Chapter 6 Challenges to Effective Policing

Learning Outcomes LO1: Identify the differences between the police academy and field training as learning tools for recruits. LO2: List the three primary purposes of police patrol. LO3: Describe how forensic experts use DNA fingerprinting to solve crimes. LO4: Determine when police offices are justified in using deadly force. LO5: Explain what an ethical dilemma is and name four categories of ethical dilemma typically facing a police officer.

Identify the differences between the police academy and field training as learning tools for recruits.

Learning Outcome 1 Basic Requirements U.S. Citizen No felony convictions Valid Driver’s License Minimum 21 years of age Weight, eyesight, and fitness requirements Background check Polygraph

Learning Outcome 1 Educational Requirements Probationary Period 81% of all police departments require a high school diploma. Probationary Period During this period, the recruit can be fired without cause if he or she is inadequate for police work.

Learning Outcome 1 Academy Training Field Training Provides recruits with a controlled, militarized learning environment. Field Training Takes place outside the confines of the police academy.

List the three primary purposes of police patrol.

The backbone of police organization is officers on patrol. Learning Outcome 2 The backbone of police organization is officers on patrol. The purpose of patrol: Deter crime by maintaining visible presence. Maintain public order and sense of security. Twenty-four hour provision of non-crime related services.

Learning Outcome 2 “[Patrol officers] hurry from call to call, bound to their crackling radios, which offer no relief—especially on summer weekend nights. . . . The cops jump from crisis to crisis, rarely having time to do more than tamp one down sufficiently and leave for the next. Gaps of boredom and inactivity fill the interims, although there aren’t many of these in the hot months. Periods of boredom get increasingly longer as the nights wear on and the weather gets colder. - Andrew Bouza

Learning Outcome 2 Investigations: Reactive, rather than proactive The responsibility of detectives Success is measured with clearance rates, or the number of cases resulting in arrest and prosecution Aggressive strategies include going undercover and working with confidential informants.

Learning Outcome 2 Clearance Rates Cold Cases Percentage reported crimes that have been solved. The clearance rate for violent crimes has been dropping for decades. Cold Cases Criminal investigations that are not cleared after a certain amount of time.

CAREERPREP Forensic Scientist Job Description: Examine, test, and analyze tissue samples, chemical substances, physical materials, and ballistics evidence collected at a crime scene. Testify as an expert witness on evidence or laboratory techniques in criminal trials. What Kind of Training Is Re quired ? A bachelor’s degree in science, particularly chemistry, biology, biochemistry, or physics. Certification programs (usually two years’ additional study) can help prospective applicants specialize as forensic consultants, fingerprint technicians, forensic investigators, and laboratory technicians. Annual Salary Range? $25,100–$65,000 For additional information, visit: www.aafs.org.

Describe how forensic experts use DNA fingerprinting to solve crimes.

Learning Outcome 3 Forensics – the practice of using science and technology to investigate crimes. Determines facts like: Cause of death/injury Time of death/injury Type of weapon used Identity of the victim Identity of the offender

Learning Outcome 3 Crime Scene Forensics include the evaluation of Trace evidence Ballistics Fingerprints Bloodstain pattern analysis

Learning Outcome 3 The DNA Revolution: DNA provides the genetic blueprint for every living organism. When DNA is recovered at a crime scene and matched to a suspect, the odds that match is conclusive are 30 million to 1. The ability to “dust” for genetic information greatly increases the chances that a crime will be solved.

Learning Outcome 3 Patrol Strategies Incident driven policing Calls for service are the primary instigators of action. General Patrol Making the rounds of an area. Directed Patrol Making the rounds to deal with crimes in certain locations and circumstances.

Learning Outcome 3 Hot Spots Targets of directed patrols. Contain a greater number of criminals and have high levels of victimization.

Learning Outcome 3 Arrest Strategies Reactive arrests Made by local officers who observe a criminal act or respond to call. Proactive arrests Occur when police target a particular type of criminal or activity.

