Police Problems and Practices Test 1
Abuse of Authority (Barker&Carter)
Any action by a police officer without regard to motive, intent, or malice 3 types: Physiological abuse Physical abuse Legal abuse
Ethical Policing is Courageous (EPIC)
Active bystandership: officers to intervene when they see something wrong Classroom training, role play, department-wide policies
Meat Eaters
Actively seeking opportunities for corruption
Social Contract
Agree to give up own right to use force in exchange for protection from victimization
Graham v. Connor (Final Frame)
Analysis of use of force incident should include only facts at the moment of the use of force Events leading up to use of force are irrelevant
London Metropolitan Police Act 1829
Created first formal police department Robert Peel
Police Misconduct
Crime Corruption Abuse of Authority
Police Crime
Crime committed by police in the course of executing their duty Off-duty crime not included
Suspicious person
Criminals, deserve professional treatment because they are rational Regular crooks
Environmental factors that influence police culture
Danger Coercive authority
Democratic Policing
Democracies emphasize government by the people
Rotten Barrel
Department has a corruption problem Level 2: most officers corrupt, operate independently Level 3: officers organized, create institutional corruption
Verbalization
Encouraging a type of behavior through words
Levels of Force (Crank 1988)
Mere presence Verbalization Command voice Firm grips Pain compliance Impact Techniques Deadly force
Tactics
Methods and techniques employed by officers to exercise legitimate control
Avoider
Misfit Hates police work`
Police Corrpution
Misuse of authority as a police officer For personal gain
Levels of Severity (Stoddard)
Mooching Chiseling Shakedown Premeditated theft
Persuasion
Use of symbols, words, and arguments to convince an individual to comply with the rules
BWC policy - when to activate?
Uses of force Searches Encounters that results in complaints
Command Voice
Using a more aggressive voice to encourage behavior (loud, colorful language)
Psychological Abuse
Verbal abuse, harassment, ridicule of a citizen by a police officer
Body-Worn Cameras (BWC)
Video recording device Mounted on the officer somewhere Aimed at decreasing police misconduct, use of force, and increasing transparency
Legal Abuse
Violation of legal statues or citizens rights Planting evidence, illegal searches, illegal interviews, testilying
Community Cooperation
Voluntary cooperation > physical coercion Need citizens to report & solve crimes
Additional def of force (Intermediate/less lethal weapons)
Weapons used by law enforcement that are not designed to be deadly
BWC policy - reports
When cameras aren't activated, police officers need to write in the reports why Valid: citizen requests not to be recorded or battery dies Not valid: officer forgot
Paoline's Police Culture
Where culture comes from What the culture prescribes The outcomes of police culture
Benefits of Warrior approach
Willing to face dangerous situations Partners back Elevated status
Fighting the code of silence
Truthfulness Mandatory reporting Retaliation Ethics training Complaint acceptance
Moral Career (Sherman)
1. Officer accepts minor gratuities 2. Officer provides something in return for gratuity 3. Officer seeks opportunities
Power
Ability to overcome resistance to authority
Physical Abuse
Assaulting a citizen, unnecessary force
Klockars Elements
Authority Power Persuasion Force
The way that tasks should be handled
Authority maintained at all times Success must be achieved at all costs due to potential risks to other officers
Perspective and Video Quality (BWCs)
Bad video/audio quality Cant see what officer or partner is doing It is like watching a baseball game through a straw
Passive Resistance
Behavior that is unresponsive to police verbal communication or direction and verbal resistance
BWCs - the silver bullet?
Being hailed as silver bullet to solve policing issues But it isn't - you must do other things to improve police department
Peelian Principles
Best outline the philosophy of democratic policing
Public Service
Catch all activity Serving the public interest Getting a cat out of a tree, welfare check
Why should pointing a firearm be considered a use of force?
Coercive Danger Removal of options
Sheriff
Collected taxes, served subpoenas Appointed by gov
Resistance (NOPD)
Compliant Passive Resistance Active Resistance Aggressive Resistance Aggravated Resistance
Compliant
Cooperative obedience in response to directions from law enforcement
Problems in early American polcing
Corruption Discrimination Riots Kerner Commission
Know Nothings
Everyday citizens Dont understand police work
BWC policy - how do we achieve that?
Expansive policy Should be activated during ANY emergency or investigative activity, call for service, or potential adversarial contact
Misconduct and BWCs
Fewer complaints will be filed wearing them Complaints easier to resolve is they wear them Research: complaints reduced
Warrior Officers
Focused on officer safety Soldier in battle against crime Prioritizes real police work Officers above citizens
Deadly Force
Force that is capable of killing the suspect
Sound Tactics
Gather information Consider risk factors Assemble resources Communicate Use time to your advantage COVER Negotiation skills
Dowd Test
Get officers to accept gifts, then increase the severity of offenses
Tythingmen
Group of 10 neighbors that looked after eachother
Tennessee v. Garner
Unconstitutional to use deadly force against unarmed, non-dangerous suspects No immediate threat to officers and no threat to others
Reciprocator
Hesitant to use force Eager to help Public service
Authority
Incontestable entitlement to be obeyed
Myth of Monolythic Police Culture
Increased diversity in policing Rise of community policing
Public Safety
Increasing safety in the community Reduce threats to citizens safety that don't have to be result of criminal activity Traffic control, emergency operations, crowd management
"Reportable" Use of Force Incidents
Indicates a level of seriousness This is where our data comes from
Code of Silence
Informal agreement among police officers to not report each other for misconduct
Problems with Warrior approach
Isolated societal position Real police work is not what they spend most of their time doing Over-sensitized to danger
Self-image
Law enforcer; separate class
Transparency (BWCs)
Laws aren't that transparent Lack of video or failure to release can create greater transparency issues for the department
Is police misconduct lower or higher in today's age?
