Many police departments have put officers on foot patrol. How has this type of police deployment changed the image of police departments?

             The policy of officers being deployed on foot patrol has had a mixed response from the public and law enforcement themselves historically. Going back to the very beginning of police departments (London's first organized force in 1829 envisioned by Sir Robert Peel), obviously foot patrol was one of the only options then, other than horseback. This was true here in the U.S. as well; we think of officers walking beats in highly urban area such as New York City or Chicago back in the 1800s and early 1900s (and their rural counterparts, sheriffs and US marshals, riding horses out in the prairies and the West).

             So it wasn't until the widespread availability of automobiles in the 1930s-40s that police management began realizing the advantages of motorized patrol. More geographical areas could be covered in less time, responses to various situations were more rapid, and overall it was more efficient and cost-effective than foot patrol. Walking a beat continued, of course, is some areas, especially big cities where sometimes an officer on foot could be more effective than a vehicle in highly congested pedestrian zones. But foot patrol went on the decline, percentage-wise, for a number of decades to come, and especially in the 1960s, when more and more departments began questioning its need and practicality. One big factor here was the as-yet unavailability of hand-held radios (which would not occur until the 1970s). Vehicles did have radios, and so had a major advantage for deployment and response times. And therefore foot patrols continued to decline, even though some law enforcement analysts worried that this widened the communication/public relations gap between officers and the

communities they served.

             Public opinion of these shifts in policy would be hard to measure scientifically, but one can hypothesize. When foot patrol was the only option besides horseback, earlier in American history, it's safe to say that it was widely accepted by law abiding citizens. Chances are, would-be criminals, especially in more rural areas, had an advantage too- if they knew that law enforcement was at quite a distance, then they had more time to commit their acts and to flee the scene. This would change as patrol cars came into existence. Some crimes were deterred as a result, almost certainly. A potential burglar, for example might re-think his plan if he knows a police car can be called onto the scene in mere minutes. Overall, one can assume that the public was either indifferent on the subject of foot vs. car patrol, or that some of the more civic-minded and politically-active citizens likely sided with law enforcement management in favor of less foot patrol. But as the textbook reminds us, a counter-movement in this philosophy began to grow.

             By the mid-1980s, this re-thinking of patrol policy led to a return and resurgence of foot patrol in many U.S. cities. Law enforcement management, sociologists, community leaders, etc. began to realize that although walking a beat is not the most efficient manner in which to patrol, that it offers some more intangible psychological and public relations benefits. Citizens need to interact with the police personally, especially at-risk youth. Realizing that law enforcement personnel are “real people” too, and not just someone to be afraid of, might help prevent some of them from wrong decisions later.

             One can hope that this interaction will continue into the future, with new technologies such as drones that have many civil liberties advocates worried. I don't think anyone other than some over- zealous types would welcome an America where robots are watching citizens through windows or in their backyards. I personally feel comforted when I see Wilmington officers on foot patrol downtown on late weekend nights, when my music projects are playing there and I have to travel the sidewalks. So I look forward to this tradition continuing.