Law Enforcement Chapters 1-4

Terms and Definitions from Chapter 1-4

Theodore Roosevelt

• Commissioner of the NYPD

• forced corrupt officers to resign/ launched a series of unannounced nighttime inspections

• Resigned in 1897 claiming the NYPD had been reformed

Political Era

• 1840’s-1930’s

• Police organized in paramilitary style

• politicians appointed/hired police

• Came about due to need for social order and security

Reform Era

• 1930’s - 1970’s

• Focused on “traditional” crime-fighting and the capture of criminals

• Crackdown on Organized crime

• Progressive policing led by August Vollmer and O.W Wilson

• Citizens called for the removal of politics from policing

Community Era

• 1970 - 2001

• Police departments work to identify and serve the needs of their communities

• Partnership between the police and community

• Police focus on quality of life defenses

• Came about due to realization that effective community partnerships can help prevent and solve crimes

New Policing Era (Information Era)

• 2001 - now

• Formation of the Department of Homeland Security

• Came about after the 9/11 attacks

• Concentrating on crime control and anti terrorism efforts

Slave Patrols

• Established in the 18th century to apprehend runaway slaves and to ensure that salves did not revolt against their owners

• Largely carried out by citizen volunteers, frequently using violence.

Booking

The process of fingerprinting, processing and photographing the suspect, after which he or she is typically placed in a holding cell.

• Might also have to submit a Breathalyzer or other tests

Sir Robert Peel

• Responsible for the passage of the Metropolitan Police Act

• Emphasized the prevention of crime, and felt uniforms were necessary

• Identified a series of Principles (see page 4)

• Recommended police agencies follow the military model

Defendant

Once charges are brought, the suspect is then referred to as a defendant

New York City

1844 → the first Metropolitan police department was formed of 16 officers appointed by the mayor

• Modeled after London’s Metropolitan Police

• 12 years later, Bronx, Manhattan, Staten Island, etc. consolidated into one department

• Other larger cities followed the New York example

Due Process

the principle that the government must apply laws fairly and equally to all people. It protects people from having their life, liberty, or property taken away without just cause. 

FBI

• Formed in 1908

• Tasked with investigating antitrust land fraud and similar matters

• Grew rapidly and become primary investigative agency for federal crimes

• Ascended in 1920’s when J Edgar Hoover was appointed lead

• Primary function is enforcing federal laws only

ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives)

• Transferred from the Department of the Treasury to Justice on January 24th, 2003

• Basically a tax collection, enforcement, and regulatory arm of the US Department of Justice.

• Screens the applications and issues licenses

• Conducts inspections of gun dealerships to ensure compliance.

DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration)

• enforces controlled substance laws and regulations

• brings to justice people and organizations involved in illegal growing, manufacture, and distribution of controlled substances

• One of the largest federal law enforcement agencies

August Vollmer

• First police chief of Berkeley California

• Argued policing should be regarded as a public service, as a profession focused on improving society

• Called for elevated standards of recruitment and retention and the adoption of modern management techniques

• Elected president of the IACP in 1921

Ways August Vollmer transformed his department

• Increased the size of the force

• Put officers on bikes and motorcycles

• First to adopt fingerprinting technology to aid in criminal investigations

• First police leader to hire officers with college degrees

• Created Berkeley Police School in 1908

Wickersham Commission

• AKA National Commission on Law Observance and Enforcement

• Appointed by president Hoover in 1929 to investigate the real operations and problems of the CJ system

• Vollmer (the lead police consultant after George W. Wickersham) called attention to corruption, excessive political influence and meddling in CJ

Orlando Winfield Wilson

• Served as chief of the Wichita Kansas police department between 1928-1939

• Clamped down on corruption and brutality, firing 20% of his offic3rs on the force

• “Square Deal Code” mission statement

• Started the nations first doctoral program in criminology

• Called for a shift from foot patrol to automobile

Unified

Central authority makes all laws and holds all power

Confederation

• There is not strong central government

• Constituent units makes laws and hold power

Federalist

• Laws are made by the central governing authority as well as by the constituent units

• Federal government makes laws for the entire nation, but federalism also gives the states power to make their own laws

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

• Focuses on investigation and is particularly concerned with illegal immigration

