In private sector, there’s a practice known as MBWA; “managing by walking (or wandering) around” according to WikiPedia is “The management by wandering around (MBWA), also management by walking around, refers to a style of business management which involves managers wandering around, in an unstructured manner, through the workplace(s), at random, to check with employees, or equipment, about the status of ongoing work.”

The world’s changed a lot since police officers regularly walked a beat. They were seen in the community. Citizens could and would interact with them.

Curiously, schools seem to embrace the same philosophy with the introduction of “school resource officers” who do similar walking around and interacting with students.

By walking around and being seen by community members, police are supposed to become more identifiable protectors and defenders of the law. Sergeants did that same kind of service in the military, as did hall monitors in elementary schools. Visibility helps to create and reinforce trust and confidence in societies’ systems.

Today’s Reading Eagle reports, “Pottstown reorganizes police force to boost community response.”