Generally, officers will ride in separate vehicles to maximize patrol coverage and response times. Separate vehicles increase visibility within the community and allow officers to respond to incidents more swiftly from different locations, reducing overall response times. This also affords officers more options in responding to simultaneous calls or dividing labor to more effectively manage incidents.
The primary risk of separate vehicles is the potential for officers to face higher-risk situations alone before backup arrives. Officers riding together ensure immediate backup and may be preferred in circumstances of elevated risk, such as presence of protest activity or threat intelligence. However, given the size of our community and the benefit of increased coverage, a separate vehicle approach will generally allow for greater flexibility and adaptability in responding to the complex and evolving demands of policing – enabling officers to make real-time assessments and adjust as needed.