If police vehicles enter a patrol area only in response to a citizen's crime report, this patrol type is known as

• A. Routine patrol
• B. Proactive patrol
• C. Reactive patrol
• D. Surveillance patrol

Answer: (C)

Reactive patrol is defined by responding to incidents after a crime has been reported. When police vehicles enter a patrol area only in response to a citizen’s crime report, their presence is triggered by calls for service rather than by any preplanned effort to deter crime. Routine patrol involves steady, ongoing presence to deter crime; proactive patrol focuses on actively seeking out crime and maintaining high visibility; surveillance patrol centers on monitoring specific locations or people over time. So the situation described fits reactive patrol because the patrol activity is initiated by reported incidents rather than ongoing or proactive efforts.