Key Concepts in Police Culture and Community Policing

Police Culture

Is the informal values, beliefs, and expectations passed on to newcomers in the department; may be at odds with the formal rules, regulations, procedures, and role authority of managers.

Community

Is the specific geographic area served by a police department or law enforcement agency and the individuals, organizations, and agencies within that area; also refers to feeling of belonging- a sense of integration and a sense of shared values.

Problem-solving policing

Is a department-wide strategy aimed at solving persistent community problems by grouping incidents to identify problems and to determine possible underlying causes.

Community Policing

Is a philosophy that promotes organization strategies that support systematic use of partnerships and problem-solving techniques to proactively address the immediate conditions that give rise to public safety issues, such as crime, social disorder, and fear of crime.

Social contract

Is a legal theory that suggests that for everyone to receive justice, each person must relinquish some individual liberty.

Demographics

Are the characteristics of a human population within a community. These characteristics include population size, distribution, growth, density, employment rate, ethnic makeup, and vital statistics such as average age, education, and income.

Informal Power Structures

Include religious groups, wealthy subgroups, ethnic groups, political groups, and public interest groups.

Formal power structures

Include divisions of society with wealth and political influence such as federal, state, and local agencies and governments, commissions, and regulatory agencies.

Police Discretion

Is the freedom to make choices among possible courses of action or inaction. For example, to arrest or not arrest.

Management

is a set of processes that keep a system running smoothly. Aspects of management include budgeting, staffing, controlling, and minor problem solving.

Leadership

is the process of creating organizations or adapting organizations to significantly changing circumstances. Leadership defines what the future should look like, aligns people with that vision, and inspires them to make the vision happen despite obstacles.

Reasonable Force

is force no greater than that needed to achieve the desired end.

Excessive force

Force greater than that reasonably necessary to accomplish a legitimate law enforcement purpose.

Deadly force

Any force that can reasonably be expected to cause or is intended to cause death or serious physical injury.

SARA Model

• Scanning • Analysis • Response • Assessment

DOC Model

• Dilemmas • Options • Consequences

Four General Principles of Community Policing

• Organizational transformation • community engagement • crime prevention by citizens and police working together • problem solving

6 Building Blocks of Ethical Policing

• integrity • honesty • values • standards • courage • civility

Sir Robert Peele

• Considered the father of modern policing • Established the Metropolitan Police Act of 1829 • 9 Principles of Modern Policing (KNOW!!!)

Possible essay questions

• Police culture • Selective enforcement (officer discretion) • Problem-solving policing