Criminal Justice

Physical dangers of police work

Include risks such as ~105 officers killed per year, ~53,000 annual assaults on officers, and potential for serious injuries.

Mental strains in police work

Stress is the greatest danger; top stressors include fear of violent crime, lack of support, and negative media.

Use of force

Less than 2% of encounters involve force, which should only be minimal against credible threats since post-Rodney King.

Categories of force

Include Trained Technique, Dynamic Trained Technique, Untrained but Justified, and Pushing legality.

Soft techniques

Non-lethal methods such as pepper spray, taser, and tear gas used in policing.

Hard techniques

Methods involving batons, flashlights, or physical force applied by officers.

Deadly techniques

Involve the use of firearms or other lethal force.

Tennessee v. Garner (1985)

Established that deadly force is unjustified if the suspect poses no immediate threat.

Profiling in policing

A controversial practice that must be tied to suspicion of illegal activity.

Ethical dilemmas in police work

Include issues around force, bias, off-duty conduct, corruption, and decision-making.

Corruption types in police

United by property crimes, bribes, gratuities, denial of rights, and violent crimes.

Public perception of response times

Seen as a performance measure, but they do not strongly affect the likelihood of catching criminals.

Crime mapping

A strategic method to patrol 'hot spots' and implement general or directed patrols.

Reactive arrests

Initiated in response to a crime or a call made by someone.

Proactive arrests

Focus on targeting crime patterns before they occur.

Broken Window Theory

Concept that disorder leads to more crime.

Three types of police stops

Mere encounter, investigative detention (Terry stop), and custodial detention (arrest + Miranda rights).

Difference between interviews and interrogations

Interviews gather information from witnesses/victims, whereas interrogations aim to extract confessions from suspects.

Interrogation techniques

Methods used including isolation, rapport building, and use of false evidence ploys.

Community policing initiatives

Programs aimed at at-risk youth, neighborhood watches, and problem-oriented policing for crime prevention.