Roll call (policing)

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In police jargon, a roll call is a briefing "where supervisors take attendance, inspect uniform and equipment, inform the oncoming shift of any outstanding incidents that may have occurred, inform officers of suspects to be looking out for, relate any law or procedural changes, and so on." [1]

Uniform similar clothing worn by a group of people

A uniform is a type of clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are most often worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency services, security guards, in some workplaces and schools and by inmates in prisons. In some countries, some other officials also wear uniforms in their duties; such is the case of the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service or the French prefects. For some organizations, such as police, it may be illegal for non members to wear the uniform.

Although often conducted prior to the start of a shift, [2] a roll call may be held at the end of a shift as well. [3] The communication at a roll call is usually top-down, with information disseminated by (or at the direction of) a shift or squad commander. [4] The roll call is just one of several vehicles for intradepartmental communication in law enforcement agencies: other modes include command or administrative staff meetings, quality circles, and unit meetings. [5]

A quality circle or quality control circle is a group of workers who do the same or similar work, who meet regularly to identify, analyze and solve work-related problems. Normally small in size, the group is usually led by a supervisor or manager and presents its solutions to management; where possible, workers implement the solutions themselves in order to improve the performance of the organization and motivate employees. Quality circles were at their most popular during the 1980s, but continue to exist in the form of Kaizen groups and similar worker participation schemes.

Roll calls are "usually limited to recent events or items that might be of short-term interest" and so usually "do not allow for the in-depth discussions necessary for community policing or real problem-solving. [6]

Community policing

Community policing, or community-oriented policing, is a strategy of policing that focuses on building ties and working closely with members of the communities. A formal definition states:

"Community policing is a philosophy of full service personalized policing, where the same officer patrols and works in the same area on a permanent basis, from a decentralized place, working in a proactive partnership with citizens to identify and solve problems." —Bertus Ferreira

In 1992, the Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department reported that Los Angeles Police Department patrol officers at the time "start each day with roll call that lasts approximately 45 minutes to an hour ... A portion of each roll call (usually 20 minutes or less) is devoting to training. Typical roll call training involves the watch commander lecturing to the officers. Many watch commanders simply read the Department's policy on a given topic without any discussion of the practical application of that policy in the field. [7]

Los Angeles Police Department municipal police

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,988 officers and 2,869 civilian staff, it is the third-largest municipal police department in the United States, after the Chicago Police Department and the New York City Police Department. The department operates in an area of 498 square miles (1,290 km2) and a population of 4,030,904 people.

Notes

  1. ↑ Stering, p. 6.
  2. ↑ Stering, p. 6.
  3. ↑ Kappeler & Gaines, p. 186.
  4. ↑ Kappeler & Gaines, p. 186.
  5. ↑ Kappeler & Gaines, pp. 185-86.
  6. ↑ Kappeler & Gaines, p. 87.
  7. ↑ Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department (1993), p. 133.

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