Unit 3: Police Controversies

Question 1

Types of law enforcement agencies 
Federal
Stare
County
Municipal

Answer 1

• FBI,financial crime
• Jurisdiction within state boundaries,traffic,from investigations
• cook county sheriff office,papers, court room
• police cities, most # employees

Question 2

Current controversies in policing

Answer 2

Officer involved shootings

Lack of confidence in police

Question 3

Officer involved shootings

Answer 3

• UCR data decrease in shootings by a little
• only justifiable homicides by an officer in line of duty
• data are severely limited
• not inclusive of shootings and misses
• voluntary program

Question 4

Officer involved shootings WASHINGTON POST

Answer 4

• 48% white, 24% AA, 17% Hispanic
• AA were 3 times more likely to be killed
• 5% of those killed were unarmed
• 34% of unarmed were AA males, only 6% of population
• 25% mental illness
• 24% caught camera

Question 5

Use of deadly force: clarified by tennesse v Garner

Answer 5

Shift from..
Fleeing felon doctrine: permits the use of force, including deadly force, against an indiv. Suspected of a felony and who is in clear flight

Clear and present danger: deadly force may be justifiable only if officer or general public is in immediate danger

Question 6

New standard for using deadly force

Answer 6

-a standard which requires officers to use only that degree of force that is reasonable and neccassary under the totality of the circumstances to safely accomplish a legit law enforcement function

Question 7

Ferguson tragedy

Answer 7

• criminal charges were not filed against officer Darren Wilson in the death of Michael brown
• st. Louis county MO grand jury in Nov 2014

Question 8

Data from the Washington post

Answer 8

• charges against officers are rare, being filed in about 1% of all fatal police-involved shootings
• 16 was also deadly year for police officers, with 62 being fatally shot by civilians, up from 39 in 2015

Question 9

Lack of confidence

Answer 9

Large differences in feelings of confidence in police by the race of respondent

Question 10

Political era

Answer 10

Police corruption was especially bad during these years

1840-1930

Question 11

Reform era

Answer 11

Professional model: emphasizes centralized police organizations, increased use of tech, and limitations of discretion through regulations

Question 12

Community era

Answer 12

1980-2001
-caused by turmoil in 1960s, this era was marked by the belief that meaningful interaction between officers and citizens will lead to a partnership in preventing and fighting crime

Question 13

New era

Answer 13

2001-today

-emphasis on terrorism, intelligence led policing, and the militarization of law enforcement

Question 14

Lack of confidence

Answer 14

• partially the result of history of events during reform era and now new era:
• a cycle of distrust, friction and anger exists between residents and the police, primarily in urban cities
• sources of this friction include high-profile cases of officer brutality, repeated negative contacts between citizens and police, law enforcement is not responsive to the needs of the community

Question 15

Controversies in CPD

Answer 15

a recent department of justice report found:

1. uses deadly force in violation of constitution
2. Investigations into police misconduct are problematic, rarely done at all
3. Uses force against AA almost 10 times more often than against whites
4. Promoting officers is viewed as political and unfair
5. Insufficient support for officer wellness and safety