disadvantages of being used only in
fair weather, of causing a greater number of accidents that are usually quite
serious, and in the long run costing the department almost as much as a patrol
vehicle despite the apparent low rate cost.
The chance of a motorcycle rider being injured is nine times as great as that
of the driver of an automobile. He is also four times likely to be killed than police
officer riding in an automobile.
The three-wheel motorcycle is used almost exclusively in the enforcement of
parking. It has the disadvantage of not providing the rider with protection against
the weather.
H. MARINE PATROL/BAY AND RIVER PATROL/ BOAT PATROL
Marine or water patrol units, aside from being a highly specialized form of
police patrol, is likewise expensive to maintain. In the early years of the PC/INP
integration, it was the Western Police District who introduced this type of patrol in
police work.
The objective was to use the watercraft in the anti-smuggling operations
along the Pasig river and Manila Bay as well as against robberies committed in
bonded warehouses located along the riverbanks. However, because of the
expenses incurred in its operation and maintenance did not compensate the
advantages, police use it became inoperative.
Water patrol units are extremely specialized and are not in great use except
in areas with extensive coasts or a great deal of lake or river traffic. The objective
was to use the water vehicles in anti-smuggling operations as well as against
robberies committed in warehouses along riverbanks or water ports.
Like aircraft, boats are expensive to buy, operate and maintain. Further,
those who operate them must have special training. Nonetheless, boats are the
best means to effectively control violators of water safety regulations as well as to
apprehend drug and gun smugglers. They are also valuable in rescue operations
during times of flooding as well as in dragging operations for drowning cases.

PATROL TACTICS, STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES

If the police are to continue to fulfill their basic responsibilities to detect and
deter crimes and to apprehend criminals that are the primary goals of patrol
activities, they must continue to search for new and more effective patrol activities.

No single patrol strategy will work well in all cases or in every police
jurisdiction. The choice of the particular patrol strategy, or combination of
strategies, to be employed will depend upon.
1. the resources of the police agency concerned
2. the particular crime problems and patrol objectives
3. the characteristics of the individual community
4. the imagination and determination of the police administrator and his patrol
commander in developing patrol strategies tailored to best meet the needs of
their department, the community their police will serve.
Types of Police Patrol: Preventive, proactive and reactive.

The reactive function is a constant activity representing the bulk of what the
public expects police agencies to do- answer calls for services; enforce laws; arrest
criminals; give traffic citations, and perform random preventive patrol.
The proactive function requires officers to develop directed or structured
patrol strategies in response to identified crime problems. Officers are empowered
with new responsibilities to cope with crime. To a large extent, these new
responsibilities downplay the use of random, moving patrol cars. Instead emphasis
is placed in tactical planning to develop patrol strategies for responding quickly and
effectively to a myriad of crime problems (i.e. a series of street robberies in a
neighborhood, a pattern of rapes at an apartment complex, or drug dealing on a
school campus attributed to the actions of juvenile gang.) These types of tactical
response strategies are again dependent on accurate and timely information from
crime analysis units.
The third function is referred to as co-production or co-activity. It can be
defined as an active outreach and systematic engagement between the police and
the public for the purposes of identifying and addressing localized problems of crime
and disorder. Co-activity addresses long range strategic problems identified
through ongoing contacts between individual patrol officers and the citizens in a
specific geographic area.

