Characterized by police responses to incidents when assistance is specifically requested is described as which orientation?

• A. Reactive
• B. Proactive
• C. Procedural Law
• D. Rule of Law

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is how police initiate their actions. A reactive orientation means the department answers to incidents as they occur and when someone explicitly asks for help. It’s driven by calls for service, emergencies, and citizen requests, so actions are triggered by external prompts rather than the agency actively seeking out crime or problems to address.

Proactive policing, by contrast, focuses on preventing crime and addressing potential issues before they escalate—through activities like visible patrols, community engagement, and problem-solving. Procedural Law and Rule of Law describe legal frameworks and governance, not how police organize their response to incidents. So the description fits a reactive orientation best.