problems of law enforcement exam 2

what are the advantages police departments gain when employing women and racial minorities? 

Police are more effective if they secure community support, police are more effective if they understand marginalized groups. with women: they are less likely to use excessive force, and racial minorities can break through social barriers. 

what are some obstacles and barriers to women in policing?

women are disproportionally screened out in physical agility tests. the attitudes of male officers towards female officers are the biggest barrier to increasing the number of women in policing.

what is “double marginality” and “triple jeopardy” (as experienced by African-American officers)? Do you think this kind of stress still exists after three decades of integration of American police departments?

Double marginality is from 2 sides; because of their uniform, they feel unaccepted by the Black community. And because of their race, they feel unaccepted by their white colleagues.

Triple jeopardy is marginality faced from having 3 different social identities. For example, being a Black female police officer. Being a woman, being Black, and being a police officer are all social identities that can layer marginality. I think this kind of stress still exists because there is still a societal stress between race, gender, and the occupation of being a police officer. I think it has significantly decreased as time has gone on, but the problem is still there.

Does the employment of more black officers really make a difference in American policing?

No. While employing Black police offices was theorized to make a difference in how police officers treat racial minorities, black officers tend to behave and think very much like their white colleagues. The homogenization that occurs during the selection, training, and socialization of police officers has created a “blue culture” that overweighs “black culture” or “white culture.”

According to James Q Wilson, there are three different departmental styles of policing: watchman, legalistic, and service. Discuss the major characteristics associated with each style. 

Watchman: Key mission was order maintenance. Their officer discretion was high. The use of the criminal justice system was low. 

Legalistic: Their key mission was crime fighting. Their officer discretion was low, and their use of the criminal justice system was high. 

Service: Their key mission is responsive to community expectations. They had medium officer discretion: less than formal style, but more than legalistic. Their use of the criminal justice system was only when necessary. 

Describe the behavioral/psychological dimensions used and the subsequent styles derived by the Michael Brown and William K Muir. Are their styles of policing compatible?

Both Brown and Muir suggested 4 types of officers, and they do have some overlap. The clean beat crime fighter and the enforcer have the most overlap between these two styles.

Brown’s Typology