A patrol officer is a person responsible for enforcing the rule of law and civil order in a specific area. Generally, the individual is a member of an organization tasked with maintaining peace throughout a geographical region, such as a law enforcement officer or even soldiers in war zones. The duties of a patrol officer vary, based on what organization they belong to as well as the type of region being patrolled. Nearly every nation, state and municipality has some form of patrol officer to enforce the standards of the civilization.
Police officers are the most common form of patrol officers around the world. Usually, a patrol officer is responsible for a certain area, sometimes referred to as a “beat.” Local police department personnel walk, ride or drive around the area enforcing the laws. They travel around this region at regular intervals, keeping apprised of situations that violate the peace.
Common duties of patrol officers include dealing with the public in different capacities. Many developed nations' uniformed police officers respond to requests via phone calls, arresting violators of laws, conducting investigations into crimes and monitoring traffic. Due to the mobility of patrol officers, the individuals are often the first ones on the scene when the peace is violated. This means that the actions or inactions of a patrol officer can have a profound effect on the general state of law enforcement in a certain area.
Different nations around the world have different levels of patrol officers, each with distinct duties. For example, the United States has police officers who generally patrol cities, a sheriff patrol officer department responsible for a larger area such as a county, highway patrol officers who enforce traffic laws on the highway and a state patrol that work on a state-wide basis. The United Kingdom separates its law enforcement into territorial police forces, responsible for a specific area, and transport police, dedicated to traffic and transportation infrastructure. China's patrol officers are organized by the Ministry of Public Security, a nationwide police force; the People's Armed Police, a paramilitary patrol handling border security and fire fighting; as well as local public security bureaus patrolling provincial and municipal regions.
A military patrol officer is any individual that belongs to a branch of the armed forces conducting some form of reconnaissance or combat operation. Military patrols are usually formatted into a collection of soldiers, sometimes with land vehicles or air support. Most often, a patrol is used in situations in which major combat operations have ended and the occupying force is conducting standard peacekeeping activities. These activities usually involve information gathering duties or conducting sweeps for enemy soldiers.