Reactive vs Proactive Justice
Traditional reactive policing involves three main patrol functions from an officer consisting of immediate response to calls, routine patrol, and follow-up on investigations (Department of Justice, 2009). Reactive policing is defined as a police officer responding to requests specific to a crime from individuals or groups within the community the officer serves that encompasses on immediate response to calls and follow-up criminal investigations. Reactive policing requires no initiative from the officer or the police department to target a specific area or problem within his or her patrol district on routine patrols, but is required so that an officer can facilitate a response in a timely manner to calls dispatched (Department of Justice, 2009).
Proactive policing involves the police officer acting on his or her own initiative to develop and retrieve information about crime within the community (Department of Justice, 2009). Reactive and proactive policing works together in some cases. An example would be when a police officer reactively responds to a call that has been dispatched can resolve the issue proactively by mediating between the parties involved (Department of Justice, 2009). A study showed that proactive policing resulted in more arrests, detention, and filing of reports than the use of reactive policing (Department of Justice, 2009).
The difference between proactive patrol and reactive patrol is reactive patrol is an officer waiting for a call to be dispatched most of the time while in his or her cruiser but sometimes can be at the department. The officer will than respond to an incident occurring or has occurred. Proactive patrol an officer is actively searching out ways to deter a crime from happening within the community. The officer could be patrolling or walking and speaking with individuals within the community (Walker, 2008).
If police agencies only adopted one type of these patrols whether it is reactive or proactive policing would
Proactive policing involves the police officer acting on his or her own initiative to develop and retrieve information about crime within the community (Department of Justice, 2009). Reactive and proactive policing works together in some cases. An example would be when a police officer reactively responds to a call that has been dispatched can resolve the issue proactively by mediating between the parties involved (Department of Justice, 2009). A study showed that proactive policing resulted in more arrests, detention, and filing of reports than the use of reactive policing (Department of Justice, 2009).
The difference between proactive patrol and reactive patrol is reactive patrol is an officer waiting for a call to be dispatched most of the time while in his or her cruiser but sometimes can be at the department. The officer will than respond to an incident occurring or has occurred. Proactive patrol an officer is actively searching out ways to deter a crime from happening within the community. The officer could be patrolling or walking and speaking with individuals within the community (Walker, 2008).
If police agencies only adopted one type of these patrols whether it is reactive or proactive policing would
References: Department of Justice. (September, 2009). Reactive Patrolling vs. Proactive. Retrieved on September 30, 2011 from: http://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/pi/yj-jj/res-rech/discre/org/styles.html Walker, S., & Katz, C. M. (2008). The police in America: An introduction (6th Ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.