1. Chapter 4: Law Enforcement Today

2. Learning Objective 1
List the four basic responsibilities of the police

3. The Responsibilities of the Police
Enforce laws
Viewed as primary role, but police spend little time in this capacity
Provide services
Overshadowed by crime-fighting role, but police spend most of their time servicing the community
Prevent crime
Police prevent crime, in part by preserving the peace
Preserve the peace
Often involves “handling the situation”

4. A History of the American Police
The early American police experience mirrored the English system
Watch System:
The First Police Department
Population growth created a need to establish formal police forces

5. Learning Objective 2
Tell how the patronage system affected policing

6. A History of the American Police
Recruitment and promotion of police was linked to politics
Patronage system
Form of corruption in which the political party in power hires and promotes police officers, receiving job-related favors in return
Prevalent during the Political Era of Policing
Resulted in the professionalization of policing that is reflected in both the Reform and Community Eras of Policing

7. A History of the American Police

8. The Modernization of the American Police
Professionalism
Administrative Reforms
Turmoil in the 1960s
The Challenges of Anti-Terrorism
Technology

9. Learning Objective 3
Explain how intelligence-led policing works and how it benefits modern police departments

10. Intelligence-Led Policing (ILP)
Behavior is not as random as we think
Can rely on data concerning past crime patterns to predict future crime patterns
Benefits
Allows police departments to be more effective in responding to and deterring crime while using fewer resources

11. Thinking Point
ILP requires that police be proactive, sometimes gathering intelligence in the absence of a criminal predicate. Critics fear ILP will lead to civil rights violations. As quoted by Harry Truman “In a free country we punish men for the crimes they commit but never for the opinions they have.”
What civil liberties may be jeopardized by ILP activities?
How can police departments engage in effective intelligence efforts while upholding our civil liberties? Is it even possible?

12. Recruitment and Training
Basic requirements
U.S. Citizen
No felony convictions
Have a driver’s license
At least 21 years of age
Meet weight and eyesight requirements
Other conditions
Background check
Physical agility exam
Educational requirements
Successful completion of police academy and training

13. Learning Objective 4
Identify the differences between the police academy and field training as learning tools for recruits

14. Training Two major components: Academy training Field training
Recruits learn the essentials of police work in a controlled, militarized environment
Field training
Recruit is paired with experienced police officer and has opportunity to apply what was learned in the academy “to the streets”

15. Women and Minorities in Policing Today
Since the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the number of women and minority police officers has been slowly increasing
Integrated police departments are better able to establish good relationships with diverse citizenry
More effective at maintaining law and order

16. Learning Objective 5
Describe the challenges facing women who choose law enforcement as a career

17. Working Women: Gender and Law Enforcement
Challenges facing female officers
They must constantly “prove” that they are suited for the rigors of police work
Tokenism
The belief that they were hired/promoted to fulfill diversity requirements
Most negative attitudes towards female officers is based on prejudice
Very little difference between the performance of men and women in uniform

18. Thinking Point
Bratton, while Chief of the L.A.P.D., wanted female officers in every part of the department, including the SWAT team. He proposed changes to the selection process, including eliminating some of the rigorous testing that focused on physical prowess/tactical acumen while placing more emphasis on negotiating skills, patience, and empathy. He was criticized as trying to be politically correct and many argued that such changes lower the standards for getting into SWAT.
Do you agree with Bratton or his critics? Why or why not?
Does it surprise you that the most vocal critics of the proposal were the SWAT team members’ wives?

19. Law Enforcement Agencies
There are over 18,000 law enforcement agencies in the United States, employing more than 1.1 million people
About 1,481 special police agencies
12,766 local police departments
Roughly 3,063 sheriff’s departments
49 state police departments
70 federal law enforcement agencies

20. Learning Objective 6
Indicate some of the most important law enforcement agencies under the control of the Department of Homeland Security

21. Federal Law Enforcement Agencies
The Department of Homeland Security is the newest cabinet-level department designed to coordinate federal efforts to fight terrorism
Agencies under the direction of DHS include
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (BCP)
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
The U.S. Secret Service

22. Thinking Point
DHS’s social-media operation is under scrutiny by both the public and lawmakers. Although DHS claimed its program collects information necessary to accomplish its mission, recently released DHS documents suggest much more is being collected. DHS paid a contracting firm 11 million dollars to collect information from Facebook, Twitter, Wikileaks, Drudge Reports and other websites on media reports that reflect adversely on the U.S. Government and DHS.
Does it make you uncomfortable to know that DHS officials might be reading your Facebook status updates, analyzing them, and possibly collecting them for future purposes?
Should DHS have the authority to monitor the internet for criticism of the government?

23. Learning Objective 7
Identify the duties of the FBI

24. FBI Duties Has jurisdiction nearly 200 federal crimes
Provides support to local and state law enforcement agencies
Assistance with missing persons
Identifying the victims of disasters
Provides services (at no cost) to local and state law enforcement agencies
Maintains a database of fingerprint information
FBI laboratory (the largest crime lab in the world)
National Crime Information Center

25. Learning Objective 8
Analyze the importance of private security today

26. Private Security
The function of private security is to deter crime rather than stop it
Security officers only report crimes, and in some cases, make citizens’ arrests
Over $100 billion spent each year
Over 10,000 U.S. private security firms
1.1 million people employed in security each year

27. Private Security Factors fueling the expansion of private security
Public’s increased fear of crime
The problem of crime in the workplace
Increased demand due to budget cuts and reductions in the number of public police
Awareness of private security products and services as cost-effective protective measures