Chapter 6

1. Chapter 6 Policing: Roles, Styles, and Functions

2. 6.1 Policing in America Meeting a local police officer is the only personal experience most Americans have with the criminal justice system.

3. The Roles of the Police • What Americans expect from the police depends on how we view their rolein society. • Different people have different role expectations for the local police. • When the public’s expectation’s differ from the official police role, officers may suffer role conflict.

4. role The rights and responsibilities associated with a particular position in society. role expectations The behavior and actions that people expect from a person in a particular role. continued…

5. role conflict The psychological stress and frustration that results from trying to perform two or more incompatible responsibilities.

6. The Roles of the Police Not everyone views the role of the police in the same way. The majority of perspectives consider that the police: are community leaders in public safety. possess broad discretion. solve sociological and technological problems for people on a short-term basis. occasionally serve in a hostile or dangerous environment.

7. Characteristics of Police Work Police work requires a combination of special characteristics. Police work involves: • Quick decision-making – have to make split- second decisions (delay could mean death) • Working independently – patrol alone after roll call • “Dirty work” – unpleasant work such as viewing mangled bodies, delivering bad news, rude people • Danger – must be on alert - dangerous situations

8. Operational Styles After police officers are trained and begin to gain experience, it is believed they develop operational styles. If this is true, it means a department has not been successful in its effort to systematically train and deploy officers with the same philosophy and practical approach.

9. operational styles The different overall approaches to the police job.

10. Operational Styles One of the earliest scholars to report on the existence of policing styles was James Q. Wilson. He found three styles: • Legalistic: an emphasis on violations of law, and the use of threats or actual arrests to solve disputes. • Watchman: an emphasis on informal means of resolving disputes. continued…

11. Operational Styles • Service: an emphasis on helping the community, as opposed to enforcing the law.

12. Operational Styles A number of other scholars have tried to categorize policing styles. In practice, it is difficult to categorize police officers, because each officer reacts differently depending on the situation.

13. 6.2 Police Functions The list of functions that police are expected to carry out is long and varies from place to place. There are some similarities in major police departments.

14. ** Patrol Patrol is called the backbone of the department by administrators. It is the most time-consuming and resource-intensive task officers undertake.

15. Patrol Patrol duties include: • Responding to burglar alarms • Investigating traffic accidents • Caring for injured people • Trying to resolve domestic disputes • Responding to radio calls

16. Preventive Patrol Traditionally, police officers use the time between radio calls to participate in preventive patrol. In the 1960s, people began to question the usefulness of preventive patrol.

17. preventive patrol Patrolling the streets with little direction; between responses to radio calls, officers are “systematically unsystematic” and observant in an attempt to both prevent and ferret out crime. Also known as random patrol.

18. Directed Patrol • Another strategy is directed patrol. Evidence shows directed patrol can reduce the incidence of targeted crimes such as thefts from autos and robberies. • Directed patrol can be aided by crime mapping.

19. directed patrol Patrolling under guidance or orders on how to use patrol time. crime mapping A technique that involves the charting of crime patterns within a geographic area.

20. Aggressive Patrol • A strategy that can result in arrests for both minor and serious offenses is aggressive patrol. • This strategy has drawbacks: • Innocent citizen are inconvenienced by random traffic stops and field interrogations. • It is often difficult to get all officers motivated to use aggressive tactics.

21. aggressive patrol The practice of having an entire patrol section make numerous traffic stops and field interrogations. field interrogations A temporary detention in which officers stop and question pedestrians and motorists they find in suspicious circumstances.

22. Foot Patrol The practice of having officers patrol their beats on foot has regained popularity recently. While foot patrols have not been proven to be a significant deterrent to crime, they have significantly improved relationships between citizens and officers.

23. Investigation Detectives may be the most glorified police officers, but they are only one unit. There are many forms of investigation in any police department, from hit-and-run accidents, to undercover vice investigations, to background checks on potential police officers.

24. What is Criminal Investigation? Criminal investigation has been defined as a lawful search for people and things to reconstruct the circumstances of an illegal act, apprehend or determine the guilty party, and aid in the state’s prosecution of the offender.

25. What is Criminal Investigation? The criminal investigation process has two parts: • Preliminary investigation: usually by patrol officers (except in the case of homicide, or other complex investigations). • Follow-up investigation: usually by plainclothes detectives.