Learning Outcome 3 Broken Windows Theory: A neighborhood in disrepair signals that criminal activity is tolerated in the area By cracking down on quality-of-life crimes, police can reclaim the neighborhood and encourage law-abiding citizens to live and work there Based on order maintenance of neighborhoods

Learning Outcome 3 Community policing is a strategy that emphasizes community support for and cooperation with police in preventing crime. Community policing has been criticized for being more about public relations than policing.

Learning Outcome 3 Problem-Oriented Policing: A key component of community policing Moves beyond simply responding to incidents and attempts instead to control or even solve the root causes of criminal behavior Two important aspects of problem-solving policing are “hot spots” and crime mapping

Learning Outcome 3 Police Subculture: The values and perceptions that are shared by members of a police department. These values permeate agencies and are taught to new officers through a process of socialization.

Learning Outcome 3 Rituals critical to the police officer’s acceptance of police subculture: Attending a police academy Working with a senior officer who passes on the lessons of police work and life Making the initial felony arrest Using force to make an arrest for the first time Witnessing major traumatic incidents for the first time

Physical and Mental Dangers Learning Outcome 3 Physical and Mental Dangers Daily threat of physical harm Considerable mental pressure and stress from: Rigors of the job Fear for safety Depressing job conditions Excessive paperwork

Determine when police offices are justified in using deadly force.

Authority and the Use of Force Learning Outcome 4 Authority and the Use of Force The proper use of force… “an officer may resort to force only where he or she faces a credible threat, and then may only use the minimum amount necessary to control the subject.”

Learning Outcome 4 The Phoenix Study Found that police use some kind of force in 22% of arrests. Best predictor of police using force was suspect’s use of force.

Use of Force Matrix

The United States Supreme Court and Use of Force: Learning Outcome 4 The United States Supreme Court and Use of Force: Tennessee v. Garner (1985) When the suspect poses no immediate threat to the officer and no threat to others, the use of deadly force is unjustified. . . . It is not better that all felony suspects die than that they escape.

The United States Supreme Court and Use of Force: Learning Outcome 4 The United States Supreme Court and Use of Force: Graham v. Conner (1989) The use of any force should be judged by the “reasonableness of the moment.”

Explain what an ethical dilemma is and name four categories of ethical dilemmas typically facing a police officer.

Learning Outcome 5 Types of Police Corruption: Bribery Payoffs Direct criminal activity

Learning Outcome 5 Ethics has to do with fundamental questions of the fairness, justice, rightness, or wrongness of any action.

Learning Outcome 5 Ethical dilemmas are defined as a situation in which law enforcement officers: Do not know the right course of action Have difficulty doing what they consider to be right; and/or Find the wrong choice very tempting

Learning Outcome 5 Four categories of Ethical Dilemmas: Discretion Duty Honesty Loyalty

Learning Outcome 5 Officers should ask themselves: Is it legal? Is it fair? How would my family and friends feel about my decision? How does it make me feel about myself?

Fish and Wildlife Service Officer CAREERPREP Fish and Wildlife Service Officer Job Descript ion: Protect the integrity of America’s natural habitat by policing the millions of acres of public land in this country, including wildlife refuges, fish hatcheries, waterfowl management areas, and wetland districts. Investigate wildlife crimes, particularly the illegal hunting, poaching, and sale of federally protected resources such as endangered species, migratory birds, marine mammals, and species of international concern. What Kind of Training Is Required ? Completion of an eighteen-week basic Land Management Police Training Academy course, a two-week Refuge Officer Basic School course, and a tenweek Field Training and Evaluation Program. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service offers students summer jobs that provide the experience necessary for a career in this field, with either a federal or a state agency. Annual Salary Range? $27,000–$53,200 For additional information, visit: www.fws.gov/jobs/wwd--law.html.