In
police jargon, a roll call is a briefing "where supervisors take attendance, inspect
uniform
A uniform is a variety 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, ...
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."
Although often conducted prior to the start of a shift, a roll call may be held at the end of a shift as well. The communication at a roll call is usually top-down, with information disseminated by (or at the direction of) a shift or squad commander. The roll call is just one of several vehicles for intra-departmental communication in
law enforcement agencies
A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws.
Jurisdiction
LEAs which have their ability to apply their powers restricted in some way are said to operate within a jurisdiction.
LEA ...
: other modes include command or administrative staff meetings,
quality circle
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. It consists of minimum three and maximum twelve members in number. Normally ...
s, and unit meetings.
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
Community policing, or community-oriented policing (COP), is a strategy of policing that focuses on developing relationships with community members. It is a philosophy of full-service policing that is highly personal, where an officer patrols ...
or real problem-solving.
In 1992, the
Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department
The Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department, informally known as the Christopher Commission, was formed by then-mayor of Los Angeles Tom Bradley (American politician), Tom Bradley in April 1991, in the wake of the Rodney King be ...
reported that
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-lar ...
patrol officer
A patrol is commonly a group of personnel, such as law enforcement officers, military personnel, or security personnel, that are assigned to monitor or secure a specific geographic area.
Etymology
From French ''patrouiller'', from Old Fre ...
s 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.
Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department
(1993), p. 133.
Notes
{{reflist, 2
References
*Victor E. Kappeler & Larry K. Gaines, ''Community Policing: A Contemporary Perspective'' (7th ed.).
*Robert S. Stering, ''Police Officer's Handbook: An Introductory Guide'' (American Society for Law Enforcement Training: Johns and Bartlett, 2004).
Law enforcement terminology