Résumé
Although support for foot patrol as a policing strategy has shifted over time, in modern policing foot patrol has received substantial attention (Fields & Emshwiller, 2015; Bekiempis, 2015). Primarily lauded as a potential remedy to strained relations between community members and police, the effectiveness of foot patrol at reducing crime, diminishing fear of crime, or relieving strained relations with the community is unclear. While foot patrol may hold promise as a crime reduction approach, no definitive conclusions can yet be drawn as to its effectiveness in this regard. The conflicting evidence on the effectiveness of foot patrol may relate to variation in how foot patrol is implemented in various departments. Considering that foot patrol ultimately manifests as one-on one interactions between officers and community members, differences in attitudes toward foot patrol assignments, as well as variation in the specific activities undertaken as part of foot patrol, may help explain contradictory research findings. However, few detailed descriptions outlining variation in foot patrol exist. This limitation is noteworthy as detailed descriptions of different implementations of foot patrol may also provide direction to agencies considering adopting foot patrol as part of their operational strategies.