Introduction
Patrol operations are what most people think of when they think of a police department. Officers in squad cars drive around talking on mobile radios, responding to calls for service. "Patrol" is the stuff shows like "COPS" are made of and has historically been referred to as the backbone of policing. It still is — it’s just that in addition to the traditional model of driving around until the next radio call comes in, our officers are also community police and liaison officers, evidence technicians and field training officers. They are visiting day care and community centers, doing crime prevention surveys, helping out visitors to our country and the campus. You may see our uniformed officers riding bikes, motorcycles, horses, or walking, collecting data for problem solving initiatives. But while they are doing all this, if you call 9-1-1 or our non-emergency number, it is the patrol officer that gets the call. It is the patrol officer that is our first responding presence to any situation and it is the patrol officer that forms the public’s image of our police department. We are very proud of our patrol officers and all that they do every day and night to make our community a safer and friendlier place to be.
Patrol Officers at the UW-Madison Police Department frequently function as links in the Wisconsin "law enforcement chain." Law enforcement agencies often depend upon one another to provide assistance with investigations and other business. Each year the UW Police provides valuable assistance to outside agencies, ensuring the "chain" is unbroken. This assistance is provided in many forms including locating and arresting wanted persons, assisting with initial investigations, and collecting and preserving evidence associated with victims or perpetrators undergoing treatment at UW Hospital. Evidence must often be collected and preserved in a timely manner. Outside agencies, particularly those far a field of Madison, have expressed appreciation for professional services provided by our patrol officers.
Patrol officers provide the backbone of many of the formal programs mentioned elsewhere in this site. In addition, many of our patrol officers work on projects of their own design.
Field Training
The Field Training Unit is responsible for providing one-on-one training to new officers entering the department. "Field Training" concepts and trainers are utilized to train new police officers, security officers and police communications operators. This program, which is approximately twelve weeks long, provides the new officer with training in the tasks required to certify for "solo-patrol". The field training officers evaluate and document the new officer’s progress daily. The new officer is provided with continuous coaching and feedback during the field training experience. When the new officer completes one-on-one training, the officer is assigned to "solo-patrol" and evaluated on a weekly basis by his or her field training sergeant or supervisor.Problem Oriented Policing
During the 1990's police agencies across the country and the world started to embrace Problem Oriented Policing "POP" after the concept was developed and presented by UW-Madison's Professor Herman Goldstein. The UW Madison Police Department continues to use on a daily basis the SARA model that Professor Goldstein created.
