Midterm 2 Flashcards
Where/when can the history of the Canadian police be trace back to?
To early English society
Until when was there no regular police force?
11th century (1000)
What is the frankpledge (peace pledge) system?
Ten families form a tithing which were then grouped to form a hundred.
These hundreds were coalesced into shires (counties). The top law enforcement officer because known as the shire-reeve (sheriff).
When was the Constable Watch System formalized and by who?
In the 13th century and by the Statute of Westminster
Describe the constable watch system
Each parish consisted of one constable and several unpaid watchmen
This system lasted until the 18th century (1700)
When did London have a policing system?
Mid-1700’s
True or false: The military was often used for policing in the mid-1700’s
True
Who created the idea of a professional enforcement organization in 1748?
Henry Fielding
What did Robert Peel do?
He passed the London Metropolitan Police ACT in 1829 which established a 3200 person professional police force.
He was the creator of the first modern police force
the activities of any individual or organization acting legally on behalf of public or private organizations or persons to maintain security or social order
Policing
What are the four eras of policing according to Ruddell?
Pre-Modern Era (prior to 1820) Political Era (1820-1940) Professional Era (1940-1980) Community Era (1980 to present)
What did the First Nations use in the pre-modern era to bring about justice?
Shaming, ostracism, and compensation for justice
Also physical punishment and execution
What was the RCMP originally?
North-West Mounted Police (NWMP)
What structure was used by the police in the political era?
Paramilitary structure: a hierarchy within the military force
What era is known as the traditional era?
Professional era
When were uniforms and vehicles provided to police officers?
During the professional era
In 2015, what happened with the RCMP
They went to the Supreme Court to be unionized
Which era did local politicians establish the police services and frequently interfered as well?
Political era
Which era of policing focused on objectivity, science, and freedom from political influence?
Professional era
What does the community era focus on?
Focus on getting the public to help with regulation
Citizen involvement
Problem-solving
Decentralization]
What are the interests of early municipal policing
Maintaining public order
Preventing and controlling crime
Providing community services
What was the most important development in municipal policing in the past
Officers were separated from the community
How many police were in Canada in 2015?
68,777
What percentage of police worked for municipal forces?
67% (42, 668)
In 2018, what is the ratio of police officers to Canadians?
188 police officers to 100,000
How many employees, officers and volunteers does the RCMP have?
26 000 employees
18 000 officers
75 000 volunteers
What are the 2 ways to determine how large police presence should be?
- Population-to-police officer ratio
2. Compare the number of Criminal Code incidents with the number of police in any given force
True or False
Police forces are bureaucracies
True
Identify the characteristics of the professional model of policing that emerged in 1930’s and remained in place until the 1970’s. Give a brief description of each.
Hierarchical differentiation
- Peking order within system
Functional differentiation
- specialization of officers
Routinization
- following orders becomes routinized
Centralization of command
Emphasizes the importance of neutrality in policing society. The keys are to protect society and enforce the law
Social contract perspective
Perceives the police as acting on the part of the ruling class
Considered a repressive instrument in society
Radical perspective
Takes place when the police move from their standard practice of “case probability” to “class probability”
Racial profiling
Supporters of racial profiling favour the crime control model
Involves police using their independent judgement when dealing with crime
Discretion
When did the SCC rule that discretion is a part of an officer’s unique position
1988
Identify 3 factors that are influential when an officer decides to intervene in any given event
The seriousness/type of crime involved
The attitude of the citizen
Departments policies that specify how discretion is to be applied
Identify 5 situational variables that determine an officer’s decision to arrest
- Seriousness of crime
- Strength of evidence
- Preference of the victim
- Relationship between the victim and the suspect
- Demeanour of the suspect
Identify 4 community variables affecting police discretion of arrest
- Minority and working-class communities
- An officer’s perception of danger
- Citizen’s attitudes towards police (police develop a model of troubled areas)
- Community legal culture (desires of the community)
What extralegal factors affect police discretion in arresting people?
Race, class and gender
True or False
Bienvenue and Latif concluded that Aboriginal men and women were more likely to be arrested for all offences except drug and traffic violations
True
Name some positive aspects of police subculture
Sense of collectiveness which helps officers deal with stress, control inappropriate actions, and provide and informal teach tool to learn the “craft”
Name negative aspects of police subculture
Resistance to change, support for right violations, misuse of authority, and resistance to accountability
Name the 6 values of police subculture
- Police are the only real crime fighters
- No one else understands the real nature of the police
- Loyalty to colleagues is paramount
- Rules need to be bent
- The public is unreasonable and unsupportive
- Detective work is better than patrol work
