The Kansas City Preventive Patrol and the Minneapolis Domestic Violence Program

The Role of Patrol and Investigations in Policing

The largest police personnel are assigned the duty to patrol. Patrols and investigations involve police field operations and are aimed at the prevention of crime, the creation of a sense of satisfaction and the apprehension of offenders. However, with the development of the radio, the policing tactics have since changed significantly. The Kansas City Preventive patrol and the Minneapolis Domestic Violence Program are policing programs developed from experiments conducted to improve these policing tactics (Roberg, Crank, & Kuykendall, 2000).

The Kansas City Preventive Patrol Operations

The Kansas City Preventive Patrol operations are based on the realization that random patrol is not sufficient. The constant call for police services forced the police department to develop a Differential Police Response that pays immediate attention to important emergency calls hence reducing the costs, increasing citizen satisfaction, and improving police effectiveness. The Kansas City strategy also includes the targeting of crime hot spots (Roberg, Crank, & Kuykendall, 2000). These hot spots are identified through the analysis of crime data and allow the police to be proactive rather than reactive. With this approach directed patrols are then made.

The Minneapolis Domestic Violence Program

Minneapolis Domestic Violence Program, on the other hand, is based more on domestic crimes rather than patrolling techniques. The program, unlike before, does not treat domestic violence as a family matter anymore but arrest both parties involved. In regards to pursuits, the program has reduced it to jurisdictions involving violent felonies hence reducing the number of pursuits in general (Roberg, Crank, & Kuykendall, 2000). Specific training is provided to police officers to enable apprehension of suspects and reduce the incidences of police injuries.

Investigations as an Integral Part of Policing Techniques

Despite the differences in operations and jurisdictions, the Kansas City Preventive Patrol and the Minneapolis Domestic Violence Program both involve investigations as an integral part of their policing techniques. The investigations include the gathering of intelligence and undercover operations which eventually allows for the making of informed decisions.

References

Roberg, R. R., Crank, J. P., & Kuykendall, J. (2000). Police & society. Los Angeles, CA: Roxbury.Retrieved from: http://global.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780199300884/students/ch8/cs/