LESSON 2/TASK 1
criminal investigations. Do they gather witnesses as well as secure the crime scene? Do they handle
different categories of crime differently? The extent that the patrol vehicles will become involved in
traffic or crowd control, investigation, and enforcement must be decided. The building security tasks
that will be accomplished by patrol units must be set. Is it really necessary for MP to conduct these
checks, as opposed to unit guards or other personnel? The time period that patrol personnel can be
separated from their vehicles to accomplish these tasks must be established. The reporting
responsibilities of patrol personnel must be determined. Personnel must know what information and
details must be included in their reports. Will reports be written at the scene or will patrols return to the
station to complete them? The priorities for responding to calls, and who determines the precedence,
must be established. Not every call is an emergency. Only about 3% of incidents require an
emergency response. These are but a few of the many policy decisions that must be made.
Four Step Process
As noted, a four step process is used to develop a patrol distribution plan. We will discuss each of the
steps individually. The four steps in the process are:
o Determine the size of the patrol force.
o Analyze statistical data.
o Determine patrol shift distribution.
o Establish types and numbers of patrols.
Size of the Patrol Force
There are always competing requirements for the resources of a military police unit. The PM is
charged with providing police services to the installation. The MP unit commander is responsible for
individual and collective training, the administration of Skill Qualification Tests (SQTs), and many other
tasks and details. Close coordination between the PM and the commander are essential.
It may appear on the surface that the PM and the commander not only have different, but have
competing missions. In the short term this may be true; in the long term, it is not. It is not because the
tasks accomplished by the unit ensure that the PM gets well trained, properly equipped troops with high
morale. They can exchange information and
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