NCJ Number
84256
Date Published
1982
Length
251 pages
Annotation
Observations, official records, and interviews from a large Canadian police force are the basis for this study of police patrol work, emphasizing decisionmaking and relations with both victims and offenders.
Abstract
A summary of sociolegal research on police work proposes that police on patrol operate within rules emanating from the community and legal and police organizations; their function is less to reduce crime than to reinforce society's concept of 'order.' This research project collected data on 348 patrol shifts from May through September 1976 on all reported incidents, minor citizen contacts, ignored violations, and general shift activities not involving citizen contact. The police force had 653 members serving a regional municipality in Ontario, Canada. A discussion of work routines focuses on the impact of bureaucratic controls and adaptations by officers to make their working environment more tolerable. An analysis of citizen-initiated (reactive) mobilization and police-initiated (proactive) mobilization reveals that patrol officers were more assertive than previously thought -- 47.4 percent of all encounters resulted from proactive mobilization. However, many proactive encounters involved brief contacts and did not develop into major incidents. Police patrols exercise considerable power in reporting victim complaints; the book describes decisionmaking patterns in terms of mobilization, the matter in dispute, citizens' perceived status, and police organization. The author addresses how similar considerations affect dealings with suspects and accused persons in the investigation, charging, and conviction stages. Officers have enough power over suspects to effect a resolution justifiable to themselves and to others. The final chapter discusses the implications of these findings for Canadian policing. Tables, footnotes, approximately 275 references, and an index are included.