Foot Patrol

Police patrol is often referred to as the backbone of policing. Patrol activities typically account for more than two-thirds of a department's personnel. While 80 percent of American police departments employ fewer than twenty officers—and more than half employ fewer than ten—the principal activities among these officers is patrol work. Because the patrol unit also tends to be the most visible unit in a police agency, it has a significant effect on the public's perception of that agency.

The police role in society is highly diverse and complex, and this is reflected in the varied goals associated with patrol. The primary goals in patrol are (1) crime prevention and deterrence, (2) apprehension of offenders, (3) establishment of an atmosphere of safety and security throughout the community, (4) traffic control and safety, and (5) provision of an assortment of non-crime-related services (rescuing the fabled cat up a tree or extricating small children from inside of locked bathrooms). In order to accomplish these goals, police agencies rely upon strategies that include visibility of officers on patrol, interdiction of offenders, counseling of victims and community members, and education of the public. These strategies are used either formally, in settings such as news conferences, town meetings, and neighborhood watch meetings, or informally, as when officers speak casually with citizens while on patrol.