How Do the Police Actually Spend Their Time?

[SummerMadness]

How Do the Police Actually Spend Their Time?
A review of publicly available data in three areas reveals that much of an officer’s job revolves around handling routine calls rather than violent crime.

What share of policing is devoted to handling violent crime? Perhaps not as much as you might think. A handful of cities post data online showing how their police departments spend their time. The share devoted to handling violent crime is very small, about 4 percent.

That could be relevant to the new conversations about the role of law enforcement that have arisen since the death of George Floyd in police custody and the nationwide protests that followed. For instance, there has been talk of "unbundling" the police — redirecting some of their duties, as well as some of their funding, by hiring more of other kinds of workers to help with the homeless or the mentally ill, drug overdoses, minor traffic problems and similar disturbances.

 

[solid_core]

Obviously in various ways, for example training sport activities and art skills:

Or dancing:

 

[Ironhold]

The bulk of any given police officer's time will likely be spent reading reports, filing reports, and in giving testimony should a court case arise.

That keeps getting forgotten about.

 

[keith99]

Do you remember the old TV show Adam-12?

I vaguely remember they did a counterpoint episode. E.g. nothing exciting happened at all. I think not even the eccentric caller.

With biking during the epidemic and paying attention to when I see police I realize that near me most of what they do is just being there and most of being there is driving around in their cars and paying attention to anything that is off in any way.

 

[Landon Caeli]

Do you remember the old TV show Adam-12?

I vaguely remember they did a counterpoint episode. E.g. nothing exciting happened at all. I think not even the eccentric caller.

With biking during the epidemic and paying attention to when I see police I realize that near me most of what they do is just being there and most of being there is driving around in their cars and paying attention to anything that is off in any way.

Profiling, as described in your last sentence, is what we *don't* need in this country. Big brother watching...

...They should respond to phone calls and mind their own business.

 

[Landon Caeli]

How Do the Police Actually Spend Their Time?
A review of publicly available data in three areas reveals that much of an officer’s job revolves around handling routine calls rather than violent crime.

Doesn't seem all that dangerous of a job to me.

 

[keith99]

Profiling, as described in your last sentence, is what we *don't* need in this country. Big brother watching...

...They should respond to phone calls and mind their own business.

Like then phone calls that came in when Kitty Genovese was being killed?

 

[Landon Caeli]

Like then phone calls that came in when Kitty Genovese was being killed?

Yes exactly. 911 was created after the Kitty Genovese murder in the 1960's.

 

[royal priest]

How Do the Police Actually Spend Their Time?
A review of publicly available data in three areas reveals that much of an officer’s job revolves around handling routine calls rather than violent crime.

The activity of the police depends on the needs of the municipality that hires them.
For example, Minneapolis has much greater concern for potentially violent crime than would be any town in the state of Maine.

 

[SummerMadness]

The activity of the police depends on the needs of the municipality that hires them.
For example, Minneapolis has much greater concern for potentially violent crime than would be any town in the state of Maine.

Even factoring in violent crime, the police are not spending a great deal of time on it. That's one reason why it's been suggested that some tasks given to the police might be better served in another capacity. For instance, having an officer sitting at a construction site all day might not be the best use of the officer's time.

 

[royal priest]

Even factoring in violent crime, the police are not spending a great deal of time on it. That's one reason why it's been suggested that some tasks given to the police might be better served in another capacity. For instance, having an officer sitting at a construction site all day might not be the best use of the officer's time.

Police presence is a deterrent to crime. That presence ought to be commensurate with the potential threat. We will see an increase in violence if that deterrent is too diminished.
Historically, if crime rates are high, then municipalities will increase police activity.
Also, precincts certify certain officers in different areas of law enforcement. Not all officers are trained in the same area or level of expertise.

 

[SummerMadness]

Police presence is a deterrent to crime. That presence ought to be commensurate with the potential threat. We will see an increase in violence if that deterrent is too diminished.
Historically, if crime rates are high, then municipalities will increase police activity.
Also, precincts certify certain officers in different areas of law enforcement. Not all officers are trained in the same area or level of expertise.

That does not relate to anything I wrote.

 

[Broken Fence]

4% is way to low. They are suppose to protect and serve. Unbelievable that is all American lives are worth 4% of your time?

 

[royal priest]

That does not relate to anything I wrote.

What you wrote about is already in effect and has been from the beginning.