Theoretically, officers become more familiar with a district the longer they
work in their assigned areas. Therefore, officers are expected to identify what
services are needed in specific areas through self-directed effort. Through selfdirection, officers are expected to contact people, explain why they are needed,
seek assistance in problem identification and learn how to coordinate police agency
involvement to remedy the problem.
The Psychology of Omnipresence: Patrol Strategy in crime prevention
While it is true that the patrol officer cannot detect the thinking or desire of
the criminal yet, he can destroy the opportunity to commit a crime by his ever
presence patrol strategy. The psychology of omnipresence, as an initial police
strategy, is to establish the aura of police presence in the community, and is best
exemplified and effectively applied in: Patrols crime prevention activities by
uniformed foot patrol officers as well as mobiles patrol crew in conspicuously
marked radio-equipped, patrol cars.
There is no denying that a criminal in planning to commit a crime is not solely
prompted by his strong desire. More importantly, he has to consider the presence
of an opportunity, i.e. the absence of apprehension, wherein the police are known to
be lax, inefficient, scarce. So, the communities in which, their police have
established a reputation of being extremely vigilant and aggressive in their patrol
functions are avoided by criminals.
The Walking Beat: The traditional patrol pattern
Before WW11, the walking beat or foot patrol was the only type used by our
local police forces for crime prevention activities. It was a very successful method
because of strict supervision employed- close personal supervision; supervision by
instrumentation; that resulted in a highly and satisfactory visible police presence.
During those years, the Manila Police Department, looked upon as the
premier law enforcement agency in the country, have installed throughout the city
the Gamewell Police Call-Box System. Gamewell is simply the trade name of the
American manufacturer, its system operates like a telephone. It is operated only by
a specially fitted solid brass key issued to every police officer assigned for patrol
duty as part of his official police equipment. The distribution of those boxes were
so strategically apportioned that two or three patrol officers of adjoining beats can
use one call-box, that the set-up facilitated the supervisory technique of the patrol
supervisor over his patrol officers.
Another patrol strategy, to further assure his high and constant visibility,
is through the following patrol pattern:

a. The Clockwise pattern The Police Manual and the List of Patrol Beats
were the police bibles. It must be memorized if one has to stay in the police
service. A beat patrol officer, irrespective of the size and number of beats, is
assigned two call-boxes. The objective of the clockwise patrol pattern at the
start of the 8 hour tour of duty is for the patrol officer to survey the situation
and condition of the boundaries of his area of responsibility.
b. The Zigzag or Freewheeling Patrol Pattern this is done by patrolling
the streets within the perimeters of the beats, not at random, but with a
definite target-location where he knows his presence is necessary. This
action is on course based on his study of the situations and conditions of his
beat.
c. The Counter clockwise Patrol Pattern this technique is simply the
reverse of the clockwise patrol pattern. It is done at the last hour of the 8
hour tour of duty in order to ensure that nothing unusual has happened in his
area of responsibility.
d. The Straightway and the Crisscross Patterns the straightway is
patrolling the length of a street, and therefore, the easiest to observe the
movement of the patrol officer, whereas, the crisscross is more or less similar
to the zigzag pattern.
What is important is that the movement technique of a patrol officer must
have a purpose and objective. It is not aimless nor at random. The observation of
the patrol officer must keenly be aimed at persons and things, the sources of
hazards.
Mobile Patrolling: Concept of Operation
The operation of mobile patrol shall be under centralized command,
irrespective of the size of the department and the area of coverage where, the
assignment of the patrol cars and its crew components shall be the sole
responsibility of its commander.
The radio cars shall be used exclusively for patrol functions. Flexibility in
their deployment shall be the primary consideration. Normally, radio cars shall be
allocated to areas in accordance with a) volume of crime incidence; b) need for
police service; and c) prevalence of hazard.
The mobile patrol crew, perform the same functions and duties and is subject
to the same discipline like his counterpart- the man on the beat. The only
distinguishing feature is found in the extent and facilities for patrol performance
where the crew is provided with an automobile equipped with two-way radio
transceivers to afford immediate communication and dispatch to scene of crime.
Two Phases to consider in managing mobile patrol

1.

