It is essential that there be planning in the police service. From the chief of police, who must devise long-range plans involving the entire resources of the department, to the police officer, who must discuss an operational plan with her/his partner while en route to a call, there exists an imperative for planning which is so great that it merges with the action itself. The requirement that an employee plan her/his action is commensurate with the degree of responsibility and accountability for the results of her/his action. In the performance of their duties, officers are confronted with an infinite variety of circumstances which require police action. In an attempt to utilize collective experience and research in assisting officers to deal with diverse situations, the department formulates procedures to direct action in certain generalized situations. As officers are routinely confronted with the unusual, it is impossible to provide standing procedures for officers to follow in each individual situation. Therefore, officers must additionally be provided with policy guidelines to assist them in the necessary exercise of discretion, and the combination of policy and procedures reinforced by training acts to provide officers with a structurally sound framework within which to function.
In addition to developing standing procedures, the department must regularly devise single-use plans to accommodate specific needs. These plans may involve a department-wide response to a major unusual occurrence or a tactical answer to an isolated police incident. Once executed, such plans should be evaluated for the development of standing procedures or for future reference in analogous situations.