Chp 2 Police Culture Flashcards
START
________, common components that come into play in context of this textbook include morals customs and norms
Culture
A __________Is a group that shares and overall culture of society but also has its own distinctive values norms and lifestyle
Subculture
Robertson defines __________ as share rules or guidelines that prescribed the behavior appropriate in a given situation
Norms
__________ can be used to increase effectiveness and efficiency or it can be turned to managerial sabotage.
Informal organization
Solidarity:
The operating norm is ___________.
“ You are never alone.”
Social Isolation The perception of a________is part of what makes police officers feel alone. Officers carry a gun and arrest people. They know they can trust a cop but never an outsider.
hostile public
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE POLICE SUBCULTURE A. B. Hollingshead has given us the basic definition of a vocational subculture and its major characteristics: “ a group of specialists recognized by society, as well as by themselves, who possess an identifiable complex of c_______, v_____, c_________ (argot or other symbols), t_______, and a________.”
common culture, values, communication devices ( argot or other symbols), techniques, and appropriate behavior patterns
Police officers in every region of the nation have developed an argot (meaning? _______) that is generally not shared by outsiders.
( specialized vocabulary of a profession)
Much of police argot revolves around ( 1) c_______, ( 2) w______________, and ( 3) c_______________. Examples of argot from the major police forces have become well known. In the New York City Police Department ( NYPD), officers may have a _____ ( a highly placed police official) who can help them out if they get caught _________( sleeping on duty). In other departments, the rabbi might be called a _____or a _____. Argot from the black community also creeps in, such as when a rabbi becomes a _______.
(1) citations to the penal law, ( 2) words and phrases that are coded and phrased so that they can be heard without ambiguity over a radio, and ( 3) criminal and street jargon laced liberally with obscenities.
rabbi
cooping
hook
horse
main man
_____________ Hollingshead’s second major characteristic of a vocational subculture is an excellent description of what researchers refer to as the transition from the police academy recruit to police officer, which he calls “ the acquisition by initiates of the body of _______ and appropriate behavior patterns before the novices are accepted by the initiated”.
Esoteric Knowledge
Esoteric Knowledge
Characteristics of the Police Subculture A\_\_\_\_\_ E\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ C\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ I\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ S\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ S\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ P\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
Argot Esoteric Knowledge Cynicism Internal Sanctions Solidarity Social Isolation Perception of Violence and Psychological Distance
Esoteric Knowledge The objective of the police academy, over and above teaching basic knowledge and skills, is to instill into the recruit an acceptance of the _________.
police role model
Cynicism:
In Behind the Shield , Arthur Niederhoffer showed the stages of cynicism as the police recruit moves from the idealistic role models of the police academy to the street. The first stage, ________, occurs at the training school/ recruit level and is an attitude that “barely conceals the idealism and commitment beneath the surface.” The second stage, _________, comes within the _______years of an officer’s career. The third stage, __________ , is evident at_____ year mark, when “ resentment and hostility become obvious.” At this stage, Niederhoffer talks about a subculture of cynicism. The end of the police officer’s career is what Niederhoffer calls ___________, when an officer accepts the flaws of the system.
pseudo- cynicism
romantic cynicism first five
aggressive cynicism the 10-
resigned cynicism
Cynicism:
Crank summed up this approach in what he called _________: 1. Do not give up another cop. Regardless of the case . . . never provide information to the public or superior officers. 2. Watch out for your partner first and then for the rest of the shift . . . inform a fellow officer if he or she is being investigated by internal affairs. 3. If you get caught off base, do not implicate anybody else . . . do not involve other cops who might also be punished. 4. Hold up your end of the work. Malingering draws attention to everyone on the shift. 5. Do not suck up to the bosses for special favors.
Postulates of Invisibility
___________: Hollingshead’s final point on the characteristics of a vocational subculture focuses on the internal social control that helps describe how a police department’s informal structure actually works: “ Appropriate sanctions [ are] applied by the membership to control members in their relations with one another and with the larger society and to control nonmembers in their relations with members.”
Internal Sanctions
Solidarity:
As has been shown, there is a great deal of pressure for conformity among police officers. Reiser considers _________to be “ one of the most profound pressures operating in police organizations.” He shows how it functions: “ It bolsters and supports the individual officer’s esteem and confidence, which then allows him to tolerate higher levels of anger, hostility and abuse from external sources.”
peer influence
Solidarity:
The most frequent example of this feeling of unity, besides the officer- in- trouble call and the need for backup in potentially dangerous situations, is probably seen in the area of _________.
professional courtesy
Social Isolation:
From these and other social activities dominated by fellow officers and their family, police officers create a feeling that each one of them is part of the ________ . This social isolation has made many police officers consider themselves a __________. Stan Shernock surveyed 11 police departments and concluded, “ As a result of police perception of public hostility toward them, police officers have assumed many of the characteristics of a _________”
blue minority
persecuted minority
minority group
There is a positive functional aspect to this social isolation, and that is the need for ___________between the police officer and many of his or her clients.
psychological distance
Dr. John Stratton, former director of psychological services for the Los Angeles County sheriff ’ s office, shows what happens to officers who are involved in traumatic events, such as killing another human being. Roughly ______develop major problems that affect their family, and they may leave the profession because of the trauma; about ______have moderate problems, such as waking up screaming at night, but they recover; and about _______have minimal problems.
one- third
one- third
one- third
INFORMAL GROUP STRUCTURES IN POLICE ORGANIZATIONS:
Every organization has a _____ and an ______structure.
formal and informal
The _______ structure involves the organization chart and lines of authority ( e. g., police chief, deputy chief, inspectors, captains, lieutenants, sergeants, and police officers).
formal
Although official business is conducted by the _______organization, the _______ structure often determines which decisions will be made and the manner in which these decisions will be carried out.
formal
informal
INFORMAL GROUP STRUCTURES IN POLICE ORGANIZATIONS:
In policing, it is not just critical to establish intra- agency informal structure and lines of communication, but ______, as well. Criminals and emergencies do not stay within designated police jurisdictional boundaries, so policing can’t either.
inter- agency