Administrative Aspect

a. Staff supervisor an inspector in charge of shift or platoon

b. Disposition officer supervising deskman
c. Deskman patrol officer assigned to receive phone calls from public and
reports from mobile patrol crews.
d. Dispatcher patrol officer in charge of the radio control room that are
dispatching mobile patrol crew to scene of assignments, transmitting, and
receiving, recording radio message.
2. Operational Aspect
a. Field supervisor one who supervise mobile crew in the field, for discipline
and performance.
b. Crew normally two men complement of uniformed patrol officers in the
radio car, one acting as the driver and the other as the recorder.
Team Policing
Team Policing represents an attempt to integrate the police and community
interests into a working relationship so as to produce the desired objective of peace
keeping in the community. Team policing is said to have originated in Aberdeen
Scotland, shortly after WW11. The project was introduced by the Aberdeen Police
out of boredom, it appearing that their police officers who, were assigned alone to
patrol quiet streets during the night were, getting bored and experiencing low
morale. To remedy the situation, it allocated teams of five to ten men on foot and in
patrol cars to cover the City of Aberdeen. The patrols were distributed according to
the concentration of crimes and citizens calls for police service, with the teams
moving to different sections of the city as the workload demanded. Thus, the
monotony and loneliness were relieved.
Whatever was the motivation for its introduction in police performance the
system was abandoned in 1963 in the city of its origin. Nevertheless, its influence
had already spread an adopted by no less than 70 police agencies in the United
States. The Syracuse Police Department in New York was the first American City to
try team policing. This was followed by the Tucson Arizona also in 1963.
Characteristics of Team Policing
a. Geographic stability of the patrol force.
b. Maximum interaction between team members
c. Maximum communication between team members and community residents

Organizational Features of Team Policing While the structure and

composition of team policing programs vary widely, these programs usually exhibit
the following organizational features:
a.

Unity of Supervision intended to enhance consistency and continuity of

police policies and procedures and to provide greater uniformity in
developing solutions to community problems.

b. Low-level flexibility in decision making team members are encourage

to share and exchange ideas, and work together in solving problems within
their area of responsibility.
c. Unified delivery of services it places emphasis on the development of
generalist, rather than specialist, skilled among team members.
d. Combined investigation and patrol functions this is designed to bridge
the gap between patrol officers and investigators, thereby leading to a more
cooperative approach to problem solving.
High and Low Visibility Patrol
The general tendency in crime prevention strategy is high police visibility to
ensure citizen feelings of security for the law abiding but the creation of fear for
would be violators. However, in other instances, low visibility patrol programs have
been designed to increase police activities of arrest of criminals who have already
committed or are in the act of committing selected types of crimes. The theory
underlying the high visibility patrol concept is that, certain types of crimes can be
reduced by, increasing the aura of police omnipresence in the community. Another
strategy is the saturation concept wherein selected risky crime of robbery in
residential areas of the city is saturated by intensive patrol of clearly marked police
cars equipped with 2-way radios.
Low-visibility patrol is a strategy wherein members of the force in plainclothes
patrol areas on foot or in unmarked automobiles where street crimes become highrisk crimes. Under the low-visibility set-up the primary purpose of the patrol is no
longer crime prevention but crime repression, wherein the objective is the
increased apprehension of criminals engaged in selected street crimes, and the
deterrence of criminal activity as a result of greater probability of apprehension.
Directed Deterrent Patrol
An alternative to random routine patrol is directed patrol, in which officers are
given specific directions to follow when they are not responding to calls. The
directed patrol assignments are given before they begin their tour and are meant to
replace uncommitted random patrol time with specific duties that police
commanders believe will be effective. Directed patrol assignments can be based on
crime analysis, specific problems, or complaints received from the community.

Split force Patrol

One of the problems with directed patrol, however, is that calls for service
often interrupt the performance of directed patrol assignments. Split force patrol
offers a solution to this problem. One portion of the patrol force is designated to
handle all calls dispatched to patrol units. The remaining portion of the officers
working that tour, are given directed patrol assignments with the assurance that
except for serious emergencies, they will not be interrupted.
Decoy Patrol
One of the primary purposes of police patrols is to prevent crime through the
creation of sense of omnipresence; potential criminals are deterred from crime by
the presence or potential presence of the police officer. Obviously, omnipresence
does not work well. We have crime both on our streets and in areas where ordinary
police patrols cannot see crime developing, such as the inside of a store or the
hallway of a housing project. Additionally, we have seen that retroactive,
investigations of crimes with the intent to identify and arrest perpetrators, is not
very effective. Decoy operations take several forms. Among them are blending and
decoy. In blending, officers dressed in civilian clothes try to blend into an area and
patrol it on foot or in unmarked police cars in an attempt to catch a criminal in the
act of committing a crime. Officers may target areas where a significant amount of
crime occurs, or they may follow particular people who appear to be potential
victims or potential offenders. In order to blend officers assume the roles and dress
of ordinary citizens - - construction workers, shoppers, joggers, bicyclists, physically
disabled persons, and so onso that the officers without being observed as officers,
can be close enough to observe and intervene should a crime occur.
In decoy, officers dress as, and play the role of, potential victims drunks,
nurses, business people, tourists, prostitutes, blind people, or defenseless elderly
people. The officers wait to be the subject of a crime while a team of backup is
ready to apprehend the violator in the act of committing the crime.
Stop and Frisk
To imprint in the mind of criminals the feeling of fear of arrest is the
application of the strategy of stop and frisk both by the foot patrol and the mobile
crew. When patrol officers are observed stopping persons on the streets whose
behavior is suspicious, determining them briefly by questioning and frisking them
for concealed weapons, the action of the police heighten the effect of high visibility
patrol. The method of frisking is to pat down the outer clothing of the suspect for
any concealed weapon or contraband. Frisk is not a search because the officers do
not insert his hand inside the pocket of the suspect. Instead, it is the suspect

