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Traffic control is an essential part of police patrol activities. Police Officers direct and control
pedestrian and vehicular traffic in high-density areas to ensure safe and rapid movement, observe parked
and moving vehicles for evidence of traffic violations, and issue citations for violations of traffic
regulations. Other responsibilities include maintaining order and traffic flow during public gatherings;
demonstrations; and emergencies such as riots, fires, explosions, auto accidents, and natural disasters;
using crowd control and traffic-direction techniques to carry out such assignments. They administer first
aid to victims of accidents or crimes and arrange for the dispatch of medical units to the scene. In cases
of traffic accidents, they investigate circumstances and causes and record findings for subsequent use by
the parties involved and their attorneys.
Assignment to patrol duty requires the performance of a number of miscellaneous tasks. Police
Officers check entrances and exits of commercial facilities for security during hours of darkness. In some
police departments, officers inspect residential buildings for safety and suggest methods of improving
security such as installing special locks, alarms, or improved lighting in entry areas. They inspect
premises of public, licensed business establishments to enforce laws, local ordinances, and regulations
concerning their operation. Police Officers also provide information and assistance to inquiring citizens,
help settle domestic disputes when called to the scene, and may lend assistance in cases of emergency
childbirth. They note conditions that are hazardous to the public such as obstructions, potholes, inoperable
street lamps, and defective traffic signals and report them for appropriate action. At the conclusion of each
daily work tour, a Police Officer prepares a written activity report that describes arrests, incidents, and
all relevant information gathered and submits it to a superior officer, usually a Police Sergeant.
As noted previously, Police Officers on patrol duty are generalists who perform a number of police
functions well. Many aspects of modern police service are complex, however, and require use of
specialized personnel. The degree of specialization within a police agency varies with the size and
resources of the department and the needs of the community. Small communities usually require
less specialization, while highly populated areas make specialists a necessity. In small police
agencies, specialists are generally used on a part-time basis, while the larger departments usually employ
full-time specialists. The following are some examples of the various specialized assignments carried out
by Police Officers.
Specialized Assignments
Bomb Squad Officers are highly trained police personnel who respond to incidents of bomb threats and
report to locations where bombs have been detonated. Sophisticated equipment and specially trained dogs
may be used to locate and disarm explosive and incendiary devices, many of them real and others cleverly
constructed hoaxes.
Community Relations Officers help develop and maintain contact between the police department
and community groups, organizations, and schools in the area. Their objectives are to promote
understanding of the police role in the community, to develop closer working relationships, and to keep
open the lines of communication between citizens and the police department. These officers meet with
members of the community and assist in developing police-sponsored programs to help reduce crime.
Other duties include conducting tours of police facilities and addressing student and civic groups on
relevant topics such as drug abuse, crime prevention, and traffic safety.
Canine Officers team with specially trained dogs to provide assistance to other police units within the
department. For example, they are called to different scenes where their special skills are used to conduct
building searches, to track suspects in wooded or mountainous terrain, to locate lost persons, or to help
in crowd-control operations. Canine Officers personally train their dogs with the help of professional
instructors and are responsible for the animals' general care as well.
Crime Prevention Officers conduct security surveys of multiple-dwelling and commercial establish-
ments and suggest methods of improving security such as the use of burglar alarms, window gates, and
