Chapter Five Police Officers I: Entering Police Work Police in America Chapter Five Police Officers I: Entering Police Work

The Changing American Police Officer More female, African American, and Hispanic officers compared to 40 years ago Many college educated or hold masters’ degrees Openly gay and lesbian officers

Aspects of the Personnel Process A Career Perspective Many departments have personnel problems because: 1. Don’t train recruits properly 2. Don’t supervise officer adequately 3. Poor evaluation systems 4. Failure to discipline 5. Failure to provide career opportunities 6. Don’t promote the best officers

Beyond Stereotypes of Cops Stereotypes can be either positive or negative Positive: Heroic saints, risking their lives Negative: Uneducated, untrained, prejudiced, brutal or corrupt These stereotypes can discourage women from becoming police officers

The Personnel Process: A Shared Responsibility Shared with other governmental agencies (civil service system) Attracting a pool of applicants: Minimum qualifications The recruitment effort Applicant’s motivations to apply

Recruitment Minimum Qualifications Criminal record Residency Most departments - 21 years of age Height and Weight Education 63% high school diploma 37.1% require some college 4.8% require four-year degree Educational incentive pay Criminal record No felony—Drug offenses major problem Misdemeanor? Residency About 25% of departments require living within the city limits

Choosing Law Enforcement as a Career Applicants motivations - Help people - Job security - Fight crime - Excitement - Prestige Barriers to recruitment Negative image of officers Traditionally male occupations

Selecting Officers from the Recruit Pool Selection tests Oral interviews Written and medical exams Background Investigations Previous employment, possible criminal record, interviews with neighbors Educational background, financial status, home visit

Screening Methods Used by Local Police Depts. (2003) Method % Dept Using Personal interview 98 Criminal record check 99 Background investigation 98 Driving record check 96 Medical exam 85 Psychological screen 67 Drug test 73 Written aptitude test 43 Physical agility test 50 Polygraph exam 25

Predicting Police Officer Performance The difficulty of predicting good police performance: Screening Methods Measuring Police Performance Screening Efforts vs. Actual Job Performance

Equal Employment Opportunity Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act Race, color, religion, sex, or national origin Protected class 1972 Equal Employment Opportunity Act 1990 Americans With Disabilities Act Bona Fide Occupational Qualification Replace Picture

“Not Your Father’s Police Department”: Diversity in Policing Employment of Racial and Ethnic Minorities Reflect the composition of the community it serves Hispanic and Latino officers Fastest growing population Spanish-speaking officers recruited Women More seriously underrepresented than racial or ethnic minorities Concentrated in lower ranks Gay and Lesbian officers Increasingly open over the last 20 years African American Officers Previously underrepresented in the police force Employment discrimination litigation has helped to increase number of African American officers in the police force

Achieving Diversity in Police Employment U.S. Supreme Court held that diversity is a “compelling state of interest” Three basic goals Ensure employer is not discriminating Improve police service Improve image of police department Employment Discrimination Suits Controversy over affirmative action The question of quotas Reverse discrimination

The Police Academy Provides formal training Preservice training Process for weeding out unqualified recruits Field training Rite of passage that socializes recruits State training and certification

Training Police Academy Field training Big departments have own academy Small departments use state-run academies Field training FTO program 2/3 of departments use this process

State Training and Certification Every state has some form of mandated pre-service training for certification State-required content of training Decertification Shortcomings of current police training: Don’t cover important subjects like discretion and ethics Preservice training not adequate Classroom training alone is not adequate

The Probationary Period Can range to six months to two years after being sworn in as an officer Officer can be dismissed without cause during this period Rules for this process determined by local civil service regulations Average of 7 percent of all recruits dismissed during this period