ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the most important strategies and tactics adopted by police agencies. These strategies and tactics represent the principal methods by which the police attempt to perform their work and achieve their goals. A number of major studies in the 1970s called into question the effectiveness of many traditional police practices. Since then, a variety of alternative strategies and tactics have been implemented; some of these alternative methods have been shown to be more effective than traditional methods, marking the way for improved policing. But the effectiveness of many police strategies, tactics, and programs remains uncertain, either because they have not been evaluated or results have been inconclusive.
