Lecture 1 - Role of Police Flashcards
What are 4 Roles of Police?
- Enforce criminal code (Law)
- Peacekeepers
- Counsellors (Child & Marriage Disputes, Mental Health)
- Social Workers
Anything we ask = they solve
Updated Roles:
- Managing Traffic
- Crime Prevention
- Maintaining Social Order
Police as Gatekeepers
- In order to proceed through CJS, must have contact with police
- Shows police are not only most visible representatives of the CJS, but also the gov’t more broadly
TEST QUESTION
We cannot access provincial or federal leaders, instead we contact police
They visually represent these government authorities (state power)
- The way the police treat the public shapes our perception of the police
6 Components of Policing For People
Attentiveness - are around, give thought to their problems
Reliability - Predictable, will answer evey time, send help consistently
Responsive Service - Do not make victim feel like a number, compassionate and genuine, provide explanations for their decisions
Competence - are able to get the job done, Make neighborhoods feel safe
Manners - Polite & Well-Mannered, Citizens are more staisfied with how police treated them than what they accomplished
Fairness - Procedurally fair, justice
Tangible Outcomes Vs. Crime Statistics (Competence)
The public does not know about crime statistics but instead base it on how safe they feel in there neighbourhood this is a tangible outcome.
Most Powerful Predictor of Citizen Satisfaction
“The most powerful predictors of citizen satisfaction with the police have more to do with how police treated the citizen, rather than what the police accomplished”.
Organizational Challenges
“The principal challenge facing policing for people is organizational, not technical” (Mastrosfki, 1999 pg. 6)
Attentiveness
- People want police who are around
- They want police to care, be attentive to their needs, give thought to their problems
- Engaging in dialogue with the public’s concerns and issues
Reliability
- People want police who are predictable
- When people call, they expect someone will answer every time and they will send help consistently
- Know exactly who you’re going to get and how quickly you will get it every time
Responsive Service
- People expect more of their police than “mere adherence to bureaucratic rules”. The victim does not want to feel like a number (serial number).
- Want compassion, care, and attention
- “Police can be responsive even when they deny a citizen’s request, by explaining the denial”. There are reasons that the police cannot help you with, like paying rent on time that is a civil case.
Competence
- People want police who “can get the job done”. They want people who know how to do their job as a police officer.
- Tangible outcomes vs. crime statistics (The public does not know about crime statistics but instead base it on how safe they feel in there neighbourhood this is a tangible outcome)
Manners
- People want police who are polite and well-mannered
- The most powerful predictors of citizen satisfaction with the police have more to do with how police treated the citizen, rather than what the police accomplished.
Fairness
- People want police who are procedurally fair
- Procedural justice
Article: Policing For People (Mastrovski, 1999)
The Main Obstacles are Organizational, not technical
An Agenda For Reform:
-
Enhance Record-Keeping Systems
* Avoid Information That DIscredits the Officer
* Can structure what officers look for and do, serving as guides and reminders
* Providing citizens with receipts and records increases officer accountability -
Implement Independent Auditing
* External, independent auditors can verify accuracy of police data and provide unbiased assessment of policing for people
* Auditors can interview citizens, and even arrestees and juveniles to get their opinion
* Can guarantee confidentiality to ensure candid responses
* Reports from auditors can facilitate discussion and improvement for police organizations
