police and society final

police discretion

Discretion = officers’ ability to decide how to respond in a situation (e.g., warning vs. arrest).

• Exists because full enforcement of all laws is impossible.

• Can be both necessary and controversial.

The decision-making latitude of the police on whether to invoke legal sanctions. It may include the decision to investigate or not, to arrest or not, or to pursue or not.

perspectives on police behavior

• universalistic perspective

• particularistic perspective

universalistic perspectives

• consider the ways officers are similar.

• These perspectives are widely used by police researchers, because they provide ways to distinguish police work from other occupations.

• sociological

  • emphasizes the social context in which PO are hired and trained and in which police-citizen interactions occur

  • due to the training, tend to view situations in a certain manner and act accordingly

• psychological

  • concerned with the nature of the “police personality”

  • officers may have a certain type of personality prior to employment or personality changes due to police experience

• organizational

  • departmental factors play a role in police behavior

  • formal, informal (cultural) and institutional

particularistic perspectives

emphasize how police officers differ from one another

• focus on decision making differences among officers

• attitudes

• individual characteristics

socialization vs predisposition

socialzation

• learn behavior through police culture and training

predisposition

• officers bring their values and attitudes with them into poilcing

socialization theory

• individuals are socialized as a result of their occupational experiences

• learn behavior through police culture and training

• applies to any type of police behavior good or bad

predisposition theory

• suggests that the behavior of officers is primarily explained by the characteristics, values and attitudes that they had before being employed as police

• policing occupation attracts people with certain attitudes and beliefs; thus, socialization has less explanatory value.

police culture

• informal but important relationship among police officers and the values they share.

• Police work is characterized by its own occupational beliefs and values, which traditionally include a perception of the police as sexist and macho.

police work is characterized by its own occupational beliefs and values that are shared by officers across the United States

• includes

  • loyalty to other officers

  • secrecy (code of silence)

  • cynicism

factors influencing police decisions

• situational

• neighborhood

• organizational

• officer

situational factors

neighborhood factors

organizational factors

officer characteristics

important influences on behavior

use of force

context of force

types of force

training and use of force

de-escalation

police culture and force

controversy

accountability

internal accountability mechanisms

internal investigations

outcomes of internal investigations

early warning systems

body worn cameras

external accountability

civilian review

ethics in policing

representation matters

why diversity is important

racial minorities in policing

women in policing

performance findings in women officers

affirmative action and equal opportunity

current trends

policing is a high stress occupation

types of stress

acute stress

chronic stress

major sources of stress

emerging stressors

PTSD and trauma

consequences of stress

coping and solutions

debate over education requirements

arguments FOR

arguments AGAINST

impact on officer attitudes

impact on performance

impact on use of force

promotion and leadership

bona fide occupational qualification

current reality

policing is constantly changing

influencers of policy change

demographic trends

immigration and diversity

economic changes

climate change

modern crime trends

drugs

mass shootings

mental health and policing

police legitimacy

technology in policing

benefits of technology

concerns of technology

big picture themes