himself who produce from his pocket, as required by the officer the object or article
in question.
Evolution of Communication
Communication is the exchange of information between individuals, for
example, by means of speaking, writing, or using a common system of signs or
behavior. It is the act of giving or sending information. It refers to the transfer of
thought or idea from one person to another. It is the process of sharing ideas,
information, and messages with others in a particular time and place.
Communication among animals
Humans are not the only creatures that communicate; many other animals
exchange signals and signs that help them find food, migrate, or reproduce. The
19th century biologist Charles Darwin showed that the ability of species to exchange
information or signals about its environment is an important factor in its biological
survival.
Language
while other animals use limited range of sounds or signals to communicate,
humans have developed complex systems of language that are used to ensure
survival; express ideas and emotions; tell stories and remember the past; negotiate
with one another. Oral language is a feature of every human society or culture.
Symbols and Alphabets
Most languages also have a written form. The oldest records of written
language are about 5000 years old. However, written communication began much
earlier in the form of drawings or marks made to indicate meaningful information
about the nature world. The earliest artificially created visual images that have
been discovered to date are paintings of bears, mammoths, wooly winos, and other
Ice Age animals on cave walls near Avignon, France.

Perhaps the earliest forerunner of writing is a system of clay counting tokens

used in the ancient with the Middle East. The tokens date from 8000 to 3000 BC
and are shaped like discs, cones, spheres and other shapes. They were in clay
containers marked with an early version of cuneiform writing, to indicate what
tokens were inside.
Cuneiform was one of the first forms of writing and was pictographic, with
symbols representing objects. It developed as a written language in Assyria (an
ancient Asian country in present day Iraq) from 3000 to 1000 BC.

The oldest known examples of script-style writing date from about 3000 BC.
Papyrus sheets (a kind of early paper made from reeds) from about 2500 BC have
been found in the Nile Delta in Egypt bearing written hieroglyphs, another
pictographic-ideographic form of writing.

The Chinese writing system is called logographic because the full symbols, or
characters, each represent a word. Cuneiform and Egyptian hieroglyph eventually
incorporated phonetic elements.
Interpersonal Communication
A face-to-face at the same and in the same place daily communication. The
most basic form of interpersonal communication is a dyad (an encounter or
conversation between two people). Communicating well in a dyad requires good
conversational skills. Communicators must know how to start and end the
conversation, how to make themselves understood, how to respond to the partners
statements, how to be sensitive to their partners concerns, how to take turns, and
how to listen.

Interpersonal communication occurs with larger groups as well, such as when

a speaker gives a talk to a large crowd. However the audience can respond in only
limited ways (applause, nodding, whistles, boos, or silence).

History and Fundamental concepts of Police Communications

Communication has always been a part of law enforcement. Since mans
existence on this earth, there has been a need for a system by which a man could
warn his fellowman of existing or pending danger, or send him messages.

In primitive times, the pounding of hollow logs or the beating of animal skin
drums was used to convey a message. Later man discovered that when he cut the
tip from the horn of an animal and blew through it, the sound carried for quite a
distance. We find its use mentioned throughout the Bible, and it was certainly the
main warning instrument used in the Hue and Cry even into the twelfth century.
In the Orient, the brass gong and finally the bell, became the warning instrument.
In Western civilization, until very recently, the church bell, high in the steeple,
not only called the people to church services, but warned the town or village of
imminent dangers. The American Indian used smoke signals, bird calls and drums
in his effort to communicate and send out warnings.

