Police Process Exam #3

Issues associated with police honesty and deception

For police work deception and even sometimes lying is part of the job, like with interrogations, but there is a line between legal and illegal deception, like writing a police report.

Frequency of felonious and accidental deaths to officers, trends and patterns, FBI statistics

In most years there are more officer deaths due to accidents than there are due to murder, with about 50 officers being murdered per year.

Circumstances of police vehicle accidents

Vehicle accidents are most often associated with accident deaths --> most hazardous.

Meaning of "police corruption"

"Misuse of authority for personal gain", meaning excessive force is not included.

Patterns regarding police use of force (e.g., who uses it most often)

A small percentage of officers in a PD account for a majority of force incidents

Early Intervention Systems

An information management system designed to monitor the performances of officers and identify those officers who show at-risk behaviors.

Code of secrecy, code of silence

An unwritten rule of the police culture that holds officers should not report the misconduct of fellow officers.

Frequency of sexual harassment in policing

Between 53% and 77% of female officers have experienced at least one sexually harassing behavior in their policing careers.

Types of force and likelihood of officer/subject injuries

Bodily force is the most common type of physical force and the most likely to result in officer and subject injuries.

Effectiveness of body armor

Body armor is not Bullet proof but bullet resistant, distributing the force of the bullet throughout the vest. Once struck with gunfire they are no longer effective.

Body armor as standard equipment

Body armor is required by most police departments today, with their cost declining.

Stress vs. burnout

Burnout is a prolonged response to stress; overwhelmed, hopeless, emotionally exhausted

Frequency of citizen complaints

Citizens complaints are uncommon, with research showing 3% of people who reported seeing police misbehaving actually filed a complaint.

Most common "stressors" in police work

Common stressors are: Killing someone, other officers dying, being attacked, using force, a high-speed pursuit, shift work, etc.

When is force most often used

Force is most often used in arrest situations when the subject is "resisting" or not listening to commands.

Continuum of force, and its limitations

Limits: Needs to be specific enough to guide action, consider subjects resistance, and consider "threat assessments".

Methods of measuring police misconduct, limitations

Methods include: Self-report surveys, citizens complaints filed, number of lawsuits filed, media reports, and decertification statistics.

Frequency of officer injuries by cause (accident, assault)

Most officer injuries are caused by accidents not assaults, with 50% due to complete accidents and 10% due to assaults.

Of all injuries to officers, frequency of serious injuries

Of all incidents, serious injuries are uncommon (5%).

Types of force, and frequency of

Officers Presence --> Verbal Command --> Control Talk, Hands-On Techniques --> Bodily Force --> Impact Weapons --> Deadly Force | (Decreases as it goes up)

Frequency of PTSD in officers

Officers have a 7% to 19% chance of having PTSD depending on the study.

Less-than-lethal forms of force

Pepper spray, Tasers, etc.

Relative frequency of police suicide

Police officers are no more likely to commit suicide than demographically comparable people in other occupations.

Frequency of force vs. all arrests

Police use of force, especially at the higher end of the continuum, is relatively infrequent, with approximately 2-3% of arrests involving physical use of force.

Risks of police vehicle pursuits

Police vehicle pursuits are extremely dangerous and stressful, with 5% of vehicle accidents results from pursuits.

Policing as a dangerous occupation, rankings

Policing is dangerous but does not rank among the top 10 most dangerous jobs.

Actual danger vs. perceptions of danger

Policing is dangerous but it is not simply because or murders and assaults, as these incidents are relatively uncommon.

Stressors by shift

The 3rd shift ("nights") disrupts the circadian rhythm and causes overall health issues, with rotating shifts being especially problematic.

Tallies on number of citizens killed by the police

The FBI doesn't keep track of the number of citizens killed by police officers but news stations like Washington Post do.

Noble cause corruption

There is no such thing as "Nobel Cause" corruption, corruption as corruption.

How to reduce dangers/risks of police work

Training and equipment can mitigate but not eliminate the dangers of the job. (don't need to be in too speed when responding to emergency's)

21-foot rule, and its limitations

Used a guideline for the use of force, with a 21-foot boundary allowing for an officer to draw their weapon, with potential vs. actual threat analysis.

Suicide by Cop, characteristics and frequency of incidents

When a subject takes deliberate actions to get shot by the police, with frequencies varying from 11-80%.

Rankings about police honesty and ethics

When looking at surveys about honesty and ethical standers, police officers are seen to be on the more positive side of the continuum.

Characteristics of people upon whom deadly force is most often used

White Males.