Unpacking the police patrol shift: observations and complications of “electronically” riding along with police

Abstract

As frontline responders, patrol officers exist at the core of policing. Little remains known, however, about the specific and nuanced work of contemporary patrol officers and their shift characteristics. Drawing upon computer-aided dispatch (CAD) data for a random sample of 60 patrol shifts, we empirically analyse the activities of patrol officers working in a Canadian police agency. Our analyses reveal several interesting findings regarding the activities of patrol officers, the nature and prevalence of calls for service attended by such officers, and the temporal patterns of different patrol shifts. We discuss our results with respect to both criminological research as well as policing practice. We also highlight the complications and implications of using electronic police records to empirically study officer activity.