Policing Midterm Fall 2025 / Study Guide

· Know the four law enforcement entities that emerged in early England and were brought over to America 

Constables

role created by william the conqueror in 1066AD

• An appointed or elected peacekeeper who organized citizens for protection and supervised the night watch(later)

· Know the four law enforcement entities that emerged in early England and were brought over to America 

Justice of the peace

created to assist the shire Reeve (sheriff) in the controlling the country (is like our

Night watch 1285-1829 → established of first night watch (watch and ward) system in England 

• Maintaining order

• Watching for fires, wild animals, roving bands of thieves

• Calling out increments of time 

• Lighting street lamps

· Know the four law enforcement entities that emerged in early England and were brought over to America 

Metropolitan police act 1829 (sir robert peel)

 Established the first metropolitan police force replaying the night watch and constable in england system in london

• “Father of modern policing)

• Internal force of 1000 men

• Called bobbies

• Organized along military lines

• By 1856 system expanded thought all of england

· Know the four law enforcement entities that emerged in early England and were brought over to America 

Shire reeve

early england, the chief law enforcement official in a county, forerunner of today's sheriff 

 Know the three basic beliefs of the Broken Window’s Theory

 based on work of George Kelling and James Q Wilson (1982)

1. neighborhood disorder creates fear,

2.  neighborhoods give out crime promoting signals

3.  police need citizens cooperation 

Be familiar with the different levels of law enforcement:

Municipal

“city police”, the most important component of American law, representing the majority of all law enforcement agencies and sworn officers. They are responsible for dealing with serious crime, difficult order maintenance problems and wide range of emergency services

Be familiar with the different levels of law enforcement:

 Regional

a police force that serves multiple jurisdictions within a given geographic area, such as two or more municipalities or counties, rather than a single town or city, or when several jurisdictionally based agencies combine their efforts to provide services in a geographic area

Be familiar with the different levels of law enforcement:

 National

  a governmental body empowered to enforce laws at the federal level within a country, with duties including crime prevention, investigation, and prosecution of federal offenses

Be familiar with the different levels of law enforcement:

International

 the cooperative efforts between countries and their law enforcement agencies to combat transnational crime, exchange intelligence, and uphold public safety

Be familiar with the four different models of Sheriffs in the United States and which one is specific to Pennsylvania:

civil judicial model

courts and judicial systems, sheriffs only work within the court houses in pa, protects the people within the court room, transports people to hearings or during a trial, bench warrants, sheriffs sales(if people don’t pay their taxes, and they can take that property and sell it for the amount needed to them to pay those taxes), conceal and carry must be the one doing background checks for you to be able to conceal

Be familiar with the four different models of Sheriffs in the United States and which one is specific to Pennsylvania:

Law enforcement model

carry out only law enforcement duties, with other responsibilities assumed by separate agencies

Be familiar with the four different models of Sheriffs in the United States and which one is specific to Pennsylvania:

full service model

carry out law enforcement, judicial, and correctional duties

Be familiar with the four different models of Sheriffs in the United States and which one is specific to Pennsylvania:

correctional judicial models

carry out only law enforcement duties, with other responsibilities assumed by separate agencies

· Know your amendments and what rights are protected by those amendments, particularly the 1^st, 4^th, 5^th, 6^th, and 8^th Amendments?:

1st amendment

Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, freedom of press → they are not absolute

How it pertains to policing:

• Freedom of speech →threats of physical violence cannot say that due to that being not implemented by Fighting words are not allowed 

• freedom of religion →

• freedom of assembly → cannot block roads, hate speeches on public property(like the people who come to wcu campus cause of state property) 

· Know your amendments and what rights are protected by those amendments, particularly the 1^st, 4^th, 5^th, 6^th, and 8^th Amendments?:

 

4th amendment

we have the right to unreasonable search and seizures, no warrants shall be issued upon probable cause, supported by the oath of affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized.  

Example of it in policing:

• Presume a warrant 

• Based on probable cause 

• What if you don't have a warrant →

• Are there exceptions 

· Know your amendments and what rights are protected by those amendments, particularly the 1^st, 4^th, 5^th, 6^th, and 8^th Amendments?:

5th amendment

 the right to a grand jury indictment for serious crimes, protection from double jeopardy (being tried twice for the same crime), the right to remain silent to avoid self-incrimination, the right to "due process of law" for federal cases, and the requirement of "just compensation" when private property is taken for public use

· Know your amendments and what rights are protected by those amendments, particularly the 1^st, 4^th, 5^th, 6^th, and 8^th Amendments?:

6th amendment

guarantees rights to criminal defendants, ensuring a fair trial by establishing the right to a speedy and public trial, an impartial jury, notice of criminal charges, the right to confront and cross-examine witnesses, the right to call one's own witnesses, and the right to legal counsel, regardless of the defendant's ability to pay

· Know your amendments and what rights are protected by those amendments, particularly the 1^st, 4^th, 5^th, 6^th, and 8^th Amendments?:

8th amendment

prohibits the federal government from requiring excessive bail, imposing excessive fines, or inflicting cruel and unusual punishments 

· Know the three main reasons police departments were formed in the early to mid-1800s in America . . . in other words, what three underlying societal conditions existed causing a need for organized police departments to keep the peace:

Industrialization 

 with the growth of the industrialization era is causes urbanization of the cities and forces those who were living remotely that they had to live within zones due to the “abundence” of work which everyone than needed 

· Know the three main reasons police departments were formed in the early to mid-1800s in America . . . in other words, what three underlying societal conditions existed causing a need for organized police departments to keep the peace:

Immigration

 immigration and population growth causes disorder of different types of people living between each other due to the high rate of industrialization and urbanization

· Know the three main reasons police departments were formed in the early to mid-1800s in America . . . in other words, what three underlying societal conditions existed causing a need for organized police departments to keep the peace:

Urbanization

with the growth of people around each other disorderly things are bound to happen 

 Proactive policing

specialized form of patrol in which officers attempt to catch criminals in the act of the committing crime  (stackouts, undercover)

• Targeting specific crimes (stings, raids)

• Drugs, gambling, prostitution, weapons offence 

• Large number of traffic or pedestrian stops

• Investigation of suspicious circumstances 

• Surveillance, undercover operations

Reactive policing

traditional model of splicing responding to crimes after they occur 

• Generally in full uniform, marked car, and relating to things they see, reacting to dispatch calls and going there, seeing something in front of them or having citizens coming up to them.

Sir Robert Peel

 father of modern policing

August Vollmer

”father of modern law enforcement”, fireman, hero, town marshall, chief of police in Berkeley, CA

• Started 1st institution for training young officers 

• Established first criminal justice program as USC Berklely

O.W. Wilson

“father of code of ethics in law enforcement”,student of august vollmer

• Police officer at Berkeley, CA

Civil Service Rules

A set of formal and legally-binding procedures that govern personnel decisions 

Beat integrity

The ability of an officer to keep his/her beat free of crime, address citizen complaints and be aware of the problems in the given area 

Arrest

a use of legal authority to deprive a person of their freedom of movement

Arrest warrant

a document issued by a judge or magistrate that authorizes the police to take someone accused of a crime into custody. An arrest warrant is issued by the competent authority upon a showing of probable cause, which means a warrant may be issued if a reasonable person would believe the information at hand is sufficient to suggest criminal activities.

Collective bargaining

A method of determining conditions of employment through bilateral negotiations according to the following principles: employees have a legal right to form unions; employers must recognize employee unions; employees have a right to participate in negotiations over working conditions; and employers are required to negotiate with the union’s designated representatives.

Miranda v. Arizona (1966)