Lower than it has been historically
Split Second Syndrome
No two incidents are the same Due to the effects of stress, mistakes should be expected
BWC policy - lessons learned
Not practical to have BWCs recording constantly Privacy concerns (recording in victims homes, informants, officers during private moments)
Excessive Force
Objectively reasonable in view of all facts and circumstance of each particular case There isn't an EXACT answer for this
Aggravated Resistance
Officer or another person is subject to imminent death or serious physical injury
Force Continuum
Officers able to escalate (move to more serious levels) or de-escalate (move to less serious levels) as necessary
Fleeing Felon Doctrine
Officers authorized to kill anyone who was suspected of a felony and fled from the police Based on English common law
Behaviorally (Code of Silence)
Officers frequently adhere to the code
Attitudinally (Code of Silence)
Officers frequently deny existence of the code and report unwillingness to adhere to it
Force and BWCs
Officers wearing them will use less force Officers wearing BWCs will use less excessive force Research: uses of force reduced
Rotten Apple
One or two bad officers in a good department Level 1 corruption
Complaints are rare (BWCs)
Only .70 per 1,000 encounters (Rialto study)
Uses of force are rare (BWCs)
Only .78 per 1,000 encounters (Rialto study)
Research - officers' perceptions of BWCs
Open and supportive Can improve citizen behavior Can improve their behavior Can improve fellow officers behaviors Won't impact their willingness to engage in policing activities
Grass Eaters
Passively accept what is offered and do nothing about it
A**holes
People who reject the police's definition of the situation Argumentative and difficult to deal with
Use of Force
Use of physical restraint by a police officer when dealing with a member of the public
Policing by consent
Philosophy of policing where the police derive their authority through the will of the people
Impact Techniques
Physical contact or the use of intermediate weapons (chemical spray/stunning weapons)
Force
Physical control to obtain compliance
Firm Grips
Physical grips on the boy directing a suspect when and where to move (not intended to cause pain)
Police as symbols of the state
Police are primary faces of the state in everyday life The values that police represent should represent the values of the state
Chiseling
Police demands for price discounts or free admission to events
How common is it for police to use force?
Police use force infrequently (about 1%) Lower end of the continuum
Community Engagement
Police-citizen interactions and improve relationships with the community Coffee with a cop, school programs
Benefits of Guardian
Positive citizen interactions Focused on public service (more realistic of how officers spend their time)
Why does policing get more attention?
Potential harm is greater: uses of force, arrest, humiliation, imprisonment
Mere presence
Presence of an officer deters dangerous behavior
Guardian Officers
Prioritizes service (public servant) Community partnerships essential Protecting citizens from harm
Crime Prevention
Progressive approach, same goal as LE Proactive activities that try to get individuals to not engage in criminal activities Increased police presence in high crime areas, burglary house checks
Attitudes towards the police
Propriety: interactions with police Endorsement: peer beliefs Authorization: family members
Transparency and BWCs
Public will view agencies that use these cameras more positively Research: legitimacy perceptions increased from 2014 to 2017
Evidence and BWCs
Quality of evidence being contributed to the department will improve when officers wear them Clearance rates will increase Research: rate of guilty verdicts in misdemeanor cases increased
William Ker Muir
Questioned singular approach to policing Four typologies: enforcer, professional, reciprocator, avoider Not supported by research
Tasks officers believe they should be involved in
Real police work Search, chase, & capture
Subjective Objectivity
Reasonableness must be judged from the perspective of a reasonable officer on scene, not hindsight
Mooching
Receiving free coffee or free meals Many don't perceive it as bad, not a policy violation in some agencies Is the discount voluntary? Businesses could feel pressure to give the discounts, you could feel pressure to not give them a speeding ticket
Compliance (BWCs)
Recording all the time not practical Possibility officers will fail to record - Accidental (forgot) or intentional (avoid recording misconduct)
Research Warriors vs. Guardians
Related concepts Warrior mindset emphasizes control Guardian mindset emphasizes communication Warrior mindset positive attitudes towards improper uses of force
Watch
Selected from the community and were tasked to raise the hue and cry
State Created Danger
Situations where officers respond with force in order to extricate themselves from danger that they created Poor tactics result in officers being required to use force for their own safety
Outcomes of police culture
Social isolation Group loyalty
Examples of police crime
Stealing money from resident when responding to a call Assaulting a citizen while in uniform
Aggressive Resistance
Subjects attempt to attack or an actual attack of an officer, exhibiting aggressive behavior
Active Resistance
Suspect that is between passive resistance and aggressive resistance Used when suspects flee
Prescriptions of police culture
Suspiciousness Maintain the edge Crime fighter (self-image)
Pain Compliance
Tactics that seek the suspects compliance by causing pain, don't result in lasting injuries
Shakedown
Taking expensive items and attributing it to criminal activity
Police Culture
The way officers see themselves They way officers see others The tasks officers believe are appropriate for the police to handle They way officers believe these should be handled
Enforcer
Traditional LE Good vs. bad guys Quick to use force
Law Enforcement
Traditional role Enforce federal, state, and local laws Making arrests
Other sources of police culture
Training academy FTO Peers
Professional
Works within bounds of law Persuasion used to accomplish goals