SUBJECT (LEA4) COMPARATIVE MODELS IN POLICING

REPORTER DUGYONON, JIMUEL

FELIX, SALVADOR
HIPOLITO, ANGELO C.
ISONG, DOMMEL
TOPIC 8 TYPES OF POLICE IN THE WORLD (UNIFORMED POLICE)

DATE APRIL 11 , 2023

FACILITATOR BLESSIE JOY MENZI

UNIFORMED POLICE

Have general law enforcement duties, including maintaining regular patrols and responding to calls for

service. Much of their time is spent responding to calls and doing paperwork. They may direct traffic at the

scene of an accident, investigate a burglary, or give first aid to an accident victim. They are also responsible

for building relationships with the residents of local neighborhoods. In large police departments, officers

usually are assigned to a specific type of duty, such as bicycle patrol, foot patrol, etc.

Police officers make up the majority of sworn officers in any police department. They are on the front

lines of enforcing local laws and maintaining a safe community. On any day, a police officer will perform duties

ranging from writing tickets and completing routine paperwork to responding to threats and emergencies.

Agencies are usually organized into geographic districts, with uniformed officers assigned to patrol a

specific area such as part of the business district or outlying residential neighborhoods. Officers may work

alone or with a partner. While on patrol, officers attempt to become thoroughly familiar with their patrol area,

the community, and remain alert for anything unusual. Hazards to public safety are investigated or noted, and

officers are dispatched to individual calls for assistance. During their shift, they may engage with the

community; enforce laws; or issue warnings or citations.

Special jurisdiction police 

Agencies have special geographic jurisdictions and responsibilities. Public college and university police

forces, public school district police, and agencies serving transportation systems and facilities are examples.

Most law enforcement workers in special agencies are uniformed officers; a smaller number are investigators.

Role of uniformed Police:

maintaining public order and safety, enforcing the law, and preventing, detecting, and investigating

criminal activities. These functions are known as policing.

Uniformed Officer Responsibilities:

The daily life of a uniformed patrol officer is anything but uniform. The following are some of a uniformed

officer’s responsibilities.
  Patrol

Officers may patrol on foot in a neighborhood, or, if their beat is large, in a patrol vehicle. They look

for crimes in progress and provide a police presence as a deterrent and as a resource when people need

them. Patrol officers look for traffic violators, people in need of assistance, and evidence of criminal activity,

large and small (such as graffiti or other vandalism).

 Radio Dispatch

Officers respond to radio calls from dispatch. These calls indicate the type of call, the severity

(speeding, domestic disturbance, physical altercation), and location. Officers may be the first responders to

a traffic accident and must provide traffic control.

 Arrests

When making arrests, uniformed officers are either acting on an arrest warrant or they see the crime in

progress. They may also base an arrest on probable cause. Officers must follow legal procedures when

arresting and booking a suspect, such as reading the person their Miranda rights.

 Reports

These types of police officers write up incident reports that include pertinent details of each event.

Arrest reports, car accidents, robberies, and other incidents all require detailed reports. Reports include

information such as the time of the call, the nature of the incident, who was on the scene, and what the

outcome was. Depending on the state, police reports may be public documents unless the information is

connected to a case.

 Court Appearances

Another one of a uniformed officer’s job duties is to provide court testimony. Officers may testify about

traffic citations or arrests for more serious crimes. Experienced police officers agree that providing court

testimony can be stressful because it calls police work into question and can feel adversarial. Officers who

prepare for their court testimony can present their police work in the best light.

 Uniformed Officer Skills

Successful patrol officers must be brave, physically fit, and able to think on their feet. They are

required to abide by a code of ethics and must have a team mindset.

 DETECTIVES

Some uniformed police officers move up through the ranks of their department into different roles.

Many have their sights on the role of police detective. In large city police forces, detectives may be assigned

to specific crime units, such as murder (including cold cases), robbery, or human trafficking. In smaller

communities, detectives may be responsible for investigating all crimes.

Police detectives investigate crimes, gathering evidence at the scene of a crime, questioning suspects

and witnesses, and building a case for prosecutors to bring before a judge. Detectives must follow the law

when gathering evidence and interviewing witnesses, or risk having the case thrown out because of technical

mistakes. As a result, detectives have education and training in investigative techniques as well as in criminal

justice.

The responsibilities of a police detective also include examining criminal evidence and records, asking a judge

for a warrant for a suspect’s arrest, and testifying in court.

