Criminal Justice System (5)

exam 1 chap 5

1 in 5 Americans has contact with ____ yearly

Law Enforcement

what term is this describing:

Power to make decisions based on judgments/experience rather than strict rules

Officer Discretion

What are the five major factors shaping office discretion

• Nature of crime

• Relationship between suspect and victim

• Relationship with police

• Race/ethnicity, age, gender, and class

• departmental policy

What are the concerns of misuse of power

Police violence, right violations, corruption

What is the “Blue Curtain” in police misuse of power

The secrecy and protections of fellow officers

When an officer applies excessive force it must be what?

Reasonable and justified; not punitive

Studies show what about excessive force used from officers

That certain officers disproportionately use force

Excessive force is typically what

Low-level (grabbing, shoving) during arrest

What is police corruption

Using authority for personal gain

What are the two types of police corruption

• Grass eaters

• Meat eaters

What is a grass eaters in the terms of police corruption

Officers who passively accept small bribes/gifts

What is a meat eater in the terms of police corruption

Officers who actively pursue illegal gains (e.g., robbing drug dealers)

What is the Internal Affairs Unit

Investigate officers misconduct within the department

What is are civilian review boards

Citizen committees reviewing complaints (they hold limited power)

What is the Standard and Accreditation (CALEA)

Agencies evaluated voluntary for best practices

What is qualified immunity

It shields officers if rights violated were not “clearly established”

What is evidence based policing

Strategies based on crime research and past data

What is reactive policing

Responds to calls and reports

What is proactive policing

To seek out/prevent crimes before reported (e.g., victimless crimes)

What is incident driven policing

Most actions that start with service class; <30% actually involve crime

What is differential response

Prioritize calls by urgency (in progress vs. delayed)

What do we use to measure police productivity

CompStat (1994, NYC)

What does CompStat use

• It uses crime statistics to set goals, track patterns, and deploy resources

• it has spread to many cities; is tied to accountability

What are the two challenges in measuring “good policing”

• crime rates influenced by many factors beyond police

• Clearance rates often used but don’t tell whole story

What is patrolling to police

It is known a the “backbone of policing”

• patrol quality shapes public perception

What are the three main functions of policing

• Answering calls

• Maintaining a visible presence

• Investigating suspicious behavior

What are these known as:

• School resource officers

• Traffic units

• Vice units

• Drug enforcement

Special operations

Patrol Strategies:

Preventive patrol

The Kansas City Experiment (1977-73): patrol levels had no effects on crime or fear

Patrol Strategies:

Hot Spot Policing

• focuses resources where crime is concentrated

• Uses crime mapping, target patrols

Policing strategies:

Foot vs. Motor Patrol

• foot patrol = closer community contact

• Car patrol = covers larger areas

Policing strategies:

Aggressive patrol

• Proactive tactics (raids, stings, zero-tolerance)

• Criticism: worsened police community relations

Broken Window theory—relates to aggressive patrol

Minor disorder leads to major crime

Policing Strategies:

Community Policing

• Citizen involvement in neighborhood safety

• Focuses on cooperation, trust, and long term prevention

Problem-Oriented Policing—relates to community policing

Address root causes of issues