Uniform Patrol Division Research Paper

In a police department, the uniform patrol division is the most critical and significant unit which draws a connection to all of the other moving parts within the agency, not to mention the entire criminal justice system. Uniform patrol officers are the link between the public and the justice system. They are the first official form of authority to make contact with the accused offenders, therefore determining what happens to that individual after that. The patrol officers have the most influence on the daily activities of the department and the citizens. They are the most visible representations of the justice system from the viewpoint of the general public. The officers do not write the laws they are responsible for enforcing statutes that

are approved by elected officials in the legislature and are expounded by the courts. Police departments have two broad divisions in the patrol and investigations. The operations of the investigation division rely heavily on the duties performed by patrolman(Policing 101, 2018). The officers make the traffic stops which can promote criminal arrest, drug arrest, narcotics and currency seizures as well as the interdiction of people under the influence of drugs or alcohol. When an officer is answering calls for service, he will encounter the mentally ill, parties involved in assaults and domestic violence, sexual deviants, thieves, robbers, burglars and also the corporate criminals.

The uniform patrol division is connected to every bureau within the agency because they are the "boots on the ground" that intially create the cases. Those officers make the traffic stops and answer the call for service that keeps the department working towards the mission of making the community safer and utilizing criminal justice system to promote rights of the citizens. The criminal justice system is composed of the main components the police, courts, and corrections. These elements of the justice system are interrelated, interdependent and aiming to accomplish a combined objective. The activity of police officers on the streets impact the workload of the department, courts, the conclusion of judges, and the functionality of jails and prisons(Kappeler, 2012) Patrol officers also assist the federal government's in its's regulation of individuals who illegally own or purchase weapons. They are also asked to testify in various courts as to the incidents, and evidence retrieves and seized while conducting daily

operations.

Reference

Kappeler, V. E. (2012). What is the Place of Police within the Criminal Justice System? Retrieved May 12, 2018, from http://plsonline.eku.edu/insidelook/what-place-police-within-criminal-justice-system

Policing 101. (2018). Retrieved May 12, 2018, from https://www.justice.gov/crs/file/836401/download