EXTRA PATROL REQUEST
Depending on where you live, you might not see an officer physically drive down your street for several days. Usually you see one in passing, going to another call. In between calls for service officers patrol as many streets and area’s in their beats as possible but realistically, we can’t hit every street in the city shift by shift.
Extra patrol request and vacation house checks are services that most police departments provide upon request. The information is discussed at line-up or briefings, and the beat officer will generally ensure that they physically drive past the location of the request, several times throughout the shift.
Extra patrol request often generate from calls relating to:
Drug dealing and loitering taking place at a neighborhood corner
Teens frequently drinking alcohol at a park
Recent vehicle or residential burglaries
Recent calls for domestic violence where one spouse has made threats against the other.
Reckless driving during school and commute hours or after hours
My department and most others take extra patrol request over the phone. You don’t even need to come down to the police department. If an officer handles a call for domestic violence or a similar incident, and there is a threat to the person who called us or a chance that the suspicious activity will continue, the officer handling the call will usually submit the request themselves. Keep in mind that not all police departments may offer extra patrol request depending on their staffing and daily call ratio.
The best way to find out is to call your local police department’s “business” or “non-emergency” number and find out.
Going away on vacation?
A vacation house check request is similar to an extra patrol request, only we will ask you for specific information regarding your trip. When are you leaving? When will you return? Is anyone staying at the house? What cars should be in the driveway? Will you have lights on timers? Do you have an alarm system? What neighbor has a key in case of emergency? Where can we reach you? Are you expecting pool or gardening service while you is away? Is someone taking care of your pets or animals? Is someone collecting your mail and newspapers?
Once again, the beat officer will try to drive by several times throughout the shift and make sure that there are no unusual observations made. We don’t get out of the car and walk around your property, but we do look for suspicious activity or persons in the immediate vicinity of your home. We often get vacation house checks for family members who are home alone while a spouse may be away for business. In any event, it is often reassuring to know that the officers will be cruising through your neighborhood on a regular basis
Call your local police department’s crime prevention officer to get more safe suggestions when leaving out of town.
Call your local police department community policing division to report nuisance problems in your neighborhood. POP (problem oriented policing) and SET (special enforcement team) patrol teams are working in many local cities, and their sole function is to deal with specific reported problem areas within the community.
