1. Chapter 6 The Police: Role and Function

2. Police Organization  Most municipal police departments are independent agencies within the executive branch of government.  Most departments follow military model adhering to rigid chain of command.  Personnel decisions often based on time-in-rank considerations.

3. The Police Role  Crime fighting efforts are only a small part of the police officer’s overall activities.  On average a police officer makes less than 2 arrest per month and less than 1 felony arrest every four months.  Majority of time spent handling minor disturbances, service calls, and administrative duties.

4. The Patrol Function  Account for 2/3 of most departments’ personnel  Deter crime through visible presence  Maintain public order  Respond to law violations or emergencies  Identify and apprehend criminals  Aid citizens in distress  Facilitate movement of people and traffic  Create a sense of safety and security

5. The Patrol Function (cont.)  Patrol Activities  Majority of efforts devoted to order maintenance or peacekeeping.  Requires officers to use discretion and resolve situations without making an arrest.  Use of selective enforcement

6. The Patrol Function (cont.)  Deterrent Effect of Patrol  Kansas City Police Preventive Patrol Experiment showed random patrol has little effect on crime.  Patrol methods seems to have little affect on public’s attitude toward police.

7. The Patrol Function (cont.)  Proactive Patrol  Department emphasizes stopping crimes before they occur rather than traditional reactive approach.  Aggressive enforcement is used to create belief that criminals stand a significant risk of being caught.  Special programs may target specific crimes.

8. The Patrol Function (cont.)  Targeting Crimes  Department emphasizes stopping crimes before they occur rather than traditional reactive approach.  Aggressive enforcement is used to create belief that criminals stand a significant risk of being caught.  New York experience

9. The Patrol Function (cont.)  Adding Patrol Officers  Research indicates adding police officers may in fact reduce crime and improve overall effectiveness of the justice system.  Agencies with more officers per capita than the norm experience lower levels of violent crimes.

10. The Patrol Function (cont.)  Compstat Program  Computer program provides real-time crime analysis capabilities for local commanders.  Commanders required to justify police deployments and strategies based on crime trends.

11. The Investigation Function  Detective investigate the causes of crime and attempt to identify the individuals or groups responsible for committing particular offenses.  Undercover/Sting Operations  Police deceive criminals into openly committing illegal acts.  Common in investigation of prostitution, gambling, and narcotics  Critics argue constitutes entrapment or may be encouraging commission of additional offenses

12. The Investigation Function (cont.)  Evaluating Investigations  Most arrests are made by patrol officers.  One study indicates half of all detectives could be replaced without negatively influencing crime clearance rates.  Police have only a 5 percent chance to solve a crime if more than 15 minutes elapse from the time of occurrence to reporting.  Detectives generally lack sufficient resources to carryout lengthy probes of any but the most serious crimes.

13. The Investigation Function (cont.)  Improving Investigations  Use of patrol officers for preliminary investigations to free up time for detectives  Increased use of specialization  Greater reliance on technology

14. Community Policing  Police-community relations programs were developed to improve relations with the community and develop cooperation with citizens with the goals of:  Explain police activities  Teach self-protection methods  Improve general attitudes toward policing  Original programs developed at station-house and departmental levels.

15. Community Policing (cont.)  Broken Windows Model  Primary function of police should be community preservation, public safety, and order maintenance.  Neighborhood disorder creates fear.  Neighborhoods give out crime-promoting signals.  To be effective police need citizen cooperation.

16. Community Policing (cont.)  Implementing Community Policing  New Jersey and Michigan foot patrol experiments  Creation of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)  Neighborhood-oriented policing

17. Community Policing (cont.)  Problem-Oriented Policing  Form of proactive policing  Identify long-term community problems and develop strategies to eliminate them  Relies on assistance of local residents to identify and resolve problems  Specialized units may concentrate on “hot spots” where significant portion of calls originate

18. Community Policing (cont.)  Challenges of Community Policing  Must define community  Define roles  Change command structure  Re-orient police values  Revise training  Reorient recruitment

19. The Changing Concepts of Policing (cont.)  Support Functions  Personnel services  Internal affairs  Budgeting  Data management  Dispatch  Forensic laboratories  Planning and research