CH4: Police

frankpledge

A system in old English law in which members of a tithing (a group of 10 families) pledged to be responsible for keeping order and bringing violators of the law to court

watch system

Practice of assigning individuals to night observation duty to warn the public of fires and crime; first introduced to the American colonies in Boston and later evolved into a system of paid, uniformed police.

slave patrols

Distinctively American form of law enforcement in Southern states that sought to catch and control slaves through patrol groups that stopped and questioned African Americans on the roads and elsewhere in public places.

sheriff

Top law enforcement official in county government who was an exceptionally important police official during the country’s westward expansion and continues to bear primary responsibility for many local jails.

U.S. Marshals

Federal law enforcement officials originally appointed to handle duties in western territories; today they bear responsibility for providing federal court security and apprehending fugitives.

community policing

Approach to policing that emphasizes close personal contact between police and citizens and the inclusion of citizens in efforts to solve problems, including vandalism, disorder, youth misbehavior, and crime.

problem-oriented policing

Community policing strategy that emphasizes solving problems of disorder in a neighborhood that may contribute to fear of crime and to crime itself.

intelligence-led policing

An approach to policing, in conjunction with concerns about homeland security, that emphasizes gathering and analyzing information to be shared among agencies in order to develop cooperative efforts to identify, prevent, and solve problems.

FBI special agents

The sworn law enforcement officers in the FBI who conduct investigations and make arrests.

law enforcement certification

Preservice training required for sworn officers in many states, which includes coursework on law, psychology, police procedures, and the use of weapons. Police departments for states and large cities often run training programs called police academies for their own recruits.

socialization

The process by which the rules, symbols, and values of a group or subculture are learned by its members.

subculture

The symbols, beliefs, values, and attitudes shared by members of a subgroup of the larger society.

working personality

A set of emotional and behavioral characteristics developed by members of an occupational group in response to the work situation and environmental influences.

order maintenance

The
police function of preventing behavior that disturbs or threatens to disturb the public peace or that involves face-to-face conflict between two or more people. In such situations, the police exercise discretion in deciding whether a law has been broken.

law enforcement

The police function of controlling crime by intervening in situations in which the law has clearly been violated and the police need to identify and apprehend the guilty person.

service

The police function of providing assistance to the public for many matters unrelated to crime as well as for crime prevention education

police bureaucracy

The organizational description of police departments’ design and operations that seek to achieve efficiency through division of labor, chain of command, and rules to guide staff.

patrol units

The core operational units of local police departments that deploy uniformed officers to handle the full array of police functions for service, order maintenance, and law enforcement.

chain of command

Organizational structure based on a military model with clear definition of ranks to indicate authority over subordinates and obligations to obey orders from superiors.

special units

Units within local police departments that deploy officers, often in plain clothes if not assigned to the traffic unit, who are dedicated to a specific task, such as investigation, or type of crime, such as narcotics enforcement.

watchman style

Style of policing that emphasizes order maintenance and tolerates minor violations of law as officers use discretion to handle small infractions informally but make arrests for major violations.

legalistic style

Style of policing that emphasizes strict enforcement of laws and reduces officers’ authority to handle matters informally.

service style

Style of policing in which officers cater to citizens’ desire for favorable treatment and sensitivity to individual situations by using discretion to handle minor matters in ways that seek to avoid embarrassment or punishment.