Peirspictiochtai Ar An Saol
Zero-Based Law Enforcement
Part Two
Law Enforcement is practiced in a variety of ways throughout the United States.
Sometimes, those different practices are based on standards in a particular jurisdiction.
Sometimes, those practices are different based on the attitudes, cultures, and actions of specific law enforcement departments or specific law enforcement officers.
In general, there are four major types of overall practices in Law Enforcement: Complaint Driven, Revenue Source, Targeted Arrests for Prosecution, and Problem Solving. (There may also be other types of overall practices, but these four types of overall practices are among the most prevalent.)
Law Enforcement officers using Complaint Driven as their practice wait for people or entities to complain about a situation. With this practice, the priority is dealing with the complaints. Not necessarily solving the underlying problem or stopping future similar situations.
An example of this practice is a situation where a child is almost hit by a car as the child walks across a street. Thankfully, the child was not severely injured as they rushed out of the way of the vehicle. The car was speeding. Neighbors then complain loudly to local leaders about speeding vehicles on that street.
Law enforcement announces that it will prioritize traffic enforcement on that specific street. Neighbors are pleased that law enforcement has announced that it will take action to stop speeding cars on that specific street.
Law enforcement officers then utilize a variety of techniques to stop speeding on that specific street. Speed enforcement signage is displayed. Devices, like radar or wire lines placed on the roadway, are used to determine the speed of vehicles. Tickets are issued to drivers speeding on that specific street.
After a period of time – a few days, perhaps – people stop speeding their vehicles on that specific street to avoid getting ticketed. This is especially true for people who travel that specific street on a regular basis and notice the traffic enforcement.
Neighbors and local leaders applaud the traffic enforcement efforts by law enforcement.
After an additional period of time – a few more days, a couple of weeks, or maybe a month – law enforcement moves on to another matter. Perhaps, law enforcement returns every once in a while to "show" the neighbors that they still care about protecting pedestrians from speeding vehicles.
But, eventually, in most cases, law enforcement moves on to dealing with other pressing matters.
As people driving on that specific street realize that traffic enforcement has stopped or is now only intermittent, a number of those drivers return to their habits of speeding on that specific street.
To best be able to understand Zero-Based Law Enforcement, the next news columns in this series will continue by focusing on specific characteristics of law enforcement as it is practiced today in much of the United States, with the next news column itself focused on the overall practice of Revenue Source in Law Enforcement.
Peirspictiochtai Ar A Saol – Gaelic – Irish – for "Perspectives On Life" is a column focused on aspects of accountability and responsibility as well as ways people look at life.
Contact Richard McDonough at
© 2025 Richard McDonough