In the history of Anglo-American police patrol, the horn was replaced by the
hand-bell and rattle, and then finally the metal whistle.

Semaphore systems (visual codes) of flags or flashing lights were employed

to send messages over relatively short but difficult-to-cross distances, such as from
hilltop to hilltop or between ships at sea. In the early 1790s the French scientist and
engineer Claude Chappe persuaded the French government to install a system of
towers that used semaphore signals to send visual telegraphs along approved
routes throughout the country. The system was copied in Great Britain and the
United States.
Some ancient societies, such as the Roman or Byzantine empires, expanded
their territorial control far beyond their original boundaries, and traded with distant
neighbors. To hold on to their far-flung territories, they needed two technologies
that have remained closely tied ever since: transportation, and the ability to record
information.

Police communications are the backbone of police tactics. Without proper

communications, the modern police department would be lost. When police
vehicles were first used, there were no radio communications as we know it today.
The system of notifying patrol vehicles of emergencies and calls for service was
handled by the installation of red lights at the major intersections of the town or
city. When headquarters wanted to contact a police car, they would pull a switch
that would send power to the red lights at the intersections.
The next time the patrol car passed the intersection and saw the red light on,
he would drive to headquarters for the assignment. When telephones became more
common, the officer would call headquarters when he observed the light signal.
When radios were first installed in police vehicles, they were usually just
receivers and did not have transmitters for answering calls. The radio operator
would broadcast the calls, and hope that it was received.
A brief history of the development of police communication is as follows:

1877 The Albany New York Police Department installed five telephones in the
mayors office connected to precinct stations. This was only two years after
Alexander Graham Bell developed the telephone, which indicates how quickly the

police saw the value of the telephone and how promptly it was utilized as a tool of
law enforcement.

1880 The Chicago Police Department installed the first Police Call Box on a city
street. Only officers and reputable citizens were given keys to the booth. Before
this time a signal box was used that would signal the emergency without voice
communications. Detroit made such installations in 1884 and Indianapolis in 1895.

1883 The Detroit, Michigan Police Department installed one police telephone. This
was significant when one considers the fact that there were only seven telephones
in the whole city at that time. In 1889 the department established a new division to
handle communications. It was called the Police Signal Bureau.
A code wheel was installed in the box so that when the beat man called in for his
time check, it would register at headquarters with the proper signal for that call box.
This insured that the beat officer was in fact at the location from which he claimed
to be calling.

1916 The New York Harbor Police installed spark transmitters so they could
communicate with their police boats while they were patrolling the harbor. This also
enabled them to communicate with other boats and ships in the harbor.

1923 The Pennsylvania State Police installed point-to-point radio telegraph

between their headquarters and various posts throughout the state.

1928 On April 7, 1928, the worlds first workable police radio system went on the
air. The Detroit Police Department went on the air as station W8FS. The transmitter
was installed on Belle Isle in the Detroit River, and the receiver was installed in
cruiser No.5.
This was the climax of seven years of work and development under the direction of
Police Commissioner William P. Rutledge. The major problems in making a radio
receiver work reliably in a police car were receiver instability and lack of sensitivity.
Added to this were problems involving red tape with the Federal Radio Commission
(predecessor to the Federal Communications Commission).

By 1927 the prohibition era had seen the development of big time crime and the
gangsters were making wide use of automobiles as get-away cars. The police
were under great pressure to control the situation, but always arrived at the scene
too late. Commissioner Rutledge then persuaded Robert L. Batts, a young radio
technician and student at Purdue University, to come to Detroit and work on a radio
receiver that would operate in a police car. It was through this effort that the first
workable police radio setup was developed.
1929 In September of 1929, the Cleveland Police Department went on the air with
a few cars, and in December of the same year, Indianapolis became the third police
department in the world to set up a workable police radio system.

1930 The Michigan State Police became the first state police organization to go on
the air in October of 1930. It proved very effective in apprehending bank robbers
and other gangsters.

