EFFECTIVE LAW ENFORCEMENT REQUIRES CHANGE IN COMMON POLICE PATROL METHODS, WHICH GENERALLY ASSIGN PATROL UNITS TO CERTAIN TIME SHIFTS AND GEOGRAPHIC AREAS. ALTHOUGH THIS SYSTEM IS SUPPOSED TO EQUALIZE PERSONNEL WORKLOAD, FIX GEOGRAPHIC RESPONSIBILITIES, AND ALLOW THE OFFICER TO PROVIDE TOTAL POLICE SERVICE TO THOSE ON HIS BEAT, FREQUENT INTERBEAT DISPATCHING IS PRACTICED AND TENDS TO UNDERMINE INDIVIDUAL PATROLLING. PERSONNEL CONFLICTS, DELAYED RESPONSES TO POLICE-RELATED CALLS, AND UNEVEN WORKLOADS ARE THE RESULTS. THE STRUCTURAL DESIGN AND INTERNAL SOCIAL PROCESSES OF A STANDARD PATROL ORGANIZATION DO NOT MEET THE PRACTICAL DEMANDS OF GEOGRAPHICALLY FLUCTUATING WORKLOAD DISTRIBUTIONS. MODERN ALTERNATIVES TO THE STANDARD PATRAL SYSTEM ARE BASED ON THE CONCEPT OF TEAM POLICING. FIGURES DEPICTING CONTRASTING MODELS BETWEEN STANDARD AND TEAM PATROL DEPLOYMENT SHOW THAT EACH TEAM IS COMPRISED OF WHAT WERE PREVIOUSLY TWO BEATS. THE COMMON GOAL IS TO IMPROVE CRIME CONTROL THROUGH BETTER COMMUNITY RELATIONS AND MORE EFFICIENT ORGANIZATION OF PERSONNEL. HOWEVER, MANY OF THE PROBLEMS THAT PLAGUE THE STANDARD PATROL UNITS ARE ALSO EVIDENT IN TEAM POLICING, AND, DUE TO INTERTEAM DISPATCH, ENDURING POLICE AND COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIPS DO NOT FORM. ANY FUTURE SYSTEM MUST COPE WTH PUBLIC DEMAND FOR NONENFORCEMENT-RELATED POLICE ACTIVITY, AND SHOULD INCORPORATE DECISIONMAKING IN THE FIELD IN TERMS OF PERSONNEL DEPLOYMENT. TO THIS END, THE AUTHOR PROPOSES 'FUNCTIONAL TEAM POLICING' (FTP): INSTEAD OF PATROL UNITS WORKING WITHIN TERRITORIAL BEATS, RESPONSE UNITS WOULD HANDLE SPECIFIC, FUNCTION-BASED POLICE PROBLEMS THROUGHOUT A PRECINCT. FOUR TYPES OF PATROL RESPONSIBILITIES ARE DEFINED: (1) CONFLICT MANAGEMENT; (2) ANTICRIME; (3) SAFETY ENFORCEMENT; AND (4) PATROL SUPPORT. PERSONNEL AND ROLE CONFLICTS WOULD BE ELIMINATED, AS EACH OFFICER WOULD BE A SPECIALIST AND NOT INCLINED TO FEEL POSSESSIVE OF A GIVEN TERRITORY. HOWEVER, A NATURAL TENDENCY FOR UNITS TO ISOLATE THEMSELVES ALONG FUNCTIONAL LINES MAY DEVELOP; THIS COULD LEAD TO A POTENTIALLY DESTRUCTIVE SITUATION. PROBLEMS MIGHT ALSO ARISE WITH SELECTING THE RIGHT OFFICERS FOR THE DIFFERENT JOBS AND WITH SUPERVISING PATROL UNITS NO LONGER GEOGRAPHICALLY RESTRICTED. FUNCTIONAL SPECIALISTS WOULD PROBABLY HANDLE LESS NONENFORCEMENT CALLS FOR SERVICE THAN IN OTHER SYSTEMS, AND WORKLOAD DISTRIBUTION DIFFICULTIES COULD BE ALLEVIATED BY A PROPORTIONATE DISTRIBUTION OF DIFFERENT FUNCTIONAL SPECIALISTS ACCORDING TO CRIME PATTERNS. THE AUTHOR URGES DEVELOPING AND EMPIRICALLY TESTING ALTERNATIVE PATROL PROCEDURES. DEVELOPING AND EMPIRICALLY TESTING ALTERNATIVE PATROL PROCEDURES.