Mission Based Policing

The research revolution in police work has uncovered a multitude of data, but this contemporary knowledge has done very little to change the way things are done in most police departments across the U.S., where the prevalent form of policing is based on the traditional model of district assignments and random preventive patrol. Mission-Based Policing unveils a new paradigm that transitions policing away from practices that while long-held, have inadequately dealt with serious crime.

Drawn from the work of scholars on the cutting edge of police research, this volume argues for a radical shift in the way policing is approached. It provides concrete recommendations for the fundamental reorganization of the policing institution and presents a comprehensive planning regimen for urban problems that encompasses security, urban reinvestment, and public planning. Introducing an innovative, practical model for problem-oriented policing in high crime areas, the book uncovers:



Contemporary problems in urban policing today
Counter-insurgency strategy and how it might contribute to successful policing
The five central principles of mission-based policing: focus, effectiveness, deployment, integrity, and mission’s end
The concept of logical lines of operation (LOOs): planning, security, establishing/restoring essential services, and rebuilding
Strategies for police department reorganization guided by principles of mission-based policing
Potential issues raised by the concept or applications of mission-based policing, including practicality, command problems, and perceived risks


Outlining a specific methodology for police redeployment, the book highlights the importance of hot spot presence, command integrity, and fundamental organizational change that has as its end goal long term reduction in crime statistics through effective crime prevention practices.

John Crank is a Professor of Criminology/Criminal Justice at University of Nebraska at Omaha. He has written extensively in the area of policing and has received the Outstanding Book Award from the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences in 2003 for his work titled "Imagining Justice."
Dawn Irlbeck is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Creighton University. She teaches courses on the criminal justice system, American cultural minorities, social stratification, as well as other courses in sociology. Her primary research interests include racial profiling, policing and minority communities, Latino police officers, and ethnic identity formation. She has recently published on racial profiling and vehicle searches, as well as variations in ethnic identity among Latino police officers.
Rebecca K. Murray is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology/Anthropology at Creighton University, where she helps facilitate the criminal justice policy track. She has published work looking at the effect of various urban structures on crime and critiquing spatial methodologies. Her most recent work examines the interaction between community groups and formal mechanisms of social control, and the effects of police policies on wrongful convictions.
Mark Sundermeier spent 25 years with the Omaha Police Department, retiring as a deputy chief in 2009. During that time he also served as a reserve deputy sheriff with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. After retiring, Mark joined Metropolitan Community College, where he helped to form the MCC Police Department, Nebraska’s newest police department. Mark is an adjunct criminal justice professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and is a security consultant with a variety of companies and individuals.

Introduction: Thinking about Crime’s End Part I: Toward a Mission-based Model of Policing The Unasked Question The Relationship Between Police and Crime Redesigning American Police, Principles 1 and 2: Focus and EffectivenessRedesigning American Police, Principles 3 and 4: Deployment and IntegrityThe Principle of Mission’s End: Logical Lines of Operation The Integration of Urban Planning, Economic Development, and Security Model Integration and Staging Lines of Operation Part II: Hot Zone Redeployment and Command Restructuring: A Practical Example Hot Spots and Police Districts Toward a Mission-Based Command and Deployment Structure Anticipated Problems References