NCJ Number
212723
Journal
Justice Quarterly Volume: 22 Issue: 4 Dated: December 2005 Pages: 540-559
Date Published
December 2005
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This study analyzed data from systematic social observations of police patrol officers in order to determine how officers spent their discretionary time.
Abstract
Data for the study were collected during 1999 as part of a larger study that assessed the impact on the quality and quantity of policing of implementing alternative methods of handling non-emergency citizen calls for police. The data were coded from 1,304 hours of systematic social observation of Baltimore street-level officers by trained observers who accompanied patrol officers on 163 shifts. Officers were assigned to 1 of 16 posts across 3 sectors within 3 Baltimore police districts. Observers made brief notes on officers' activities and behaviors, which were later translated into coded data. Data analysis found that, on average, over 75 percent of a patrol officer's shift did not involve responses to dispatched calls. Only 6 percent of this unassigned time involved activities directed by supervising officers, other officers, or citizens; and the directives provided by supervisors tended to be vague and general, without reference to the implementation of problem-oriented policing strategies, community-oriented policing, or proactive policing strategies. The findings thus indicate that Baltimore police officers have a significant amount of discretionary free time. The authors suggest that a more productive use of this discretionary patrol time should involve supervisory directives related to proactive, problem-oriented activities developed through sound crime analysis. Law enforcement agencies should develop routine data-collection and analysis procedures that translate into practical directives communicated to patrol officers by supervisors, followed by monitoring to ensure their implementation. 4 tables and 47 references