Lecture 1: The Police & Society Flashcards
What are the 4 main functions General service law enforcement agencies preform?
- Prevent crime
- Investigate crime & apprehend criminals
- Maintain order
- Provide many other services
In places with a distinction all _____ are ______, but not all _____ are ______
all police officers ARE peace officers, but not all peace officers are police officers
What are some examples of peace officers?
- college police who only have jurisdiction on campus
- security guards
- prison guards
- and other officers with limited juridistions
What is the biggest myth about police?
That they are crime fighters and spend most of their time actively fighting crime
What are the 3 common beliefs of how police spend their time crime fighting?
- Enforcing the law
- Investigating crimes
- Arresting criminals
What are the sources of myths about policing
- Entertainment media / TV
- news media - cover sensational cases (car chases, etc)
- The police themselves (i.e. press releases focus on major crime types, high profile cases..ect)
What are the consequences of the “crime fighter” myth?
-Distorts the police role / function and give the public unrealistic expectations of police success in solving crime.
What fraction of police offices spend their time on criminal law enforcement?
1/3rd
TV and media show police to be very effective but what percentage of serious part 1 crimes are actually solved?
20% – and 10 percent or so of all crimes reported.
What makes police roles complex?
- Ambiguity: they might get a call for a domestic disturbance and it can be a verbal argument, an assault or it may involve serious danger to the officer.
- Discretion: officers have near full discretion on how to handle situations
- Conflicting roles: have power to use force when needed to enforce laws, but also charged with protecting individual freedoms?
What is a social contract?
An agreement between govt. & ppl, and the govt. outlines and defines the duties of each.
Do ppl give up the most or lease portion of their individual freedoms for services and protection?
LEAST
What are the factors that influence the police role?
- Nature of society and type of government
- Culture of the times
- Crime rates
- Policing at 24/7, 365 days a year
- Having to respond to citizen calls for services, which makes police work reactive
- Authority to use force – policies on use of force change over time.
What is social control?
how a society regulates their norms and shapes behaviors
What are the three main types of social control?
- Private Social Control
- Parochial Social Control
- Public Social Control
What is private social control?
- exercised by friends, family and other private groups through things like, praise, criticism, punishments or even violence
What is parochial social control?
- exerted by the community through institutions such as churches, schools, neighborhood groups & businesses
What is public social control?
- exercised by govt. organizations, such as police and regulator agencies
Do police contribute to social control?
Yes - by enforcing laws and maintaining order.
Are police a part of the political system?
Yes – Keeps police accountable to the public
What are the basic issues shaping a police department?
- Mission – What’s our mission
- Patrol Operations – how much do they focus on preventative vs. alternatives like hot spots and community policing
- Calls for service – how do they handle them
- Discretion – how much discretion do they give line officers?
- Police-Community relations – what are the public’s opinions of police?
- Corruption
- Accountability
- Personell – What are the minimum standards for hiring officers?
- Organization – how is management structure of the department organized?
