Police Discretion and Behavior

Flashcards covering definitions and concepts related to police discretion and behaviors in law enforcement.

Police Discretion

The ability for police officers to make choices in their enforcement of the law based on individual situations.

Terry Stop

A brief detention of a person by law enforcement based on reasonable suspicion of involvement in criminal activity.

Broken Windows Policing

A strategy that focuses on maintaining order by addressing minor offenses, under the belief that they can lead to more serious crimes.

Command Discretion

Decisions made by police management regarding strategy, policy, and resource allocation.

Individual Discretion

Everyday decisions made by patrol officers in response to incidents they encounter.

Iron Law of Oligarchy

A theory stating that organizations, including police departments, tend to be dominated by a small group of leaders.

Zero-Tolerance Policing

A law enforcement strategy that enforces strict consequences for even minor offenses with no discretion for officers.

Cynicism in Policing

A growing mistrust and negative attitude that develops among police recruits during training.

Compassion Fatigue

Burnout experienced by police officers from consistently dealing with traumatic situations.

Police Personality

A personality profile commonly seen in police officers characterized by conservatism and authoritarian traits.

Operational Stressors

Job-related stressors that arise from the nature of police work, such as dealing with violent incidents.

Societal Stressors

External pressures placed on police officers from public interactions and scrutiny.

Eustress vs Distress

Eustress refers to positive, motivating stress, while distress refers to negative, harmful stress.

Psychological Explanations of Police Behavior

Theories suggesting that police behavior is influenced by individual psychological factors and training.

Wilson's Three Styles of Policing

A framework categorizing policing strategies into Watchman, Legalistic, and Service styles, each with different approaches to law enforcement.

Psychological Theories in Police Behavior

Theories suggesting that core attitudes are formed before entering and during police training.

Critical Incident Stress

Stress experienced by police officers following exposure to traumatic events, such as shootings or severe accidents.

Suicide Rate in Policing

Statistics showing that police officers are significantly more likely to die by suicide than in the line of duty.

Factors Influencing Officer Discretion

Elements such as the severity of the offense, suspect attitude, and relationship dynamics affecting police decisions.