Politics of the Criminal Justice Chapter 5

Patrol Officers

Police officers who monitor specific areas to prevent and respond to crime.

Search and Seizure

The practice of searching a person or property and confiscating evidence related to a crime.

Criminology Research

The study of crime, criminal behavior, and the criminal justice system to develop effective policies and practices.

Modern Policing

The system of law enforcement established by Robert Peel in 1829, focusing on crime prevention through a continuous police presence.

Police Presence

The visibility and availability of police officers in a community to deter crime.

Routine Police Patrol

The regular and continuous monitoring of specific areas by police officers to prevent and respond to crime.

Deterrence

The act of preventing criminal behavior by making potential offenders aware of the risks and consequences of committing a crime.

Police-Population Ratio

The number of sworn police officers per 1,000 people in a given area.

Sworn-Officers

Police officers who have taken an oath to uphold the law and have full arrest powers.

Personnel Practices

The methods and strategies used by a police department to manage and deploy its officers.

Two-Officer Patrols

Patrol units that consist of two officers, which are less efficient than one-officer units.

Rational Workload Formula

A method for assigning patrol officers based on the expected workload and crime patterns in different shifts or areas.

Active Police Work

Engaging in proactive activities such as initiating contacts with citizens and patrolling high-crime areas.

High-Crime Areas

Locations with a higher incidence of criminal activity.

Correlations

Statistical relationships between two variables.

Causations

The action of causing something; a direct relationship where one event leads to another.

Visible Police Presence

The noticeable and continuous presence of police officers in a community.

Kansas City Preventative Patrol Experiment

A landmark study conducted in 1972-1973 to test the deterrent effect of varying police patrol levels.

Proactive Beats

Areas that received increased levels of patrol.

Reactive Beats

Areas that received no routine police patrol, with police only responding to citizen calls for service.

Control Beats

Areas that maintained normal levels of police patrol.

Residual Deterrence

The concept that the belief in police presence deters crime even if police are not actually present.

Dosage

The amount of level of police patrol in a given area.

Clearance Rate

The percentage of reported crimes that are solved by the police.

Impulsive Crimes

Crimes committed without premeditation or rational calculation.

Suppressible Crimes

Crimes that can be prevented or reduced through police patrol, such as robbery, burglary, and auto theft.

Surveillance Cameras

Cameras used to monitor and record activities in public or private spaces for security purposes.

Closed Circuit Television (CCTV)

A system of video cameras used for surveillance in specific locations.

Cost-Effectiveness

The measure of how effectively resources are used to achieve a desired outcome, considering the costs involved.

Police Crackdowns

Brief, intensive enforcement efforts aimed at reducing crime.

Problem-Oriented Policing

A strategy that involves identifying specific problems that contribute to crime and developing tailored responses to address them.

Operation Pressure Point (OPP)

A well-known anti-drug crackdown in New York City in the early 1980s.

Desk Appearance Ticket (DAT)

A policy allowing persons charged with misdemeanors to be released immediately.

Displacement of Crime

The movement of criminal activity from one area to another due to law enforcement efforts.

Replacement Effect

The phenomenon where arrested individuals are replaced by others who see an opportunity to make money.

Stop-and-Frisk

A police practice involving the temporary detention and pat-down of individuals based on reasonable suspicion of criminal activity.

Reasonable Suspicion

A lower evidentiary standard than probable cause, allowing police to temporarily detain individuals suspected of criminal activity.

Terry v. Ohio

A 1968 U.S. Supreme Court decision that defined the law of stops and frisks.

Field Interrogations

Traditional term for stops and questioning by police officers.

Legitimacy

The perception that the police and other criminal justice agencies are fair, just, and deserving of public trust and cooperation.

Smart Policing

Innovative, data-driven policing strategies that build on criminological research to effectively reduce crime.

Smart Policing Initiative

A program funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance to support innovative policing projects in local law enforcement agencies.

SARA Model

A model used in POP that includes Scanning, Analysis, Response, and Assessment.

Specialized Multi-Agency Response Team (SMART)

A program in Oakland, California, targeting drug hot spots through partnerships with various agencies.

Noncriminal Justice Approaches

Strategies that involve partnerships with non-law enforcement agencies and resources to address crime and disorders.

COMPSTAT

A computerized database that provides timely data on crime and disorder, enabling quick police responses.

Zero-Tolerance Policing

A strategy that involves strict enforcement of minor offenses to prevent more serious crimes.

Hot Spots Policing

A strategy that focuses on areas with high levels of criminal activity.

Crime Mapping Technology

Tools used to identify and analyze patterns of crime in specific areas.