Detectives skills and qualifications needed. These include:

 Analytical skills

Investigators must be able to put together evidence from a variety of sources to support their

investigation. They also need to appraise information to ensure its credibility.

 Communication skills

Detectives should be able to speak with suspects, witnesses, prosecutors, judges, and members of the

community.

 Interpersonal skills

Detectives must be able to make a personal connection with people involved in an investigation to gain

their trust.

 Physical fitness

Since detectives also participate in raids and arrests, they should be physically fit and have mental

stamina.

Though a detective's specific duties vary by their specialization and the department they work for, they may

have some common responsibilities.

A detective's primary duties may include:

 Gathering facts and physical evidence at a crime scene to solve a crime

 Preparing and examining formal reports

 Observing the activities of criminal suspects

  Performing searches and arresting suspects

 Using department resources to help solve a crime

 Interviewing witnesses, suspects and informants to identify alibis, time frames, potential suspects,

missing information and clues 

 Interrogating suspects to gather as much evidence as possible for a case or to identify a perpetrator

 Testifying in courtroom proceedings by explaining evidence or by serving as a witness

10 TYPES OF DETECTIVES

1. Homicide detectives

Homicide detectives investigate murders and apprehend the suspects accused of committing them.

They may assess crime scenes, interview victims, speak with witnesses, conduct walkthroughs of a crime

scene, take photographs and videos of the scene and collect evidence to help solve the case. Homicide

detectives may also collaborate with other detectives and their criminal science investigation units to share

evidence, reconstruct the events of the case and identify a suspect.

2. Police detectives

Also known as criminal investigators, police detectives investigate crimes including robberies, arson,

homicides and property crimes. As a police detective, you can specialize in one of these specific types of

crime. Some common duties of a police detective include:

 Gathering evidence  Interrogating suspects

 Following leads  Making arrests

 Interviewing witnesses and victims  Serving warrants

 Writing reports  Testifying in court

3. Forensic detectives

Also known as forensic investigators, forensic detectives use their knowledge of biology, physics and

chemistry to investigate and analyze crime scene evidence. They help solve crimes by determining when and

how the crime occurred. Forensic detectives collect physical evidence from a crime scene and analyze the

evidence and samples by performing a variety of scientific tests. They may also write detailed reports and use

scientific evidence to prove the events of the crime. Forensic detectives may testify in court and present their

findings to a judge and jury.

4. Computer crime detectives

 Also known as a computer crime investigator or computer forensic investigator, a computer crime

detective investigates crimes that involve computers and computer networks. They help solve cases associated

with cybercriminal activity, such as computer hacking and copyright infringement cases. Some computer crime

detectives also help recover computer data to use as evidence, which they may testify about in court. Other

computer crime detective duties include inspecting software applications for flaws, analyzing computer

systems, collecting computer system information, recovering encrypted files and improving the performance of

a computer system.

5. Narcotics detectives

Working at the local, state and federal level, narcotics detectives investigate the illegal sale and

purchase of narcotics by working on cases that involve drug-related offenses. They aim to identify and

dismantle illicit drug organizations and arrest the individuals who work within them. To apprehend suspects,

narcotic detectives sometimes work undercover to learn about the operations of these organizations and

gather evidence without revealing their identities as law enforcement officers.

6. Cold case detectives

Cold case detectives work on unsolved criminal cases, also called cold cases. They often work on

homicide cases that no longer have a team investigating them for many reasons, such as an officer's

retirement or a lack of evidence. Cold case detectives may review original case files containing initial

statements, interview the case's first detectives and speak with the people involved in the case. Advances in

technology sometimes make it possible for cold case detectives to use existing evidence to solve the crime.

7. Undercover detectives

Undercover detectives perform covert investigations to collect evidence for a suspected or confirmed

crime. They assume another identity while working on the case so others don't identify them as law

enforcement officers. They pose as a different person to engage in unlawful activities with suspects, such as

purchasing an illegal good or service, without raising the suspicions of the alleged criminal. Undercover

detectives often use hidden cameras and recorders, and their projects can take months or years to complete.

8. Private detectives

A private detective, also called a private investigator (PI), is a professional in the field who works

outside of the police force. Witnesses, victims and loved ones of people involved in crimes often hire PIs to

help them find more information about their cases. They may conduct surveillance, perform criminal

background checks and research information about certain people or organizations. The work of a private

detective may replace or supplement the work of a police detective, depending on the case. 