 

[SummerMadness]

4% is way to low. They are suppose to protect and serve. Unbelievable that is all American lives are worth 4% of your time?

I don't think we can argue that it's 4% of their time, but the bulk of what their time is obviously not law enforcement related, which lends some credence to the idea that perhaps a person with the gun isn't needed for all the tasks they carry out now.

I remember someone I know had their child at home, her midwife, paramedics and a police officer was there. The midwife and the paramedics did all the work of course, the police officer just stood by, why? This is not to say the police officer was harming anyone, he obviously wasn't, but his role here seems wasted, standing on the steps while a baby is born.

 

[Ironhold]

Even factoring in violent crime, the police are not spending a great deal of time on it. That's one reason why it's been suggested that some tasks given to the police might be better served in another capacity. For instance, having an officer sitting at a construction site all day might not be the best use of the officer's time.

Construction - grade tools are *very* expensive and can go for a fair sum even second-hand. Then there are the pickup trucks and SUVs many construction firms keep for utility purposes.

Additionally, sabotage and vandalism are very real issues as well. In fact, at one point it was a big thing for radical environmental groups to torch housing developments because they didn't understand that their arson fires were doing more damage than the housing itself would.

The larger the construction project, the greater the need for some sort of uniformed security.

 

[Trogdor the Burninator]

Construction - grade tools are *very* expensive and can go for a fair sum even second-hand. Then there are the pickup trucks and SUVs many construction firms keep for utility purposes.

Additionally, sabotage and vandalism are very real issues as well. In fact, at one point it was a big thing for radical environmental groups to torch housing developments because they didn't understand that their arson fires were doing more damage than the housing itself would.

The larger the construction project, the greater the need for some sort of uniformed security.

I would say they should simply hire security guards then. Police should be actively patrolling or engaging with their community as much as possible.

 

[SummerMadness]

Construction - grade tools are *very* expensive and can go for a fair sum even second-hand. Then there are the pickup trucks and SUVs many construction firms keep for utility purposes.

Additionally, sabotage and vandalism are very real issues as well. In fact, at one point it was a big thing for radical environmental groups to torch housing developments because they didn't understand that their arson fires were doing more damage than the housing itself would.

The larger the construction project, the greater the need for some sort of uniformed security.

I'm talking about police cars present while construction workers are working, there is usually no one at a construction site after hours, so your reasoning doesn't really stand up here.

 

[disciple Clint]

How Do the Police Actually Spend Their Time?
A review of publicly available data in three areas reveals that much of an officer’s job revolves around handling routine calls rather than violent crime.

Those statistics would appear to be low, but that would depend on the location and crime rate. But whatever the percentage is it resulted in the death of 89 officers in 2019 and 109 so far this year.
FBI Releases 2019 Statistics on Law Enforcement Officers Killed in the Line of Duty | Federal Bureau of Investigation
2020
So You Want To Be a Crime Fighter? Not So Fast | Police Studies Online
William Bratton
Are we asking police to do too much? “In many respects, we are. Throughout my career, starting in Boston decades ago, that has been the case. The basic mission for which police exist is to prevent crime and disorder. After 9/11, police departments, particularly in large cities, are expected to commit resources to preventing terrorism. We are expected now to deal with cyber crime, and the opioid crisis. Police are being expected to be better trained to deal with emotionally disturbed people on the street. We are asking police officers in the 21st century to be almost doctors — what drug are they probably on? What mental-health condition? I have an expression that we used in Los Angeles, but I think it applies for the profession as a whole: ‘too few who have been asked to do too much with too little for too long.’ " William Bratton
Are we asking police to do too much? 7 experts debate the role cops should play in today’s society | Perspective

 

[Ironhold]

I'm talking about police cars present while construction workers are working, there is usually no one at a construction site after hours, so your reasoning doesn't really stand up here.

"After dark" is when everyone is most likely to hit.

Whether it's petty thieves breaking into homes to rip the wiring and metal plumbing right out of the walls or anarcho-environmentalists moving in to torch stuff, things get dangerous once the sun goes down.

In fact, one of the dangers inherent in "pier and beam" construction and mobile homes is the prospect of someone going right up under the building to steal the metal pipes. No joke. Metal theft is that big a deal in some jurisdictions.

Part of how I paid for college was collecting food and soda cans to take down to a local metal recycler, and past a certain point metal theft was so bad that even for soda cans I had to present them an ID card and sign a form. My dad bringing in junked parts from the repair yard where he works? Hoo boy.