• 3 main branches: Homeland Security investigations, Enforcement and Removal Operations, Management and Administration

Council-Manager form

• City Council makes all policy decision for the city

• Elected, usually 5-12 people

• Power of the Mayor is significantly limited

• A City Manager presides over the cities day-today operations and implements policy enacted by the City Council

Mayor-Council form

Strong Mayor: Mayor has almost limitless authority over city operations, including hiring and dismissal of key officials

Weak Mayor: Mayor serves largely at the behest of the City Council (more common in small towns)

• Mayor is responsible for city operations, there is not city manager

Public Information Officer

• Key point of contact through which the media must go to gather information

• Crafts press releases, holds news conferences, and serves as a department liaison to the press

Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

• Created in 2002 by the Homeland Security Act

• Houses a number of law enforcement agencies that used to be scattered throughout the federal government prior to 9/11

• US Secret Service, ICE, US Coast Guard, US Customs and Border Protection, US Border Patrol, TSA, Federal Protective Service, and Federal Law Enforcement Training Center

Use of Force

Use of Force amounts to any combination of threatened or actual force used for a lawful purpose, e.g. to effect arrest; defend oneself or another person; or to interrupt a crime in progress or prevent an imminent crime.

Field Training Officer

• Veteran Officer gets assigned to a recent academy graduate

• Observes the graduate and teaches them tasks police officers perform regularly

• This approach is being replaced by the Police Training Officer Model

Media vs Police

• The Media in the US keeps a close eye on the police

• The Media can provide favorable coverage of successful investigations and aid in the capture of fugitives

• Unfortunately the media often gets it wrong

• “If it bleads, it leads”

• Criticized for increasing people’s fear of crime

• Citizen support is likely affected by media coverage

CAVEAT

a warning to consider something before taking any more action, or a statement that limits a more general statement

Federalism

A political doctrine wherein power is divided (often constitutionally) between a central governing body (e.g. the federal government) and various constituent units (the states)

• Helps facilitate democracy since it promotes participation in all levels of government

Plebe System

Academy model that closely parallels a military-style boot camp and that aims to produce well-groomed and disciplined officers

Burnout

The progressive loss of idealism, energy, purpose, and concern that results from the conditions of work

• “debilitating psychological condition brought about by unrelieved work stress.”

• Many agencies offer resilience training to mitigate against burnout

Background Investigation

• The most expensive and time consuming phase of the hiring process

• Investigators draws on official records and conducts in depth interviews with friends, family, coworkers, acquaintances

• Intended to discover those skeletons in the applicants closet that are not revealed during other phases

Centralized State Police

• Assist local law enforcement departments in criminal investigations when asked to do so

• Operate Identification bureaus

• Maintain a centralized criminal records repository

• Patrols the states highways

• Provide select training for municipal and county officers

Decentralized State Police

• Most prevalent in southern and midwestern portions of the US

• Draw a clear distinction between traffic enforcement on state highways and other state-level law enforcement functions

• Usually have several other adjunct state-level law enforcement agencies

Posse Comitatus Act

a federal law that prevents the military from participating in civilian law enforcement. Passed in 1878

Span of Control

refers to the number of subordinates supervised by one person

-The bigger the organization and the higher up the ladder a person ascends, the greater that persons span of control

Chain of Command

a hierarchy of authority that defines who reports to whom in an organization

Private Security

the industry that provides “for-profit security products and services, which include three broad categories: the provision of guards, equipment and investigation or consulting services

• Ex. Home owners who buy a home security system

Private Policing

refers to the acquisition and use of these products and services, as well as the application of specialized knowledge in areas like crime control, investigation, and risk management

• basically, private police are supplied by private security

• have been exempt from the 4th Amendment, the Miranda rule, and entrapment restrictions

Civil Service

A system in which employees are hired, retained, advanced, disciplined, and discharged on the basis of merit, or their abilities and qualifications

Polygraph Exams

• Evidence from polygraph exams is not allowed in court to prove guilt

• about 2/3rds of Americas Law Enforcement agencies rely on Polygraph exams as part of the employment process to encourage honesty

3 Types of Academies

• In-house (local)

• Regional (federal)

• State

Technical Training Model

• Exposes trainees more to the less familiar dimensions of their jobs, such as managing stress, interacting with different people, etc.

