Policing: Roles, Styles, and Functions

What Makes a Good/Bad Cop?

Have Your Interactions Been Like This? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PKtGnyGuKM (2:44-4:12) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZkKsGtrW88

Roles of the Police Our expectation of police behavior depend on where we live and when we consider the question. What we expect from the police depends on how we view their role in society. When the public’s expectations differ from the official police role, the public may become disenchanted and sometimes hostile toward law enforcement officers. A common source of role conflict for the police is the expectation that they should be social or helping agents at the same time they are expected to be control agents by arresting law violators.

Characteristics of Police Work Police work requires a combination of special characteristics: Quick Decision Making: must make on-the-spot decisions The Independent Nature of Police Work: The position of peace officer in all states is a position of honor and trust. They virtually work unsupervised until the end of their tour of duty. The independence nature of police work increases the chances of corruption. “Dirty Work”: Police work is sometimes distasteful. Oftentimes, the police must deal with people at their worst. Danger: Police officers in the United States spend a substantial amount of their time trying to resolve conflicts, frequently in hostile environments. From 1972 through 2003, 4,644 law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty.

Operational Styles After police officers are trained and begin to gain experience and wisdom from their encounters with veteran police officers and citizens on the street, it is believed that they develop operational styles that characterize their overall approach to the police job.

James Q. Wilson Legalistic Style: The emphasis is on violations of law and the use of threats or actual arrest to solve disputes in the community. Watchman Style: The emphasis is on informal means of resolving disputes and problems in a community. Keeping the peace is the concern, and arrest is used only as a last resort to resolve any kind of disturbance of the peace. Service Style: The emphasis is on helping in the community, as opposed to enforcing the law. Referrals and diversion to community treatment agencies are more common than arrest and formal court action.

Police Functions

Patrol Police administrators have long referred to patrol as the backbone of the department. It is unquestionably the most time-consuming and resource intensive task of any police agency. More than half of the sworn personnel in any police department are assigned to patrol.

Type of Patrol Preventive Patrol: Police Officers patrol the streets with little direction. Between their responses to radio calls, they are told to be “systematically unsystematic” and observant in an attempt to both prevent and ferret out crime. Directed Patrol: Officers are given guidance or orders on how to use their patrol time. The guidance is often based on the results of crime analysis that identify problem areas. Aggressive Patrol: When the entire patrol section is instructed to make numerous traffic stops and field interrogations. Such procedures have been found to reduce crime in targeted areas. At least 2 problems can occur: Inconvenience to innocent citizens Often difficult to get all officers on board

Investigations Criminal investigations has been defined as a lawful search for people and things to reconstruct the circumstances of an illegal act, apprehend or determine the guilty party, and aid in the state’s prosecution of the offender.

Types of Investigators Investigators work in a variety of capacities in a police agency: Traffic investigators Undercover investigators – narcotics, vice, gangs Internal Affairs investigators – crimes by police Uniformed Patrol investigators – investigating crimes they have been dispatched too Detectives – conduct investigations on reports made by patrol officers

Parts of the Criminal Investigation Preliminary (Initial) Investigation: conducted by patrol officers [unless they discover a suspect during the preliminary investigation then chances are low of them solving the crime] Continuing (Follow-Up) Investigation: conducted by plain clothes detectives

Functions of Criminal Investigations In any type of investigation, all investigators share responsibility for a number of critical functions: Locate witnesses and suspects Arrest criminals Collect, preserve, and analyze evidence Interview witnesses Interrogate suspects Write reports Recover Stolen Property Seize Contraband Prepare Cases and testify in court

Advantages of being a detective They do not have to wear uniforms. They have anonymity during working hours if they choose it. They have steady work hours, often daytimes with weekends off. They have offices and desk. They enjoy the prestige associated with the position. In many agencies, detectives receive a higher rank and pay. Perhaps the most important, they enjoy more freedom from the police radio, geographical boundaries, and close supervision.

Recent Developments DNA Profiling – A unique genetic profile can be derived from blood, hair, semen, or other bodily substances found at the scene of a crime or on a victim. Links or eliminates identified suspects to a crime Identify “cold hits” Clear a convicted offender (most complete database is CODIS managed by the FBI) Automated Fingerprint Identification – allows investigators to sort through thousands of sets of fingerprints to match with those suspected of a crime (world’s largest is the FBI’s with 47 million prints on file)

Drug Enforcement An increasingly important responsibility of police departments across the nation at ALL levels.   Types of Investigations: Street-Level Enforcement Mid-Level Investigations Major Investigations Tactics Used: Crop Eradication Smuggling Interdiction Community Policing Drug Demand Reduction Asset Forfeiture

Criticism of War on Drugs Government has exaggerated the dangers. Drug war is racist. Money involved has corrupted many law enforcement personnel. Diverts resources from more important projects.