Police

Police Function

1. Most of policework is mostly a "peacekeeping operation". (Inciardi, p. 203).

It is not dangerous confrontations as many assume.

1a. Among the peacekeeping activities an officer may be involved in on a routine basis are:
-clearing away agitators, drunks that may be annoying the public.

-issuing of parking tickets and dealing with minor offenses.

-directing traffic, locating missing children and pets, providing directions for lost individuals,
delivering babies.

2. Other very important functions are: preventive and protective roles.

2a. Preventive and protective roles are achieved through the patrol function of the officer.
 3. How do patrols work to prevent crime and protect the community?
A. may prevent crime because:
A1. the potential criminal may be unlikely to engage in the crime if they perceive the risk
of being caught is too high.

A2. getting to know the community may stimulate the community's willingness to
follow the law.

A3. officers may be able to assists in resolutions of issues before they may grow to the point
of criminal involvement by some individual.

B. may protect community by provide for a quick opportunity to investigate a

crime that has been committed.
 4. Police activities while serving and protecting:

A. calls for services: Most of police time is spend responding to calls from citizen.
However, only a small number of those calls are related to a violent crime.
--In recent Vera Institute of Justice of 9 US cites, it found that of the 240 million calls to 911
between January 2019 and November 2021 less than 3 percent were about a violent crime;
64 percent were about noncriminal issues (i.e., abandoned car, missing pet, noisy neighbor);
19 percent related to behavioral-mental health issues (homelessness, substance abuse,
person behaving erratically).
(https://www.vera.org/news/most-911-calls-have-nothing-to-do-with-crime-why-are-we-still-sending-police) Apr, 22, 2022
Issue: Police response to misuse of 911 often leads to a dissatisfied citizen.
--Police may respond to such calls by sending police personnel and not officers
take care of the situation.
--Police may not respond within the time expected by the citizen or at all.
 B. preventive patrol used on the assumption that police on patrol decrease crime from
happening.
Issue: Studies have not been consistently supportive of this assumption.
-- Crime may not be stopped, but just moved indoors whenever possible.

C. administrative tasks: police departments are bureaucracy that require a lot of paperwork to
be completed. In addition, police officers are responsible for
-- transporting of prisoner,
-- preparing patrol vehicles,
-- running departmental errands, and
-- appearing in court

D. Officer initiated activity to prevent or protect the community. Studies have found that little time
Is left for officers to take initiative after the task above addressed.
5. Detectives: are law enforcement officers with investigative responsibilities.

A. the responsibilities of detectives include:

- identification, location and apprehension of offenders

- collection and preservation of evidence

- location and interviewing of witnesses

- recovery of stolen property.

 Police Subculture

A. Subculture: is a normative system of a particular group that is smaller and essentially

different from
the dominant culture. Being part of a subculture means the individual learns the behaviors,
norms,
goals, style of life and occupational structure of that subculture.
--Subcultures tend to appear when the greater culture cannot/does not meet the needs of
Individual. People with same unmet needs come together to form the subculture.
B. Factor uniquely impacting police officers:
-- the danger of the job: While police officers do not usually encounter violent/life threatening
situations, the possibility is present every second they are on or off the job.
-- the obligation to exercise authority: Officers are obligated to enforce the law, this power
isolates them from friends and family members.

C. Areas where police have authority other professions do not (given certain circumstances):
-- can stop people to ask them question about their behavior
-- can admonish/warn people about their behavior
-- can take persons freedom (arrest)
-- can search person property
-- can take a person life.
D. Police subculture is developed as a response to the danger of the job and the
obligation to exercise authority
-- the must rely on each other for their physical protection
-- the power of the authority they have comes with the stress of constantly being
second guess on decisions they have made

Only other officers understand the level of stress the job creates for each of them, therefore
they turn to each other to seek a sense of safety and belonging.

E. Police subculture translates to blue code of silence. Blue code of silence is an informal rule
not to tell on fellow police officers who are engaging in misconduct, crimes or may have
made a mistake.

F. NYPD Example: Frank Serpico

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3dGWoScAnw
 Police Personality/Behavior

A. Policework was once thought to attract people with authoritarian personalities.

But, most of the more recent studies have found that all types are attracted to
policework and that is the job that transforms them.