26. Investigative Functions In any type of investigation, investigators must: • Locate witnesses and suspects • Arrest criminals • Collect, preserve, and analyze evidence • Interview witnesses continued…

27. Investigative Functions • Interrogate suspects • Write reports • Recover stolen property • Seize contraband • Prepare cases and testify in court

28. The Role of the Detective Detectives enjoy several advantages over patrol officers: • They do not have to wear uniforms. • They have anonymity during work hours if they choose it. • They have steady work hours, often during daytime hours with weekends off. • They have offices and desks. continued…

29. The Role of the Detective • They enjoy the prestige associated with the position. • In many agencies, detectives receive higher compensation and hold a higher rank. • They have more freedom than patrol officers.

30. Productivity Despite the advantages, detectives often face insurmountable obstacles and stressful work conditions: • Crimes can be very difficult to solve. • Witnesses who could help often don’t want to get involved. • Even with hard work, the success rate can be very low.

31. Recent Identification Developments in Criminal Investigation Two of the most significant advances in criminal investigation have been the development of: • Fingerprinting • DNA profiling

32. DNA Profiling • DNA profiling can identify a suspect or victim’s unique genetic profile from blood, hair, semen, or other bodily substances. • DNA profiling is used for: • Linking or eliminating suspects to a crime. • Identifying “cold hits” by matching a sample from a crime scene to a database. • Clearing convicted rapists and murderers.

33. Automated Fingerprint Identification System An expensive but invaluable tool in criminal investigation is the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS). This technology allows investigators to sort through thousands of sets of fingerprints for a match.

34. Cybercrime • Cybercrimeis of increasing concern to law enforcement officials, with related losses totaling $10 billion each year. Cybercrime The use of computer technology to commit crime.

35. Cybercrime • Cybercrime can be very easy to commit, particularly sex crimes and illegally accessing and destroying data. • At present, most law enforcement agencies are ill prepared to detect, investigate, and prosecute cybercriminals.

36. Traffic Each year, nearly twice as many people are killed in automobile accidents on the streets and highways of America as are murdered. • Many deaths are alcohol-related. • Traffic enforcement and accident investigation is so important some agencies have traffic accident investigation crews.

37. Problem Solving For problem solving to work effectively, the police need to devote time and attention to discovering a community’s concerns, and they need to recognize the validity of those concerns.

38. Police Recruitment and Selection Police departments should hire the type of officers the community wants, but deciding what the community wants is a difficult task involving different people with different opinions. Selection decisions have momentous long-term implications for a police department.

39. Education • The average level of education in policing today is nearly two years of college. • College-educated police officers perform better on the job than less educated officers. • As a result, Ohio developed college academies.

40. college academies Schools where students pursue a program that integrates an associate’s degree curriculum in law enforcement or criminal justice with the state’s required peace officer training.

41. Successful Recruiting Practices Successful recruiting practices include: • Going to colleges, neighborhood centers, and schools in minority communities • Using television, radio, and newspaper advertisements continued…

42. Successful Recruiting Practices • Working with local employment agencies • Demystifying the nature of police work and the selection process • Shortening the time from application to final selection

43. Public Safety Officers Other promising recruitment strategies have been: • the employment of 18-year-olds as public safety officers • police cadet programs • high school technical preparation programs

44. public safety officers Police department employees who perform many police services but do not have arrest powers. police cadet programs A program that combines a college education with agency work experience and academy training. Upon graduation, a cadet is promoted to police officer. continued…

45. technical preparation A program in which area community colleges and high schools team up to offer six to nine hours of college law enforcement courses in the 11th and 12th grades, as well as one or two training certifications, such as police dispatcher or local corrections officer. Students who graduate are eligible for police employment at age 18.

46. Police Corps Another recruiting program is the Police Corps. This federal program was created as part of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to increase the number of police with advanced education and training in the community

47. The Police Selection Process • In many communities, selection of police officers is through a merit system. • Officers employed under such a system are hired and tenured (theoretically) if they meet and maintain the employment qualifications and performance standards. • They cannot be fired without cause.

48. merit system A system of employment whereby an independent civil service commission, in cooperation with the city personnel section and the police department, sets employment qualifications, performance standards, and discipline procedures.

49. The Police Selection Process The police officer selection process often includes: • Short application • Detailed application, including complete work history, references, and medical profile • Medical examination continued…

50. The Police Selection Process • Physical ability test • Written examination • Background investigation • Psychological testing • Oral interview