Proactive policing
Proactive policing is a strategy employed by law enforcement aimed at preventing crime before it occurs, as opposed to reactive policing, which responds to crimes after they happen. This approach encompasses various practices, including routine and directed patrols, where police increase their visibility in areas perceived to be at higher risk for crime. By maintaining a consistent police presence, proactive policing seeks to deter potential offenders through the knowledge that they are likely to be caught if they engage in criminal activity.
Community engagement is another vital aspect of proactive policing, fostering relationships between officers and residents, which can enhance cooperation and trust. However, some tactics, such as "stop and frisk," have sparked controversy due to their perceived racial profiling, disproportionately affecting minority communities and straining relations between these populations and law enforcement. Critics argue that such practices can lead to a diminished willingness among citizens to collaborate with police, creating a cycle of mistrust. Overall, while proactive policing can lead to reduced crime rates, it raises complex questions about community relations and the ethical implications of certain policing strategies.
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Proactive policing
Proactive policing is one of two categories for actions used to reduce crime by police officers. Unlike reactive policing, which refers to any policing that is conducted directly in response to a crime, proactive policing is designed to prevent crimes from occurring. It includes the two most common types of patrolling, routine patrols and directed patrols. It also includes many community engagement techniques, such as improving community relations and the controversial "stop and frisk."
In many cases, proactive policing techniques successfully reduce the levels of crime in an area. They are often used to remind citizens of an active police presence, making people who are considering crime feel that they are more likely to be caught. However, some proactive policing tactics have been criticized as racist, with activist organizations pointing out that they are disproportionately targeted at minorities. This sometimes has an adverse effect, damaging community relations and making citizens less likely to cooperate with police.
Background
The role of police in the United States has changed drastically over time. In the early days of the nation, most areas had no dedicated, well-funded police force. Instead, the jobs of stopping crime and enforcing the laws were carried out by volunteer groups or privately-funded part-time police officers. However, as cities grew, the labor associated with enforcing the law within them became more than volunteers could be expected to handle. In 1838, the city of Boston created the first centralized municipal police department in the United States. Following the success of Boston's experiment, numerous other large cities in the United States, including Philadelphia and New York City, created their own formal police forces. Over time, most other towns, cities, and states developed their own teams of police. In the modern era, more than eighteen thousand policing groups employ more than four hundred thousand officers.
Because formal law enforcement officers are given a significant amount of power over their fellow citizens, they are required to act in a professional manner while on duty. In order to teach this, most law enforcement officers attend a form of basic training at any of the hundreds of police academies across the country. Many police officers also pursue crime-related secondary education at colleges in universities. Over time, the amount of training and education required to become a police officer has slowly increased.
In recent years, the public's perception of American police has slowly shifted. Previous generations tended to view law enforcement as the protectors of the public, maintaining high levels of faith and trust in police officers. However, a growing portion of Americans now view police as government enforcers, not protectors. For this reason, public trust in the police has been gradually declining since the early 2000s.
Overview
Traditional policing is carried out in two ways: reactive policing and proactive policing. Reactive policing encompasses many of the original functions of police officers. It includes any action that is taken in response to a crime. This can mean apprehending fleeing criminals, stopping crime as it occurs, and responding to distress calls from civilians. It also typically includes follow-up investigation to crimes, such as apprehending suspects and gathering evidence.
Many other modern policing practices fall under proactive policing. Proactive police includes any practice in which the police act on their own initiative in order to prevent crime. One of the most common methods of proactive policing is the concept of routine patrols. In most cases, police officers walking through a town or driving in their patrol vehicles are unlikely to encounter violent crime. However, by being routinely seen in an area, they establish a reliable police presence. This may make potential criminals feel that it is more likely that they may be caught committing a crime in that area, discouraging them from committing the crime at all.
Directed patrol, another common proactive policing practice, is similar to routine patrol. During directed patrol, the police department establishes that a particular area is more prone than usual to crime. This can be accomplished through direct observation, algorithmic assistance, or any number of police tactics. The police department then instructs officers to spend a significantly increased portion of their time patrolling that region, ensuring that they are visible during patrol. This rapidly establishes the same effect as routine patrol in a region, potentially reducing future crime rates.
Another important type of proactive policing is community involvement. Police officers who have a greater role in their community, and are known more personably among the populations within which they enforce the laws, may have a greater crime reduction impact in their community. Citizens who are familiar and comfortable with their local police officers may be more likely to come to officers with their problems. In doing so, citizens may be able to work with police to prevent crime before it happens. Unfortunately, the backlash caused by police violence against minority groups has damaged public perceptions of police across the United States. This has strained the relationship between many communities and their law enforcement officers.
Some proactive policing practices, such as "stop and frisk," have been criticized for racial profiling and their impact on community relations. Stop and frisk was a tactic utilized by the police in New York City that involved a nonintrusive stop of the suspect, patting down the subject's outer clothing to check for weapons when the police suspected an individual may be at risk of committing a crime. This is designed to remind citizens that the police are watching, dissuading them from committing the crime. However, activists argues that police disproportionately stopped minorities, damaging relationships with those communities and making them less likely to cooperate with police officers. In 2013, a federal judge ruled that New York Police Department's controversial stop and frisk practice was unconstitutional and violated citizens' Fourth Amendment. The department still uses a similar tactic, though it is no longer known as stop and frisk. Many other police departments across the nation utilize similar tactics, though critics continue to point out that minorities are disproportionately targeted in these practices.
Bibliography
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