Читать книгу Police in America - Steven G. Brandl - Страница 105

Virtually all but the smallest police departments have a designated patrol unit. Patrol officers have many responsibilities, but primary among them is responding to calls for service in the community. Typically, about 70% of officers are assigned to the patrol unit,¹⁸ but the proportion varies by the size of the department. Typically, a greater proportion of officers is assigned to the patrol unit in smaller departments than in larger ones. Almost all local departments use automobiles for patrol, including sport utility vehicles (SUVs), trucks, or vans.¹⁹ About 50% all local departments use foot patrol, around 33% use bicycle patrol, and about 15% use motorcycles.²⁰ Smaller departments often only use automobiles for patrol.²¹ In larger departments, some patrol officers do not wear a uniform and are responsible for initiating activities such as pedestrian and vehicle stops, not responding to calls for service.

The patrol unit is generally staffed around the clock, although some larger departments may also staff homicide or other investigators twenty-four hours a day. Officers are assigned to shifts to provide continuous coverage over the course of the day. Different departments have different shift schedules; shifts are commonly eight hours, but some are ten hours. Uncommon but not unheard of are twelve-hour shifts. Some departments have different combinations of shift hours. Additional details about patrol shifts and shift work are provided in Chapter 6 and Chapter 10.