Week 4 Flashcards
1
Q
What is POLICE?
A
a group of persons, making up a department, trained in methods of law enforcement, crime prevention & detection & authorized to maintain the peace, safety, and order of the community
2
Q
What is Vigilantism?
A
- Vigilantism: use of volunteer, self-appointed forces to enforce order
- Popular mid 1700’s- 1900
- These were often well-organized groups, usually from the ruling class of the community
- Some were more informal & came together as a posse for specific tasks
3
Q
What is a Slave Patrol?
A
- Slave Patrols: first publically funded city police departments (Pre-Civil War)
- Captured escaped slaves, prevented slave education, prevented slaves from gathering in groups, etc.
4
Q
What is Patronage Policing?
A
- Patronage Policing: 1840’s-1920’s
- Inspired by English system of a local police force with a quasi-military structure and a hierarchical structure
- Police officers appointed as a reward for being loyal to the politically powerful
- Little training, few standards of operation
- Use of force common
- Police not used to enforce law, but rather to provide order and service
5
Q
What is Proffesional Policing?
A
- 1920’s – 1970’s
- More formal, hierarchical agencies (quasi-military)
- Focus on training, rewards for good progress and behavior, and elimination of corruption
- Focus on law enforcement
- Hiring based on skill, rather than appointment to the position
- Negative: police became more distanced from the communities they served
- Also decrease in minorities due to higher educational and testing requirements
6
Q
What does it mean to be proffesional?
A
- Extensive training
- Mastery of skills & specialized knowledge
- Accreditation, certification, licensing
- Internal standard of performance & behavior
- Aspiration to altruism, honesty, integrity, respect, excellence
- Accountability to professional standards & ethics
- Code of ethics
7
Q
What is Community Policing?
A
- 1970’s – present
- Focusing on crime prevention & relationships with the community
- Police incorporate citizens and citizen input in more aspects of policing
- Increased focus on the recruitment of women and minorities
- People will not see as legitimate a police force that does not at all resemble the community
8
Q
What are Basic Background requirements for Police officers?
A
- U.S. citizens
- 21 years of age or older
- Have a high school or college degree
- Have a valid driver’s license
- Be free of prior criminal convictions
- Be physically fit and able to pass entry examinations (oral & physical)
9
Q
What is Jurisdiction?
A
- Defined: The geographical area in which a particular law enforcement agency has the authority to enforce the law
- Outside of this area, the law enforcement agency either has no authority or limited authority
10
Q
What are the three levels of policing and explaining?
A
- Local, State, Federal
- Local Law Enforcement:
- Sheriff’s Offices (suburban & rural) & Police Departments (urban)
- University police departments
- State Law Enforcement:
- Roughly 8% of all law enforcement agencies
- State troopers, Texas Rangers, etc.
- Federal Policing Agencies
- Federal Civilian Law Enforcement
- Military Police
- Tribal Police
11
Q
What are 6 Federal Civilian Law Enforcement Agencies?
A
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI): upholds nation’s criminal laws and helps defend against foreign threats
- Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
- Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives (BATFE, formerly ATF)
- U.S. Marshalls: apprehend federal fugitives, Witness Security Program, transport prisoners, etc.
- U.S. Postal Inspection Service: protects security of U.S. mail
- U.S. Secret Service: protects the President, Vice President, presidential candidates, visiting heads of governments, families of these individuals, & national treasures
12
Q
What is the Military Police?
A
- Perform law enforcement duties on military bases, in cases involving military personnel, and on some Federal lands
- Each branch of the military operates a police force
- Each branch of the military has its own Criminal Justice System
- Legal system based on the Uniform Code of Military Justice rather than state or Federal criminal codes
13
Q
What is a Tribal Police?
A
- Perform law enforcement duties on Native American Reservations
- Local, state, and Federal policing agencies have only limited policing authorities in these areas
- FBI and Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) do provide some law enforcement services
- Each reservation has the right & authority to establish a policing agency (tribal police)
14
Q
Which of the following Federal law enforcement agencies is most concerned with apprehending federal fugitives, managing the Witness Security Program, & transporting prisoners?
A) FBI
B) U.S. Marshalls
C) U.S. Secret Service
D) DEA
A
C) U.S. Secret Service
15
Q
What are the Internal Affairs?
A
- A division of a police department that investigates improper, illegal, or unprofessional behavior by police officers
- Shootings, excessive force, substance abuse, theft, violation of legal standards, etc.
- Usually reports to upper command staff
- Some investigations are random reviews of officer behavior. Others are the result of complaints or suspicions that a particular officer may be involved in unprofessional behavior.
