Ch.6 Policing: Issues and Challenges
Police corruption
The abuse of police authority for personal or organizational gain
POST program
The official program of a state or legislative jurisdiction that sets standards for the training of law enforcement officers
Biological weapons
A biological agent used to threaten human life for example, anthrax, smallpox, or any other infectious diseases.
1983 lawsuit
A civil suit brought under Title 42, Section 1983, of the U.S. Code against anyone who denies others their constitutional right to life, liberty, or property without due process of law.
Bivens action
A civil suit, based on the case of Bivens v. Six Unknown Federal Agents, brought against federal government officials for denying the constitutional rights of others.
Knapp Commission
A committee that investigated police corruption in New York City in the early 1970's.
Problem police officer
A law enforcement officer who exhibits problem behavior, as indicated by high rates of citizen complaints and use-of-force incidents and by other evidence.
Police Subculture
A particular set of values, beliefs, and acceptable forms of behavior characteristic of American police. Socialization into the police subculture begins with recruit training and continues thereafter.
Less-lethal weapon
A weapon that is designed to disable, capture, or immobilize - but not kill - a suspect. Occasional deaths do result from the use of such weapons, however
Police working personality
All aspects of the traditional values and patterns of behavior evidenced by police officers who have been effectively socialized into the police subculture. Characteristics of the police personality often extend to the personal lives of law enforcement personnel.
NLETS
An acronym referring to the International Justice and Public Safety Information Sharing Network, an important law enforcement information-sharing resource.
Racial profiling
Any police-initiated action that relies on the race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender or religion, rather than (1) the behavior of an individual, or (2) information that leads the police to a individual who has been identified as being, or having been, engaged in criminal activity.
Deadly force
Force likely to cause death or great bodily harm. Also, "the intentional use of a firearm or other instrument resulting in a high probability of death."
Criminal intelligence
Information compiled, analyzed, or disseminated in an effort to anticipate, prevent, or monitor criminal activity.
Identify some of the issues related to ethnic and gender diversity in policing.
Issues that are related to ethnic and gender diversity in policing some groups might not be accepting to new recruits who are different than everyone else in the department. Another issue that is related to these factors are females may not be appreciated for their service and officers in that department may dislike the changes that woman is trying to bring.
Describe police liability issues associated with policing, including common sources of civil suits against the police.
Police liability that is associated with policing is civil liability, and federal lawsuits. The common sources of civil suits are failure to protect property in police custody, negligence in the care of suspects in police custody, failure to render proper emergency medical assistance, failure to prevent a foreseeable crime, failure to aid private citizens, lack of due regard for the safety of others, false arrest, false imprisonment, inappropriate use of deadly force, unnecessary assault or battery, malicious prosecution, violation of constitutional rights, pattern of unfair and inequitable treatment, and racial profiling.
Is police work a profession? What are the views of viewing policing as a profession? How can police professionalism be enhanced?
Police work is a profession because it's specialized knowledge in policing includes a close familiarity with criminal law, law procedure, constitutional guarantees, and relevant Supreme Court decisions. Police professionalism can be enhanced by education, training, making sure to read department policies.
What is the police working personality? What are its central features? How does it develop? How does it relate to police subculture?
Police working personality is all aspects of the traditional values and patterns of behavior evidenced by police officers who have been effectively socialized into the police subculture. The central features of police working personality are authoritarian, suspicious nature, and conservative. These central features develop are some of these characteristics already exist in the individual and draws them towards police work. Also, some individuals with conservative backgrounds view themselves as defenders of middle-class morality. Police working personality relates to police subculture when it comes to socialization that rookie officers who experience subculture are experienced when they are inducted into police ranks. Another relation is police subculture is a relatively stable collection of beliefs and values just like police working personality is.
Civil liability
Potential responsibility for payment of damages or other court-ordered enforcement as a result of a ruling in a lawsuit.
Demonstrate why professionalism and ethics are important in policing today.
Professionalism and ethics are important in policing today because they are the guidelines and rules for law enforcement officers. If these didn't exist people would start to fear the police, and police professionalism and ethics both share responsibility to adhere to moral duty and obligation that is required in police work.
Describe racial profiling and biased policing, including why they have become significant issues in policing.
Racial profiling has been defined as any police action initiated because of the race, ethnicity, or national origin of a suspect rather than on behavior of that individual or on information that identifies the individual as being, or having been, engaged in criminal activity. Biased policing is police practices that intentionally use prejudiced judgments, based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, economic status, religious beliefs or ages. These two factors have become significant issues in policing due to the rise of police shootings on either innocent people, or police brutality. Another reason is because officers scan the environment for anomalies to normalcy—for conditions, people and behavior that are unusual for that environment. And by learning and practicing this craft, officers quickly develop a sense for what is normal and expected, and conversely, for what is not.
What is racial profiling? Why has it become a significant issue in policing today?
Racial profiling is any police-initiated action that relies on the race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender or religion, rather than (1) the behavior of an individual, or (2) information that leads the police to an individual who has been identified as being, or having been, engaged in criminal activity. This factor has become a significant issue in policing due to the rise of police shootings on either innocent people, or police brutality. Another reason is because officers scan the environment for anomalies to normalcy—for conditions, people and behavior that are unusual for that environment. And by learning and practicing this craft, officers quickly develop a sense for what is normal and expected, and conversely, for what is not.
What are some of the civil liability issues associated with policing? How can civil liability be reduced?
Some of the civil liability issues that are associated with policing are racial profiling, violation of constitutional rights, false arrest or imprisonment, failure to aid private citizens, etc. Civil liability can be reduced by doing background checks when hiring new recruits, make them go through a monthly drug test, hand over written reports about the crime or case to their supervisor.
