Beat (police)

In police terminology, a beat is the territory that a police officer is assigned to patrol. Beats are used to effectively divide available officers across a law enforcement agency's jurisdiction, ensuring organized police presence across a wide area.^[1]

"Beat" often refers to specifically foot patrols or bicycle patrols, though "beat" can also be used to simply describe a designated area patrolled by a police officer through any means, such as an officer in a police car or police aircraft.^[1] "Police beat" is also used by news media to refer to reports on local crimes and police incidents, often crime reports detailing recent incidents and arrests handled by local law enforcement.