police operations

What is a clearance rate?

The percentage of crimes that are solved by police.

When is a crime considered cleared?

When the perpetrator is identified and charged or when the investigation has gone as far as possible and there is no point continuing.

What does it mean when police stop investigating a case?

The investigation has gone as far as it can and further investigation would not lead to charges.

How is police efficiency commonly measured?

Response times and arrest rates.

What affects response times negatively?

The delay between when a crime occurs and when citizens call the police.

What helps manage response times?

Management of demand / differential response.

Why are arrest rates not an ideal measure of police efficiency?

• Much crime is not reported to police

• Many people are arrested but not prosecuted

What is often used as an alternative measure of efficiency?

Clearance rates.

What is another way to measure police efficiency?

The number of arrests that lead to prosecutions.

What social outcome can also measure efficiency?

Reduction in fear of crime.

What is a role in sociology?

A set of rights and responsibilities associated with a particular position.

What are role expectations?

Expectations about how someone should behave in their role.

What is role conflict?

When a person faces conflicting expectations in their role.

What conflicting roles do police often occupy?

Social agent and crime fighter.

Who developed the policing styles: professionals, enforcers, reciprocators, and avoiders?

William Ker Muir Jr.

What are the two dimensions in Muir’s model?

Passion and perspective.

What is passion?

Recognition that force can be used legitimately to control situations.

What is perspective?

The ability to empathize with suffering and act ethically.

Professionals (Muir)?

: Have both passion and perspective.

Enforcers (Muir)?

Have passion but little perspective.

Reciprocators (Muir)?

Lack passion and have difficulty using authority.

Avoiders (Muir)?

Have neither passion nor perspective.

Who identified the four policing styles: social agent, watchman, law enforcer, and crime fighter?

James Q. Wilson

Social Agent style?

Acts like a social worker helping community problems.

Watchman style?

Focuses on maintaining public order and restoring peace.

Law Enforcer style?

Strictly enforces all laws including minor offences.

Crime Fighter style?

Focuses on serious criminals and crime control.

What is the backbone of policing?

Patrol.

Who introduced patrol policing in 1829?

Robert Peel

What are the purposes of patrol?

• Deter crime

• Maintain public order and sense of security

• Provide 24-hour service

What percentage of police calls involve non-crime incidents?

About 80%.

Examples of non-crime calls?

• Neighbour disputes

• Animal control

• Noise complaints

• Locating lost children

What does this suggest about police work?

Police work often resembles social work more than military work.

What is incident-driven policing?

Reactive policing where police respond to citizens’ calls for help.

What is proactive policing?

Police act before crimes occur (e.g., drug crackdowns, prostitution stings).

Is it clear that patrol arrests deter crime?

No, evidence is unclear

What are directed patrols?

When officers spend more time in specific high-crime areas.

What crimes can directed patrols reduce?

Automobile theft and robberies.

What concern exists with directed patrols?

Crime may be displaced to other areas.

What type of patrol existed before the 1930s?

Foot patrol.

When did foot patrols re-emerge?

The 1970s.

What did the Flint Neighbourhood Foot Patrol Program show?

• Slight crime reduction

• Increased confidence in police

• Reduced fear of crime

Where were similar results found?

Newark, Toronto, and Edmonton.

What major experiment studied patrol effectiveness in 1972-73?

Kansas City Preventive Patrol Experiment

What were the three patrol conditions?

• Reactive

• Proactive

• Control

What was the result of the Kansas City experiment?

Patrol levels did not affect crime rates, fear of crime, or attitudes toward police.

Why might patrols be ineffective?

• Patrols are spread out

• Many crimes cannot be prevented by patrol

• Criminals may not be affected (displacement)

What is the goal of criminal investigation?

To obtain information to reconstruct the circumstances of a crime.

What are the two stages of investigation?

• Preliminary investigation

• Follow-up investigation

Who makes most arrests?

Patrol officers (about 8 out of 10).

Who proposed the Broken Windows theory in 1982?

James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling

What does Broken Windows theory suggest?

Disorder creates fear and signals that crime is tolerated.

What should police do according to this model?

Address disorder early before it leads to more serious crime.

What is the focus of problem-oriented policing?

Addressing the root causes of crime.

Example of problem-oriented policing?

The Kansas City Gun Project targeting illegal gun carrying.

What is the main goal of community policing?

Build stronger communities that help police themselves

Key features of community policing?

• Community partnerships

• Decentralized police stations

• Address disorder and fear of crime

What does zero-tolerance policing focus on?

Strict enforcement of minor offences and order maintenance.

What model does zero-tolerance follow?

Crime-attack / suppression model.

Traditional Policing

Focus: Enforcement
Culture: Inward, rejects community involvement
Structure: Centralized
Success measured by: Arrest and crime rates

Community Policing

Focus: Community building
Culture: Partnerships with community
Structure: Decentralized
Success measured by: Fear reduction, community relationships

Problem-Oriented Policing

Focus: Solving crime and disorder problems
Culture: Analytical
Structure: Decentralized with local command
Success measured by: Problems solved and crime displacement minimized

Zero-Tolerance Policing

Focus: Order maintenance
Culture: Inward focus on attacking crime
Structure: Centralized
Success measured by: Arrests, field stops, activity levels

What is intelligence-led policing?

A data-driven policing strategy that identifies high-crime locations and repeat offenders.

What tools are used? in intelligence led-policing

Computer analysis and predictive policing.