College Training Model

• Aim is to train budding officers to be professionals

• Learning problems solving, sensitivity to marginalized groups, and other valuable skills

Police Training Officer Program (PTO)

• Different from traditional police training methods in that it emphasizes mechanical repetition skills and rote memory capabilities; rather, the focus is on developing an officers learning capacity, leadership, and problem solving skills

• Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, Evaluation

Affirmative Action

The practice of taking proactive steps to boost the presence of historically marginalized groups (typically minorities or women) in the ranks of an organization by giving preference to members of those groups

• AKA DEI

Racial Quotas

numerical requirements for hiring, promoting, or admitting people of a specific race. They are often used to address underrepresentation or discrimination. However, the Supreme Court ruled racial quotas unconstitutional in 1978

Reverse Discrimination

occurs when majority groups, such as white men, face unfavorable workplace decisions due to their race or gender.

Eustress

Positive Stress

ex. Anticipating an exciting event

Distress

Negative Stress

ex. The death of a loved one

Critical incident

an emergency situation that evokes immediate police response that takes priority over all other police work

ex. A crime in progress, traffic accident with serious injuries, a natural disaster, terrorist attack, an officers request for assistance, and other instances where human life may be in jeopardy

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

• Stress arising from critical incidents

• classified as a condition which sets in following a traumatic event with which the sufferer cannot cope

• Symptoms can include persistent and recurring memories of the event, loss of interest and feelings, problems sleeping and concentrating, and hypervigilance

Sexual Harassment

unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature

Subculture

cultural patterns that distinguish some segment of a society’s population from the rest of that population

Culture

A shared set of values, norms, and behaviors that from a particular way of life

Values

Standards of goodness, or those things that are perceived to be important

Us vs. Them

"Us vs. them" in law enforcement refers to a mindset where police officers perceive themselves as a distinct group separate from the general public, often viewing citizens as potential threats or "the other," leading to a mentality of suspicion and potentially excessive force, rather than seeing themselves as part of the community they serve; essentially creating a "we are the police, they are the criminals" dynamic. 

Dominion

refers to the power or right to use, control, or possess property. In law enforcement, dominion can refer to the government's power to seize property or take someone into custody

Street Environment

An officers personal beliefs, the circumstances of the encounter, and the attitudes each party brings to the encounter can influence behavior in ways that are enduring and reinforcing

“bodes ominously for police subculture”

Traffic Stop

Since nearly ever traffic stop is involuntary, any hopes of a positive encounter between the officer and the driver are doomed from the start. As a result, traffic stop interactions negatively shape police subculture

Paradox of Policing

the idea that policing can both protect and harm people, and that policing can be corrupt or brutal. It can also refer to the tension between the need to respect human rights and the authority of police to use force

Isolation

Can be lack of interactions with co workers, for example sheriffs who work in rural areas and are on their own for most of the time, and can also be isolation from the community, can feel isolated in terms of relationships

Democracy

• Government by the people

• vests supreme authority in the citizenry, usually through free elections and the representatives the citizens choose to elect

• equality of rights, privileges, opportunities, open government, and due process

Private Policing Controversies

Client driven relationships - usually considered unethical

Interview

• Often conducted by a board of officials, including active police officers from the jurisdiction and some civilians

• Psychologists or psychiatrics might serve on the board or conduct separate interviews

Sheriffs

They are elected, so need to be more concerned than most police administrators with citizen support, especially voter support

Justice Department Agencies

FBI, DEA, ATP, USMS

US Marshal Service (USMS)

• Oldest law enforcement agency

• main responsibilities are judicial security and fugitive investigation

• protect judges, jurors, and attorneys

• Work in tasks forces along side local law enforcement agencies to apprehend fugitives

Organization

a consciously coordinated social entity, with a relatively identifiable boundary, that functions on a relatively continuous basses to achieve a common goal or set of goals

Police organizations differ from others since usually they have both legitimate arrest power and authority to use force

Staff vs. Line Officials

Staff = non sworn personnel (secretaries, 911 dispatchers, record keepers, crime analysts)

Line Officials = sworn personnel (police officers)