TCOLE Professional Policing Practice Test

The main idea is incident-driven policing. In this approach, investigations start from a specific incident that’s reported, and the information used to handle the case comes mainly from those involved—victims, witnesses, and suspects. It reflects how traditional policing often operates: respond to what’s reported, gather statements, and build the case around that incident. This differs from proactive policing, which is about preventing crime and gathering information through proactive strategies; and from community-oriented policing, which focuses on building relationships and solving problems with the community. It also isn’t just about simply reacting after the fact in a general sense, but specifically about cases being driven by the incident that triggers the investigation.