CH5: Policing: contemporary issues and challenges

domestic violence

The term commonly used to refer to intimate partner violence or violent victimizations between spouses, boyfriends, and girlfriends or those formerly in intimate relationships. Such actions account for a significant percentage of the violent victimizations experienced by women.

excessive use of force

Applications of force against individuals by police officers that violate either departmental policies or constitutional rights by exceeding the level of force permissible and necessary in a given situation.

police corruption

Police officers’ violations of law and departmental policy for personal gain or to help their families and friends.

internal affairs unit

A branch of a police department that receives and investigates complaints alleging violation of rules and policies on the part of officers.

civilian review board

Citizens’ committee formed by city or other governmental authority to investigate complaints against the police.

Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA)

Nonprofit organization formed by major law enforcement executives’ associations to develop standards for police policies and practice; on request, will review police agencies and award accreditation upon meeting those standards.

section 1983 lawsuits

Civil lawsuits authorized by a federal statute against state and local officials and local agencies when citizens have evidence that these officials or agencies have violated their federal constitutional rights.

qualified immunity

A legal immunity granted to police officers and other government officials that shields them from constitutional rights lawsuits if judges accept the claim that the rights in question were not clearly defined so that the officers could not have known that their actions violated an individual’s rights.

evidence based policing

Police strategies and deployment of resources developed through examination of research on crime, social problems, and previously used strategies.

reactive

Acting in response to a notification about suspicious activity, a crime, a medical emergency, or other service need.

proactive

Acting in anticipation; actively searching for potential offenders without waiting for a crime to be reported. Arrests for victimless crimes are usually proactive.

incident driven policing

Policing in which calls for service are the primary instigators of action.

differential response

A patrol strategy that assigns priorities to calls for service and chooses the appropriate response.

CompStat

Approach to crime prevention and police productivity measurement pioneered in New York City and then adopted in other cities that involves frequent meetings among police supervisors to examine detailed crime statistics for each precinct and develop immediate approaches and goals for problem solving and crime prevention.

clearance rate

The percentage of crimes known to the police that they believe they have solved through an arrest; a statistic used to measure a police department’s productivity.

sworn officers

Police
employees who have taken an oath and been given powers by the state to make arrests and to use necessary force in accordance with their duties.

preventive patrol

Making the police presence known, to deter crime and to enable officers to respond quickly to calls.

detectives

Police officers, typically working in plain clothes, who investigate crimes that have occurred by questioning witnesses and gathering evidence.

school resource officers (SROs)

Police officers assigned for duty in schools to assist in order maintenance while also developing positive relationships with students, which may assist in delinquency prevention.

aggressive patrol

assigning resources so as to get the largest number of arrests and to stop street dealing

apprehension

catching a suspect

directed patrol

A proactive form of patrolling that directs resources to known high-crime areas.

aggressive patrol

A patrol strategy designed to maximize the number of police interventions and observations in the community.

problem-oriented policing

An approach to policing in which officers routinely seek to identify, analyze, and respond to the circumstances underlying the incidents that prompt citizens to call the police.

community crime prevention

Programs through which criminal justice officials cultivate relationships with and rely on assistance from citizens in preventing crime and apprehending offenders within neighborhoods.