1931 The first police motorcycle was equipped with a radio by the Indianapolis
Police Department in September, 1931.

1933 In March 1933, the Bayonne New Jersey Police Department went on the air
with the first two-way, mobile police radio system.
1934 By 1934 so many police departments had police radio systems that they
were being used as inter-city communications for all types of general police
messages and the Federal Communications Commission had to intervene and
establish strict control on police radio communications, restricting non-emergency
messages to wire communications.
1935 Because the police departments did not understand the government
restrictions, they (at first) refused to obey them and police radio men from all over
the country banded together to form the APCO (Association of Police
Communications Officers) recently changed to the (Association of Public-Safety
Communications Officers)

1939 Daniel E. Noble, of Connecticut State College, developed the first FM

(Frequency Modulation) mobile two-way transmitters and receivers for the
Connecticut State Police. This was to bring about a change in the whole mobile
radio picture.

1940 Motorola President, Paul Galvin, saw the value of FM over the AM for mobile
police communications, and hired Dan Noble to develop two-way FM for Motorola
Police Radio Sales. One of Nobles first developments was the remarkable
Differential Squelch Circuit which demonstrated greatly increased range in fringe
areas.

1945 The Federal Communications Commission allocated frequencies for FM, and
it became the established system for police radio communications.

Today most departments have three-way radios where the patrol car in the field
may not only carry on a two-way conversation with the base radio, but may also
carry on the same type of conversation with other police vehicles in the field.
( Payton Patrol procedure)
COMMUNICATION PROCESS
An explanation of communication process begins with a basic problem- it
cannot be examined as an isolated event. Communication is a process, and so it
must be understood as the totality of several interdependent and dynamic
elements. In the aggregate, communication may be defined as the process by
which senders and receivers interact in given social contexts. Another
understanding of this definition is that the process of communication requires that
we examine the several elements that make up the process, encoding,
transmission, medium, reception, decoding, and feedback. The word medium
comes from the Latin word medius, meaning middle or between. It is a channel
such as a radio, book, or a telephone is called medium; media is plural.

Encoding
Experience cannot be transmitted as experience. In conveying an experience
to another person, we do not relive that experience with that person. Even in the
most scrupulous reproduction of an experience, every element cannot be
duplicated. At the very least, the time period is altered, and intervening
experiences have altered us as individuals. To convey an experience or idea to
someone, we encode that experience into symbols. We use words or other verbal
behaviors and gestures, or other nonverbal behaviors to convey the experience or
idea. These symbols are our code; they stand for certain experiences; they are not
experiences themselves.
Transmission

Encoding involves only the decision to use a symbol for some concept. The
element of transmission involves the translation of the encoded symbols into some
behavior that another person can observe. The actual articulation (moving our lips,
tongue, etc) of the symbol into verbal or nonverbal observable behavior is
transmission.

Medium
Communication must be conveyed through some channel or medium. Media
for communication may be our sight, hearing, taste touch, or smell. Some other
media are television, telephone, paper and pencil, and radio. The importance of the
choice of the medium should not be minimized. All of us are aware of the difference
between a message that our superior delivers personally and the one that is sent
through a secretary or by a memo. The medium, like the chosen symbol, has an
effect on the meaning that the listener eventually attaches to the message in the
process of decoding.
Reception
For the receiver, the reception of the message is analogous to the senders
transmission. The stimuli, the verbal and nonverbal symbols, reach the senses of
the receiver and are conveyed to the brain for interpretation.

Decoding
The process of interpretation occurs when the individual who has received
the stimuli develops some meaning for the verbal and nonverbal symbols and
decodes the stimuli. For the receiver, then, decoding is analogous to the process of
encoding for the sender. These symbols are translated into some concept or
experience of the receiver. Whether this receiver is familiar with the symbols, or
whether interference such as any physical noise or physiological problem occurs.
( Swanson Police administration)
Systems of Communication

Paper and Printing the first lightweight medium was papyrus, an early form of
paper used by the Egyptians that was made from grasses called reeds. Until the
1400s in Europe, all documents were handwritten. Copyists and editors called
scribes recorded commercial transactions, legal decisions and pronouncements, and
manuscript copies of religious books many scribes were working in monasteries.
In Asia, block printing had already been developed by Buddhist monks in China in

about the 8th century. A similar technique was later used in the 15 th century by
Europeans to make illustrations for printed books.