Excessive force
The application of an amount or frequency of force greater than that required to compel compliance from a willing or unwilling subject
Internal affairs
The branch of a police organization tasked with investigating charges of wrongdoing involving members of the department.
Describe the challenged role of American police in the post-9/11 environment.
The challenged role of American police in a post-9/11 environment is to help prevent attacks and respond when attacks do occur—with offering critical evacuation, emergency medical, and security functions to help stabilize communities following an incident. In response to those incidents federal, state, and local agencies strengthen their liaisons (including fire departments and other police departments), by refining their training and emergency response plans, by creating anti-terrorism divisions, and in several other ways.
intelligence-led policing
The collection and analysis of information to produce an intelligence end product designed to inform police decision making at both the tactical and strategic levels.
What are the dangers of police work? What can be done to reduce those dangers?
The dangers of police work are violence in the line of duty, risk of disease and infected evidence, and stress and fatigue. To reduce these dangers police officers can exercise, mediation, deep breathing, biofeedback, self-hypnosis, guided imaging, induced relaxation, subliminal conditioning, music, prayer, and diet.
Describe the dangers, conflicts, challenges, and sources of stress that police officers face in their work.
The dangers, conflicts, challenges, and sources of stress that officers face in their work is caused by traumatic events such as violent confrontations, terrorist attacks, and the death of someone. The dangers of these stress factors can turn destructive, police officers start questioning their professional lives. The conflicts that stress brings to an officer is the frustration, the crux of police making arrests based on thorough investigations that leads to the convictions and removal of individuals who are damaging the social fabric of the community. The challenges of stress on police officers is the desperate attempts to find relief, also helping the officer's family dealing with stress. Another challenge would be the "macho" attitude that has traditionally associated with police work, also the officer denying that he or she is dealing with that stress. Finally, the sources of that stress can come from violent confrontations, damage done by natural disasters, or issues rising from home with their relationship.
Describe different types of police corruption and possible methods for building police integrity.
The different types of police corruption are violent crimes, denial of civil rights, criminal enterprise, property crimes, major bribes, role malfeasance, being above "Inconvenient Laws," minor bribes, playing favorites, and gratuities. The possible methods for building police integrity can be improving the way departments hire and train officers in ethics and cultural awareness, collecting data to track traffic stops and other encounters with citizens, and soliciting community input through citizen review boards, ombudsmen or community problem-solving initiatives.
What are the different types of police corruption? What themes run through the findings of the Knapp Commission and the Wickersham Commission? What innovative steps might police departments take to reduce or eliminate corruption among their officers?
The different types of police corruption are violent crimes, denial of civil rights, criminal enterprise, property crimes, major bribes, role malfeasance, being above "Inconvenient Laws," minor bribes, playing favorites, and gratuities. The themes that run through the Knapp and Wickersham Commissions is police corruption is only going to get worse if the higher police authorities or legislators don't do anything to stop it. The innovative steps police departments take to reduce or eliminate corruption can be improving the way departments hire and train officers in ethics and cultural awareness, collecting data to track traffic stops and other encounters with citizens, and soliciting community input through citizen review boards, ombudsmen or community problem-solving initiatives.
What ethnic gender differences characterize policing today? What is the social significance of this diversity?
The ethnic gender differences that characterize policing today is achieving different ranks in the police department, the different ethnicities that work in today's departments. Moreover, how women are still underrepresented in their departments. The social significance of this diversity is that police officer today are generally accepting recruits and integrate into their leadership roles. Women are starting to take control of their police careers in their own hands and create a group where different female police officers can discuss what more they can do to succeed and enhance their precincts.
Summarize the guidelines for using force and for determining when excessive force has been used.
The guidelines for using force and for determining when excessive force has been used are dependent on the decisions to use force, including how much force to use are within the discretion of individual police officers. Another guideline for using force is law enforcement officers are authorized to use only the amount of force that is reasonable and necessary given the circumstances facing them. For determining when excessive force has been used if the activities of the police are under public scrutiny and receives the attention from the media and legislators. Also, another way to figure out if excessive force has been used if the members of the public filed a lawsuit against the police department if they think they have been treated unfairly.
Police Professionalism
The increasing formalization of police work and the accompanying rise in public acceptance of the police.
Describe the police working personality, relating it to police subculture.
The police working personality is all aspects of traditional values and patterns of behavior evidenced by police officers who have been effectively socialized into the police subculture. Police working personality relates to police subculture it when comes to the customs, laws, and morality that shields the police work's knowledge of the nature of police personality.
In what kinds of situations are police officers most likely to use force? When has too much force been used?
The situations that police officers most likely to use force is arrests, disturbance, domestic, traffic stop, drunk/disorderly, and investigation. It has become too much when it catches the attention of the public, media, and legislators. Also, the action results in a lawsuit by members of the public who feel they have been treated unfairly.
Police ethics
The special responsibility to adhere to moral duty and obligation that is inherent in police work.
How has the threat of terrorist attack affected American policing today? Are American police agencies prepared to prevent and respond to terrorism? Explain?
The threat of terrorist attacks affected American policing today by helping to prevent attacks and respond when attacks do occur—with offering critical evacuation, emergency medical, and security functions to help stabilize communities following an incident. In response to those incidents federal, state, and local agencies strengthen their liaisons (including fire departments and other police departments), by refining their training and emergency response plans, by creating anti-terrorism divisions, and in several other ways. American police agencies are not fully prepared to prevent and respond to terrorism, because even though the large police departments are fully equipped to face such a threat, small departments may have only some of the equipment to be successful.
Police use of force
The use of physical restraint by a police officer when dealing with a member of the public.