Broken Windows Policing

A strategy that focuses on addressing minor nuisances and disorderly conduct to prevent more serious crimes.

Focused Deterrence

A strategy that targets specific types of crime or offenders with a combination of law enforcement, community mobilization, and social services to deter criminal behavior.

Evidence-Based Crime Policy

Policies and practices in crime prevention and law enforcement that are based on scientific evidence and research findings.

Meta-Analysis

A statistical analysis that combines the results of multiple studies to identify overall trends and effectiveness.

Boston Gun Project

A program initiated in the early 1990s to reduce gun violence in Boston, particularly among young African American males.

Operation Ceasefire

A multiphased strategy developed to address gun violence, focusing on gang leaders.

Pulling Levers

A strategy that involves using all potential violations, from serious to minor, to target gang leaders.

Probation and Parole Conditions

Legal conditions that individuals must comply with while on probation or parole, which can be enforced as part of the pulling levers strategy.

Forums/Call-In Meetings

Meetings with gang members to deliver a strong deterrent message and inform them of the potential consequences of gun violence.

Cincinnati Initiative to Reduce Violence (CIRV)

A program replicating the Boston Gun Project, focused on reducing gun violence through enforcement, social services, and community outreach.

Gang Member-Involved (GMI) Homicides

Homicides involving gang members.

Community Norms

Shared values and behaviors within a community, targeted for change through outreach programs.

Institutionalizing Reforms

The process of embedding new practices and policies within an organization to ensure their sustainability.

Predictive Policing

The use of data analysis to anticipate and prevent future crimes.

Data-Driven Policing

Policing strategies that rely on data analysis to inform decisions and actions.

Domestic Use

The application of drones within a country’s borders for public safety and law enforcement.

Part I Index Crimes

Major crimes tracked by law enforcement, including homicide, rape, robbery, burglary, larceny, etc.

Acquaintance Crimes

Crimes where the victim knows the offender, such as assaults and rapes.

Specific Suspect

An individual who is identified as a likely perpetrator based on evidence or witness information.

Characteristics of the Crime

Factors such as the type of crime, location, and whether there are witnesses or evidence.

Cold Crime

A crime for which there are no immediate leads or suspects.

Rand Study

A study of the criminal investigation that found the typical case gets about four hours of work.

Scientific Crime Detection

Methods and techniques used to solve crimes based on scientific principles.

ACE-V (Analyze, Compare, Evaluate, Verify)

The process used in fingerprint identification.

Procedural Rules

Legal guidelines that police must follow during investigations.

Mapp v. Ohio (1961)

A Supreme Court decision that established the exclusionary rule, preventing illegally obtained evidence from being used in court.

Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

A Supreme Court decision that requires police to inform suspects of their rights, including the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney.

Exclusionary Rule

A legal principle that prevents evidence obtained through unconstitutional searches and seizures from being used in court.

Fourth Amendment

The part of the U.S. Constitution that protects against unreasonable searches and seizures.

Due Process Clause

A clause in the Fourteenth Amendment that guarantees fair legal procedures.

Motion to Suppress

A legal request to exclude certain evidence from being presented in court.

Fifth Amendment

The part of the U.S. Constitution that protects individuals from self-incrimination.

What is Walker’s reasoning for Proposition 6: Simply putting more cops on the street will not reduce crime?

The theory of deterrence doesn’t work as expected. The Kansas City experiment showed that the belief in police presence deters crime even if police are not present. Offenders don’t see police patrol as a meaningful threat, and many crimes occur indoors, where police can’t suppress them

What is Walker’s reasoning for Proposition 7: Faster response time will not produce more arrests or lower the crime rate?

By the time the police are called, many cases have gone “cold”, or the offender has gotten away.

What is Walker’s reasoning for Proposition 8: Carefully planned and focused problem-oriented policing strategies can be successful in reducing crime and disorder?

The Boston Gun Project and the Cincinnati Initiative to Reduce Violence, which included police enforcement, community meetings, led to a significant reduction in gang-member involved homicides.

What is Walker’s reasoning for Proposition 9: More detectives, or other changes in detective work, will not raise clearance rates or lower the crime rate?

It’s not the quantity of detectives that is the issue; it’s the unreliability of scientific crime detection methods. Fingerprints, for example, or often unreliable.

What is Walker’s reasoning for Proposition 10: The Supreme Court Rulings in Mapp and Miranda are not significant barriers to effective crime control by the police?

The Miranda warning is often misunderstood, it only needs to be given before questioning. So, many suspects waive their rights and confess or make incriminating statements.