9. Missing persons detectives

 When someone reports a person as missing to a law enforcement agency, missing persons detectives

often take on the case. They may communicate with other law enforcement officers, speak with loved ones

and potential witnesses, gather information about the missing person and inform local media to initiate a

search. Missing persons detectives may also conduct research that can help them identify the location of the

person, such as locating cell phone signals or contacting local businesses about sightings or surveillance

footage.

10. Fraud detectives

A fraud detective is an investigator who specializes in researching fraudulent activity for the government or

private organizations. They may investigate instances of fraud that occur within or outside of an agency and

gather data to help resolve the issue. Fraud detectives often speak with people involved, research transactions

and records and conduct surveillance to determine how the crime occurred. They may collaborate with

attorneys and other criminal justice professionals to present their findings and testify in court.

AUXILIARY POLICE

An auxiliary police officer is a citizen who volunteers to perform policing activities for their local police

department. While these officers may receive specialized training, they typically do not enforce the law or

perform dangerous tasks. Instead, their responsibilities often focus on ensuring safety and order within their

communities. Auxiliary police officers provide support by handling the time-consuming or routine tasks

associated with police work, allowing full-time officers to take on more complex responsibilities. For example,

they often patrol areas around the community and perform crowd and traffic control activities during events.

Responsibilities of Auxiliary police:

 Managing crowd control during special events

 Assisting police officers with crime prevention duties

 Performing traffic control duties at an accident or emergency sites

 Performing first responder duties when necessary

 Patrolling residential, public and commercial areas

 Participating in community policing initiatives, such as public safety presentations

 Assisting with sobriety checkpoints

 Carrying a firearm

 Providing back-up during police officers' patrol duties

 Reporting hazardous conditions or defective equipment

 Completing police reports

Necessary skills for auxiliary police officers:

 Physical strength and stamina

Physical stamina refers to the ability to sustain physical activity for extended periods. Auxiliary police

officers often patrol areas, sometimes by foot or bicycle. They may also have to stand for long periods while

performing their jobs, such as managing traffic and crowd control duties. Some auxiliary police programs may

require candidates to pass a physical examination to assess their strength and agility.

 Interpersonal communication

Interpersonal communication represents the ability to interact effectively with other people, including

changing communication styles or techniques based on others' needs. Auxiliary police officers use these skills

to gather information from victims or community members, then report what they have learned. They also use

them to convey information to community members, such as local laws or rules that ensure safety and order.

Examples of interpersonal skills include patience, empathy and active listening. Having these interpersonal

skills enables officers to build a sense of trust and rapport with individuals.

 First aid

First aid and CPR represent one of the hard skills required for auxiliary police officer roles. One of their

role's primary responsibilities is to maintain the safety and well-being of community members. When

encountering or responding to emergencies, these officers may perform these tasks as first responders while

waiting for medical personnel to arrive. Auxiliary police officers typically learn these skills during the job

training process.

 Attention to detail

Attention to detail refers to the ability to notice details and patterns to create thorough, error-free

work. Auxiliary police officers may use this skill when completing reports, ensuring that they include accurate

and relevant information to help the department investigate incidents, such as accidents or thefts. They may

also use this perceptiveness to identify seemingly minor details when performing other duties, such as

patrolling areas or speaking to suspicious persons.

 Critical thinking

Critical thinking represents the ability to assess problems and form appropriate judgments or decisions

on them. Auxiliary police officers may encounter numerous issues throughout their day and may have little

time to determine the best course of action. Developing critical thinking skills can help them make decisions

more efficiently to ensure the protection of their community. They also need good judgment to ensure that

their decisions uphold relevant laws and regulations and maintain citizens' safety and well-being.

 Leadership
 Leadership represents the ability to manage and direct other people. Auxiliary police officers may use

this skill when interacting with community members to maintain safety and order. Their duties often require

ensuring that individuals follow and uphold relevant laws and regulations. For example, when performing

traffic control duties, they provide instructions and directions to drivers to protect pedestrians. Being a leader

also requires having skills such as empathy and reliability, enabling the public to trust that the officers make

decisions that align with community members' bests interests.

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Whetstone, T., Banton, M. & Kelling, G. (2023). Police law enforcement.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/police
Maryville University. (2023). 5 Different Types of Police Officers: Paths to Choose From.
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Indeed Editorial Team. (2023). 10 Types of Detectives (With Salaries and Job Outlook).
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