Policing in rural areas is becoming an increasingly expensive proposition as standards for police officers improve and also as gangs and predatory criminals become more mobile and recognize that small-city and small-town police are ill prepared to deal with either swift hit-and-run crimes or more long-term invasions. Policing is the act of police men and women patrolling a certain area on any given day or time. Due to the expenses different cities and states are imposed on, policing can become expenses because of the crime rates they are dealing with.