Sheldon Greenberg, a professor in the Division of Public Safety Leadership, has authored a new text, Frontline Policing in the 21st Century: Mastery of Police Patrol, published this month by Palgrave MacMillan (London).
The book will be marketed globally to police agencies, colleges and universities, the security profession, political and community leaders, and others, and is one of the first to provide the “how to” of police patrol.
“The book focuses on how today’s officers perform their duties, meet daily challenges and manage the tasks and risks associated with modern police patrol,” said Greenberg.
The 566-page text, which draws on research, theory and the experience of practitioners to provide guidance on the delivery of primary police services, covers the following topics: building and sustaining trust; conducting mobile and foot patrols; conducting preliminary investigations; canvassing neighborhoods; developing street contacts; maintaining officer safety and the safety of others; working with practitioners in other fields; and delivering death notifications.
James Lilley, a retired police sergeant, former police academy instructor and author, said of the book: “This is something we’ve needed for a long time. It gets to the core of what police officers do on a daily basis. I don’t believe that our day-to-day tasks have been condensed this way in any other text.”
Greenberg said the book took almost eight years to research, and credited students, graduates and adjunct faculty at the Johns Hopkins School of Education for their help in getting it published.
“They kept me focused on what mattered most,” said Greenberg. “I can’t thank them enough. They drove me to further the mastery of frontline patrol as the foundation for advancing police service and overcoming many of the issues we face today.”
Greenberg said that law enforcement is in a period of significant transition. “As the profession changes—and it must—it is critically important that our police officers not lose sight of and continue to provide the basic, high-quality essential services needed to improve the lives of people and sustain the neighborhoods they serve.”
The book features interviews with officers, supervisors and police chiefs who offer their perceptions and share their experiences, and explores how modern policing has evolved by examining the research, innovation, tradition and technology upon which it is based. It was developed for new recruits and experienced police and security personnel; students in criminal justice, law and public health; the legal profession; community leaders; and others involved or interested in advancing police service and community well-being.
“Anyone who wants to know about the culture of policing and how police officers function will benefit from Greenberg’s book,” said Sergeant Lilley.
