Are Police Patrols Effective?

For many years there has been a debate over whether police patrols have been effective in crime prevention. The articles "On patrol: the tough job of police officer gets more complicated every day" and "The policing revolution: back to the beat" are two articles that I will use to analyze the effectiveness of patrol on the areas studied. The following will explain the effect that implementing community policing has had on their departments and to the local crime rates.

Eli Lehrer's, "On patrol: the tough job of police officer gets more complicated every day" was an analysis that shows the effect that community policing has had on the Fort Meyers/Cape Coral, Florida area. It followed Rebecca Prince, a patrol officer for Fort Meyers to give a glimpse into her normal job activities (34). The article showed how they have trained officers to have a presence in the community and try to prevent crimes before they occur. This form of police patrol was implemented in response to these communities having a larger than average number of crimes per citizen that were being committed in their communities to try and stop some of the violence before it starts (35). Prince also explained how her knowledge of the local citizens and knowing who she could get information from proved to be one of the most valuable forms of intelligence and tips for solving larger crimes (36). She could ask the prostitutes or small time dealers for information on past or future violent crimes or wanted criminals in return for not arresting them for a minor charge. They knew her and trusted her so they were more likely to give information that would lead to a bigger arrest.