1. Chapter 7
Issues in Policing

2. The Police Culture: Core Beliefs
Police are the only real crime fighters
Only the police understand police
Loyalty to one another is paramount
The “War on Crime” can only be won by bending a few rules
The public doesn’t support the police
Patrol work is the pits, detective work is glamorous

3. The Police Subculture: Characteristics
Clannishness
Secrecy
Insulation from others in society
The "blue curtain"

4. The Police Personality
Dogmatic
Authoritarian
Suspicious
Racist
Cynical

5. What Accounts for the Police Personality?
The nature of police work attracts candidates who are by nature cynical, authoritarian and secretive
The process of being socialized into the job of police officer causes the traits to develop

6. Cynicism in Policing
Increases with years of service
If college graduates are denied promotions, it increases
Military-type training academies cause self-cynicism

7. Police Discretion
Discretion is the freedom to act or judge on one's own; latitude of choice and action
Police discretion is sometimes referred to as low-visibility decision making
Different factors affect decisions that police make

8. Some of the Benefits of Higher Education in Policing
Better behavioral and performance characteristics
Fewer on-the-job injuries and assaults
Fewer disciplinary actions from accidents and force allegations
Less sick time use
Promotes higher aspirations
Greater acceptance of minorities
Decreases dogmatism, authoritarianism, rigidity and conservatism
Lessens citizen complaints

9. Women in Police Work
16% of all sworn police officers in cities with populations greater than 250,000; 11% of all departments combined
Role of women in policing is restricted by:
Social barriers including:
Gender conflict
Jealousy
Stereotyping

10. Women in Police Work (cont.)
Administrative barriers including:
Under-representation at senior administrative levels
Selective utilization of their skills and training
Lack of peer acceptance in a male dominated occupation

11. Research Results About Women in Policing
Are less likely to use a firearm in a violent confrontation than male officers
Are more emotionally stable than male officers
Are less likely to seriously injure a citizen than male officers
Are no more likely to suffer injuries than their male partners
Are more likely to receive more support from the community
Are less likely to engage in improper conduct

12. Categories of Police Stressors
External stressors
Organizational stressors
Duty stressors
Individual stressors

13. Police and Stress
Policing is not the only criminal justice job that produces stress
Because of the public nature of policing, citizens sometimes suffer from the effects of police stress
There are many sources of negative stressors in policing that may produce a synergism
Not all officers respond similarly to stressors

14. The Effects of Stress
Poor work performance
Depression/suicide
Alcoholism
Divorce
Violence

15. How Common is the Use of Force Today?
In 1999, about 422,000 incidents involved the use or threatened use of force
20% of the total was the threat of use of force only
20% of those reporting use of force against themselves reported no injury

16. Police Brutality: What is it?
Abusive language
Unnecessary use of force or coercion
Threats
Harassment

17. Race and Force
About 2% of African-Americans and Hispanics experience police use of force or threatened use of force while only 1% of whites experience the same
Some authorities argue that race is a main factor in the decision to use force; others contend that individual behavior is the primary determinant regarding the use of force

18. Factors Related to Police Shootings
Violence levels
Exposure to violence
Workload of officers
Availability of firearms (gun density)
Social conflict
Administrative policies
Race

19. Who Are The Problem Cops?
Research by Lersch and Mieczkowski found that 7% of police accounted for 33% of all citizen complaints
Officers receiving most of police complaints tend to be:
Younger
Less experienced

20. Controlling Use of Deadly Force
Tennessee v. Garner
Put an end to any local police policy that allowed officers to shoot unarmed or nondangerous offenders if they resisted or attempted to flee
Graham v. Conner
Force is excessive when, considering all the circumstances known to the officer at the time he or she acted, the force used was unreasonable

21. Curbing the Use of Force
Different approaches have been used to curb the use of force in departments. Some of these approaches include:
Detailed “rules of engagement” procedures
Force-Related Integrity Testing
Civil judgments against police officers, their superiors and the departments

22. Are There Alternatives to Lethal Weapons?
Pepper Spray
Bean Bag Guns
Tasers

23. Corrupt Cops and the Knapp Commission
Meat Eaters:
Those who aggressively misuse police power for personal gain by demanding bribes, threatening legal action or cooperating with criminals
Grass Eaters:
Those who accept payoffs when their everyday duties place them in a position to be solicited by the public

24. Kinds of Police Corruption
Internal corruption
Selective enforcement or nonenforcement
Active criminality
Bribery and extortion

25. Corrupt Police Departments
Rotten apples and rotten pockets:
Departments with a few corrupt officers who use their position for personal gain
Pervasive unorganized corruption:
Majority of personnel are corrupt but have little relationship to one another
Pervasive organized corruption:
Almost all members are involved in systematic and organized corruption

26. Causes of Police Corruption
Police personality
Institution and practices
Moral ambivalence
Environmental conditions
Corrupt departments

27. Social Ambivalence Towards Police Corruption
Unenforceable laws governing moral standards promote corruption because they create large groups with an interest in subverting law enforcement. Interest groups include both consumers and suppliers; their existence creates a climate that tolerates active corruption by others

28. Changing Police Corruption
Change in department tolerances
More willingness to take cases to the courts
More active scrutiny within government
Greater access to police practices for the public
Changing what the public will accept from the police

29. Changing Police Corruption (cont.)
Policies requiring Internal Affairs investigate all citizen complaints
Development of good computer files containing all types of complaints against all officers
Policies giving corrupt or excessive force complaints “high priority” status
Mandatory reporting and recording of all incidents in which an officer used more than incidental force
Training officers to treat citizens without racial bias; requiring top echelon officers to monitor all charges of racial bias
Review all policies and practices to eliminate any racial bias