An early version of movable type of printing was first developed in China

around 1045, and was independently developed by Koreans in the 13 th century AD.
In 1450, the German printer Johannes Gutenberg perfected the movable metal type
and introduced the first reliable system of typesetting, a key invention in the
development of printing.
Postal Services different societies have devised systems for transporting
messages from place to place and from person to person. The earliest were couriertype services whereby messengers carried memorized or written messages from
one person to another, and returned with the reply. The postal service was
established in the United States in 1789.

The Telegraphy it is the first electronic medium which sends and received
electrical signals over long distance wires. Telegraph systems were immediately
useful for businesses that needed to transmit messages quickly over long distances,
such as newspapers and railroads.

The Telephone it is a device that would transmit the human voice over wires
instead of electrical clicks or other signals. The telephone network has also
provided the electronic network for new computer-based systems like the: internet;
facsimile transmissions; and world wide web.

The Radio the earliest systems for sending electrical signals through the air via
electromagnetic waves was called wireless and later radio.

The Television it is the transmission of visual images by means of

electromagnetic waves.

The Computers the earliest computers were machines built to make repetitive
numerical calculations that had previously been done by hand. Computer networks
can carry and digital signals, including video images, sounds, graphics, animations,
and text.

Channels of Communication:

A. Verbal Channels one-on-one conversations, telephone conversations,

radio dispatch, interviews, meetings, news conferences and speeches are the
most common verbal channels of communication.
B. Written Channels includes notes, memos, letters, e-mails, faxes, reports,
manuals, bulletins, policies and the like. Written communication has the
advantage of being permanent but the disadvantage of being slower and
usually more expensive. The disadvantage of written communication,
however, is lack of immediate feedback. (Bennett & Hess Management and
supervision in law enforcement)
Barriers to Communication

time

volume of information

tendency to say what we think others want to hear

certainty word

prejudices (sender and/or receiver)

failure to select the best

strained sender-receiver relationships

Special Problems in Communicating

Communication security

Interference on the line

Communicating with those of the opposite gender

Communicating with the elderly

Communicating with non-english speaking

Communicating with those from a different culture

Communicating with individuals with disabilities or conditions affecting

speech

Communicating with individuals who are mentally ill

Communicating with individuals who are mentally retarded or autistics.

The Police Radio Dispatcher The radio dispatcher is the personnel in a police
communication center or coordinating center tasked to receive and transmit radio
messages. Before a policeman or civilian can become a radio dispatcher, he must
be trained formally or through an OJT. The dispatcher is also called radio
coordinator and radio operator.

Basic Qualifications of a radio dispatcher or operator

Ability to speak clearly and distinctly at all times

Ability to reduce rambling and disconnected material into concise and

accurate messages.

Ability to think and act promptly in emergencies.

Ability to analyze the situation accurately and to take an effective course of

action.

Thorough understanding of the technical operation of his own system to allow

intelligent reporting of equipment failures.

Physical and mental ability to work effectively under all conditions

encountered.

Knowledge of the rules and regulations applying to dispatchers

responsibilities.

Voice Qualities of Effective radio dispatcher

Loudness or volume depends on the size of the human voice box

Pitch or voice frequency the level of the voice depends on the number of
cycles per second emitted by the speaker(high pitch is not pleasant and clear
in talking through mike.)

Timbre the quality of a speech sound that comes from its tone rather than
its pitch or volume.

Voice requirements of effective radio dispatcher

Alert give impression of alertness, being enthusiastic and interested in the

person calling.

Pleasant create a pleasant office image with voice with a smile since
pleasantness is contagious.

Natural use simple straightforward language; avoid repetition of mechanical

words or phrases; avoid technical terms and slang.

Distinct speak clearly and distinctly; move the lips, tongue and jaw freely;
talk directly to the telephone.

Expressive a well modulated voice carries best over the mike; use normal
tone of voice; not too loud nor too soft; vary the tones to bring out the
meaning of sentences and add color vitality to what you say.

