Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Quick Takeaways
Rolling out a new proactive policing plan but getting little-to-no traction from patrol? You’re not alone. Research from Suffolk County PD shows that officers are more likely to take proactive action when they:
- Know exactly what’s expected
- Feel trained and prepared
- See their efforts being recognized
- Work under supervisors who explain why it matters
The biggest takeaway? Agencies can shape proactive behavior. Set clear goals, offer practical support, and backup your sergeants. Proactivity doesn’t happen by accident. It happens by design.
Still Waiting for your Proactive Policing Plan to Take Off?
You want your officers to do more. Maybe it’s traffic stops, walking through neighborhoods, or patrolling hotspots when they’re not answering calls. Maybe you’ve done your research, gone to training, even teamed up with researchers to get something going. Or maybe you haven’t. Either way, you roll out the new plan, send it to patrol, and wait. One shift passes, then another. Still nothing. Maybe a traffic stop here, maybe someone waves at a neighbor, but mostly? Excuses. Shrugs. The initiative dies before it even gets going.
The truth is, it’s usually the command staff who come up with ideas, but it’s patrol who have to make it real. And if they don’t understand it, don’t see why it matters, or don’t feel supported, it probably won’t happen.
So, what actually helps officers do more proactive work?
Let’s take a look at what the research says.
Enter Research
In a 2025 study, researchers Kevin Petersen, Cynthia Lum, and Christopher Koper in “What Motivates Police Officers to be Proactive and Evidence-based? Analyzing Organizational and Individual Correlates” dug into this question by surveying officers in Suffolk County, New York. They surveyed 373 sworn officers about what they do on patrol, how often they’re proactive, and what motivates them.
Key Findings: How to Implement Proactive, Evidence-Based Policing
Officers Are Proactive, but Mostly in the Usual Ways
- Most officers said they were proactive sometimes to fairly often.
- They did traditional proactivity (like stops and arrests) more than non-traditional things (community engagement, youth outreach, hot spot patrol, and quality-of-life projects).
- Working together with other officers to solve problems was the least common proactive activity.
What Makes Officers Do More Proactive Work?
The researchers looked at three factors:
1. Leadership and Agency Support
- Officers were more proactive when they felt their agency and supervisors expected it.
- They did more problem-solving when they felt rewarded for it.
- Officers who felt prepared and trained were more likely to try non-traditional strategies. As an example, this looks like a sergeant who briefs officers on how to connect with neighbors and businesses- not just “go connect with people”.
Bottom line: When the department makes proactivity feel expected, supported, and rewarded, officers do more of it.
2. Officer Confidence and Motivation
- Officers who felt comfortable and motivated were more likely to be proactive, especially in non-traditional ways.
- Officers who felt a strong sense of responsibility took more action.
- Officers who felt they knew more about what works in proactive policing tended to do fewer traditional enforcement activities (like stops or citations). Knowing more about what works seems to nudge officers away from strategies that don’t have as much evidence behind them even if it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re using a lot more of the newer approaches.
3. Community Pressure
- Officers mostly felt the community supported them.
- Public pressure or fear of criticism did not seem to affect how proactive officers were. Caveat: This might not apply in every agency. In Suffolk County, officers felt broadly supported by their community which may not be true everywhere.
Who Was More Proactive?
- Women officers were more likely to work with others and try non-traditional approaches.
- Officers in non-patrol roles inside precincts were generally more proactive.
4 Things Agencies Can Do Right Now
Here’s where it gets useful. The researchers say the biggest drivers of proactivity are things agencies can control. That is good news.
Here are four steps departments can take right now:
- Set clear expectations. Let officers know what proactive work looks like. Don’t just say “be proactive” or “make more stops”, make it clear what is expected and set realistic goals.
- “Do three community contacts per shift”
- “Spend 15 minutes in hotspots as designated in briefing”
- “Log quality-of-life issues using [tool/system]”.
Break them down weekly or monthly to help build habits. Make sure supervisors are on board so they can hold officers accountable.
- Train officers. If you are asking officers to try a new strategy, make sure they are trained on how to do it. The more they understand it, the more likely they are to actually do it. Tell them what to do, where to go, and what success looks like. If your new plan is focused patrol in hotspots, make sure officers know what areas to hit, when, and what they should be doing in those areas.
- Recognize the work. People notice what gets attention. If proactive work is never mentioned in performance reviews, shift briefings, or commendations; it fades away.
- Mention proactive efforts during team meetings
- Highlight specific examples in write-ups
- Consider small incentives or recognition programs
Even a shout-out in briefing can send a strong message.
- Back up your supervisors. Sergeants need support, too. If you want them to lead proactive work, they need:
- Talking points about why it matters
- A role in setting the goals
- Clear guidance on how to coach officers through it
The more aligned your command staff is, the more consistent your patrol response will be.
Study Limitations to Consider
This study only looked at one department. This department already showed a desire to add evidence-based strategies such as directed patrols, focused deterrence, and community check-ins. So, your results might look a little different. Also, this was based on self-reports. We cannot say for sure that what officers said always matches what they did. But the patterns were strong and clear. When officers feel prepared, supported, and expected to act, they usually do.
Final Thoughts
Proactive, research-based policing is not just about personal drive. It’s about giving officers the training, tools, and support to take action then back them up with clear goals, good supervision, and recognition that their work matters.
Want to try this in your agency? Start by asking:
- Are we clearly telling officers what success looks like?
- Are our supervisors reinforcing the strategy?
- Are proactive efforts being tracked, recognized, or rewarded?
- Do our officers have the tools and training to feel confident implementing this strategy?
Evidence-based policing doesn’t need to be complicated. But it does need to be intentional.
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