B. The nature of police work develops a working personality characterized by

---authoritarianism (focus on obedience of authority and less on wishes of the people),
--cynicism (tendency to believe that people are motivated by self interest; lack of trust in people),
--suspicion (doubting of people and tending to think they are guilty of something)

C. The experience of:

1. being on alert for danger makes them suspicion,
2.others may find them to be less desirable as a friend (non police officers may feel
uncomfortable around police even in social situations) leading police officers to tum to
other officers for even their social life.
3. Klockers "Dirty Harry Problem" in order to achieve a good end police officers may be
confronted with engaging in less than appropriate or moral behavior. It is a lose/lose situation
for the officer which often turns them into cynics.

D. Dirty Harry clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqgGihIfq5U

 Wilson’s Police Styles

A. James Q. Wilson identified three styles of policing:

1. The watchman style distinguishes between two mandates of policing:

order maintenance and law enforcement. High use of discretion and overlooking
violations of the law as long as the peace is kept. Uneven enforcement of the law
Example: small town police department.

2. The legalistic style exercises little discretion and enforces the law by
writing more tickets, making more arrests, and encouraging victims to sign complaints.
Low use of discretion. Even attempt at enforcing law.
Example: Portrayal of Los Angeles Police department from 1950-1960 (Dragnet, CSI)

3. The service style shares characteristics with the other two styles but focuses primarily
on service to the community and the citizens. Discretion is used as needed to best serve
citizens.
Example: Community
 Police Corruption

A. Public Corruption is defined by acceptance of money or money's worth for

1. doing something the official is under a duty to do anyway,
2. doing something the official is under a duty not to do, or
3. an official exercising legitimate discretion for improper reasons.

B. Among the types of corruption that police may engage in are:

1. meals and services- some business owner like to provide discount or free meals or
services to police officers, because they believe that the officers presence will diminish the
likelihood of crime associated with their business. Nevertheless, there are officers who
seem to think that they are entitled to such favors from those they are supposed to serve.
To avoid the possibility of problems many police departments do not allow police officers
to accept meals or services.
2. kickbacks- police officers are often is situations in which they can refer individuals
to other persons who can provided them with services (doctors, lawyers, funeral homes, etc.
In exchange the police officer may get a fee.
The problem arises when officers become involved in such activity as a business enterprise.

3. opportunistic theft- police officers are often in situations where there is the opportunity
for them to unlawfully appropriate items such as jewelry, drugs, cash.

4. shakedowns- extortion in which the police accept money for citizens in lieu of
enforcing the law.

5. protection- the officer is paid to protect the criminal enterprise (gambling, narcotics,
pornography, prostitution) from the law.

6. case fixing- person approaches police officer and offers to pay a bribe for the officer not
to give a ticket, not arrest them, or testify in court in their favor.
 C. Type of corrupt police officers:
1. meat eater: officer seeks payment or benefits in order to engage in
corruption.
2. grass eater: offer does not seek but accepts payment or benefit offered
for
engaging in corruption.

Police Brutality
A. American history is full of instances of police brutality.

B. Factors that may contribute to police brutality:

1. the authoritarian personality developed on the job

2. the law enforcement focus of some officers (watchman style)
3. police view that the citizen’s acceptance of police authority is essential for effective policing
4. police ”social value” of certain citizens are being trouble or worth less. Ex. Drunks, drug
dealers, homosexuals, etc.
5. conservative nature of police decision making.
 Police Use of Deadly Force

A. Deadly force- force likely to cause serious bodily injury or death.

B. Historically shooting at a fleeing felon was allowed. This was so because weapons were not as
powerful and technology (radio communication, walkie talkies, etc.) were not a developed as today.

C. In 1985 in Tennessee vs. Garner the U.S. Supreme Court more clearly defined when use of
deadly force is lawful requiring a fact-based belief (probable cause) that the person poses a
threat of significant injury or death to the police officer or citizens.

D. Deadly force requires:

1. the suspect has threatened the officer with a weapon.
2. when there is a possibility of death or serious physical injury to the officers or others.
3. believe that the person has committed a crime involving the infliction or threatened
infliction of serious physical harm
4. when practical, some warning has been given by the officer.
 Who oversees and investigates police officers suspected of misconduct?

A. Internal Affairs Units/Bureau: Unit within the police department tasked with investigating
possible law-breaking or misconducted attributed to officers in that force. These units:

-- made up of police officers from that unit

-- do not have enforcement or punishing powers
-- they investigate and report unit Chief and/or the Civilian Review Board.
-- officers in this unit face the backlash/scorn of other police
created by the police subculture which requires not to tell again other police officers.

B. Civilian Review Boards: See PDF in folder.