Administrative and operational communication net

Most police communication centers operate in a two-stage manual process.
When a call is made to the police department, the officer at a complaint desk
position, first determines the need for police action, and then records the details on
a card. The card is then routed to a dispatch console where the operator has
control of one or more radio channels. In the smaller organizations, this is usually
accomplished by handling the card from one person to another. In larger
departments it is customary to use a conveyor belt system between the two
positions.

The operator at the dispatch console then establishes radio contact with the
patrol unit and relays the details of the complaint. The dispatcher also has the duty
of maintaining a record of the status of the police vehicles under his control. If
information is needed from the records division or from some computer source, the
operator must then phone for this information.
Techniques in radio communication
Since communication over a police radio presents many problems, the
following information is intended to better help the patrol officer in this endeavor.

A department can have can have some of the finest communications

equipment in the country, but its use becomes greatly impaired if the officers in the
field are not familiar with the proper use of the equipment, and do not adhere to the
basic rules of radio procedure. The increasing population has resulted in an
increase in crime and the need for air time. One of the best ways to insure the
proper use of air time, is to follow the ABCs of radio transmission.

The ABCs of Radio transmission

(A) Accuracy. It is the correctness and truthfulness of what is being

communicated. The major cause of inaccuracy is haste and impatience. The old
saying that haste makes waste certainly applies to police communications.

(B) Brevity. This means using few words. Due to the expanding volume of radio
traffic, it is essential that there be no unnecessary or repetitious words in the
transmission. The use of police code can help maintain brevity.

(C) Courtesy. It is necessary for rapid and efficient service. Courtesy begets
courtesy. Anger begets anger. The courtesy in police communications is more of a
form of respect than expressed words. It can be shown in the tone of voice.
Clarity, the second C. It can be best obtained through two main areas:
1.

Semantics the science of meanings as contrasted with phonetics, the

science of sound. Proper semantics would be transference of thoughts or
ideas between people through communication without a loss or perversion of
the original meaning or intent. There are two ways to improve semantics.
Learn through experience what the most common errors are; and think before
talking.

2. Phonetics is the science of sounds. It is the understanding of a

communication through the proper sounding of words. There are three main
areas of phonetics that hinder good police communications; radio
interference and distortion; poor pronunciation; and similar sounding words
and letters.
Phonetics maybe improved through the following

Not speaking too fast, or slovenly. Talk with the mouth open.

Use the phonetic alphabet when the word is likely to cause trouble. Unusual
surnames should be spelled phonetically.

Use similes. This can be done by saying that something is like something
else. i.e. wood as in firewood; green like grass.

Police telecommunication System

An answer to the problem of communications can in many cases be a switch

to a computerized system. This will not only increase overall efficiency but can also
save money when everything is taken into consideration. The major saving is in
time, and time is money. With the shortage of qualified police officers, any device
that can cut down on man hours is sorely needed.
The modern automated system usually has about five components:

1. The complaint officer video terminal and keyboard. Here the complaint
officer receives calls for police service and the information is typed on the
keyboard. This information then goes to the computer.
2. The central mini-computer. First it records the information received from
the complaint officer. This becomes the daily log. At the same instant the
information is registered at the appropriate dispatch console. The computer
which has all addresses by beat, will search the new address and will assign
the proper beat area designation. The computer also lists the radio code,
priority, message, time, case record number, and the availability and location
of field units.
3. Time of day digital clock. This can record the time that the call was
received, and dispatched and when the officer arrived at the scene and when
he came back into service.

4. The computer storage file. This file is digital magnetic tape storage and is
attached to the computer. It contains the daily log and can later provide
various types of information for research and planning.
5. The command dispatch console. This console contains two TV type
screens. One is the Video Data Terminal which shows all of the information
about the request for service, including a case number, time of arrival,
priority and radio code. The other is the Situation Display which shows an
abbreviated case record number, a special color indicating priority, and a
projected map that shows the availability and location of field units. With the
knowledge gained by glancing at the map Situation Display, the dispatcher
can then decide which unit to send to a particular incident. If he should
desire more information about the call, he need only dial the computer, and
all of the information would appear on his Video Data Terminal.
THANK YOU,

GODBLESS,
And good luck!!