Criminal Justice: A Brief Introduction -- Chapter 4

Sheriff

The elected chief officer of a county law enforcement agency. The sheriff is usually responsible for law enforcement in unincorporated areas and for the operation of the county jail.

Team policing

The reorganization of conventional patrol strategies into "an integrated and versatile police team assigned to a fixed district."

CompStat

A crime-analysis and police-management process built on crime mapping that was developed by the New York City Police Department in the mid- 1990's.

Sworn officer

A law enforcement officer who is trained and empowered to perform full police duties, such as making arrests, conduction investigations, and carrying firearms.

Chain of command

The unbroken line of authority that extends through all levels of an organization, from the highest to the lowest.

Evidence-based policing

The use of the best available research on the outcomes of police work to implement guidelines and evaluate agencies, units, and officers.

Quality-of-life offense

a minor violation of the law (sometimes called a petty crime ) that demoralizes community residents and business people . Quality-of life offenses involve acts that create physical disorder (for example excessive noise or vandalism) or that reflect social decay (for example panhandling and prostitution).

Staff operations

In police organizations, activities (such as administration and training) that provide support for line operations.

Line operations

In police organizations, the field activities or supervisory activities directly related to day-to-day police work.

Span of control

The number of police personnel or the number of units supervised by a particular officer.

Police discretion

The opportunity of law enforcement officers to exercise choice in their daily activities.

Municipal police department

A city- or town- based law enforcement agency.

Broken window

A model of policing based on the notion that physical decay, such as litter and abandoned buildings, can breed disorder in a community and can lead to crime by signaling that laws are not being enforced. The broken windows thesis suggests that by encouraging the repair of rundown buildings and controlling disorderly behavior in public spaces, police agencies can create an environment in which serious crime cannot easily flourish.

Fusion Center

A multiagency law enforcement facility designed to enhance cooperative efforts through a coordinated process for collecting, sharing, and analyzing information in order to develop actionable intelligence.

Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA)

A now-defunct federal agency established under Title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to funnel federal funding to state and local law enforcement agencies.

Directed patrol

A police-management strategy designed to increase the productivity of patrol officers through the scientific analysis and evaluation of patrol techniques.

Watchman style

A style of policing marked by a concern for order maintenance. It is a characteristic of lower-class communities where police intervene informally into the lives of residents to keep the peace.

Service style

A style of policing marked by a concern with helping rather than strict enforcement. Service-oriented police agencies are more likely to use community resources to supplement traditional law enforcement activities than are other types of agencies.

Legalistic style

A style of policing marked by a strict concern with enforcing the precise letter of the law. Legalistic departments may take a hands-off approach to disruptive or problematic behavior that does not violate the criminal law.

Problem-solving policing

A type of policing that assumes that many crimes are caused by existing social conditions within the community and that crimes can be controlled by uncovering and effectively addressing underlying social problems. Problem-solving policing makes use of community resources, such as counseling centers, welfare programs, and job-training facilities. It also attempts to involve citizens in crime prevention through education, negotiation, and conflict management.

Strategic policing

A type of policing that retains the traditional police goal of professional crime fighting but enlarges the enforcement target to include nontraditional kinds of criminals, such as serial offenders, gangs and criminal associations, drug-distribution networks, and sophisticated white-collar and computer criminals. Strategic policing generally makes use of innovative enforcement techniques, including intelligence operations, undercover stings, electronic surveillance, and sophisticated forensic methods.

Police-community relations (PCR)

An area of police activity that recognizes the need for the community and the police to work together effectively. PCR is based on the notion that the police derive their legitimacy from the community they serve. Many police agencies began to explore PCR in the 1960s and 1970s.

International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol)

An international law enforcement support organization that began operations in 1946 and today has 182 members.

Police management

The administrative activities of controlling, directing, and coordinating police personnel, resources, and activities in the service of crime prevention, the apprehension of criminals, the recovery of stolen property, and the performance of variety of regulatory and helping services.

Crime prevention

The anticipation, recognition, and appraisal of a crime risk and the initiation of action to eliminate or reduce it.

Scientific police management

The application of social science techniques to the study of police administration for the purpose off increasing effectiveness , reducing the frequency of citizen complaints, enhancing the efficient use of available resources.

Kansas City experiment

The first large-scale scientific study of law enforcement practices. Sponsored by the Police Foundation, it focused on the practice of preventive patrol.

Private protective services

an independent or proprietary commercial organization that provides protective services to employers on a contractual basis.

European Police Office (Europol)

the integrated police intelligence-gathering and information-dissemination arm of the member nations of the European union.