Chapter 6- Policing: Purpose and Styles

The Police Mission Enforcing the law Apprehending offenders Preventing crime Preserving the peace Providing services

Enforcing the Law Enforce federal, state, and local criminal laws Not only purpose; Most officers spend majority of time answering non-emergency public service calls, controlling traffic, writing tickets, etc. Only 10-20% of calls to police actually requirement law enforcement response

Apprehending Offenders Includes Investigation of Crime Scene, gathering information, witnesses, etc. to lead to arrest of potential offender (discussed in-depth at later time)

Preserving the Peace Peacekeeping is virtually limitless police activity involving not only activities that violate the law, but also includes quality-of-life offenses and regulating events that could potentially disrupt the peace

Preserving the Peace- Supervising of Potential Events Parades Public Demonstrations Strikes Marches (etc.)

Preserving the Peace- Quality of Life Offenses Minor law violations (also known as petty crimes) Some violations demoralize residents and creates disorder- offenses include: Excessive Noise Graffiti Abandoned Cars Vandalism

Preserving the Peace- Quality of Life Offenses Other violations reflect social decay. This includes Panhandling/ Aggressive Begging Public Urination Prostitution Roaming Youth Gangs Public Consumption of Alcohol Street Level Substance Abuse

Preserving the Peace- Quality of Life Offenses Homelessness is not technically a violation of the law unless it involves trespassing, but is typically addressed under quality-of-life programs

Preserving the Peace: Broken Window Model of Policing Theory based on notion that physical decay in a community (litter, abandoned buildings, etc) can lead to crime by signaling that laws are not being enforced Decay pushes law-abiding citizens to withdraw from streets, which then sends signals that criminals can operate freely. Police will work with communities to encourage repairs, control behavior in public spaces, etc.

Preserving the Peace: Broken Window Model of Policing Some people are against expanded peacekeeping involvement because: Police should not be taking a law enforcement approach to social and economic problems Liberties are infringed upon- where is the line? Programs are funded through taxpayers, which could mean raise in taxes

Providing Services Police Resource are ready to assist as needed Websites 911 311 (non-emergency) Created due to high volume of non-emergency 911 calls; Ex. Hastings Police Dept Handled 12,895 calls for service in 2001; only 1, 837 related to serious crimes; 11,058 were for calls such as lost and found articles, minor traffic accidents, suspicious persons, barking dogs, etc.

5 Operational Strategies: Preventative Control Routine Incident Response Emergency Response Criminal Investigation Problem Solving

Preventative Control Deter and Interrupt Crimes in Process Position officers for quick response to emergency situations Increase the public’s feelings of safety and security Patrol: Operational Mode uniformed officers are expected to work in w hen not otherwise involved in answering/responding to calls.

Routine Incident Response Respond to minor traffic accidents, disruptions, etc.

Emergency Response Emergency responses (aka critical responses) include crimes in progress, serious traffic accidents, natural disasters, incidents of terrorism, officer requests for back-up, and other situations in which human life is in jeopardy Emergency response takes precedent to all other police matters at the time Response to emergencies less than routine incidents

Emergency Response Part of police training includes emergency response techniques: First aid Hostage rescue Physical capture of suspects

Criminal Investigation Process of discovering, collecting, preparing, identifying, and presenting evidence to determine what happened and who is responsible when a crime occurs. Criminal Investigators are referred to as detectives; up to them to solve crimes and produce the evidence needed for prosecution

Criminal Investigation Investigation is mostly reserved for detectives, any police officer can be involved in initial stages of investigative process Secure crime scene Talk to witnesses/recording statements Arresting people (if necessary) during crime in process Noting facts such as position of victims, unusual actions/activities, etc.

Problem Solving (least well-developed role of policing) Police communicate with clients most affected by community problems Information is acquires and analyzed to determine cause of problem Solutions developed through community partnerships Police respond with workable plan After plan is implemented, police periodically assess the situation to ensure progress

Basic Structure of Police Departments Divisions (specialties/tasks; i.e. juvenile justice, counter-terrorism, etc) Authority Chain of Command (hierarchy) Roles Line Field activities (police officers, detective, etc) Supervisory activities (Police Commissioner, Sergeant Staff Administration Training

Styles of Policing Watchman Legalistic Service Order and maintenance Liberal discretion of police officers Legalistic Enforce to the letter of the law Don’t bother with community issues that do not break the law Service Helpers as opposed to soldiers in a war on crime Empowerment, Rehabilitation is emphasized over punishment (see handout for further descriptions)