Chapter 4 Notes: How Do Police, Police?

THE ORGANIZATION OF CANADIAN POLICING

  • A. Federal Police

    • RCMP and contract policing

  • B. Provincial Police

    • Quebec, Ontario

  • C. Municipal Police

    • Paramilitary structure

    • Task environments

  • D. Indigenous Policing

    • Self-administered police services

    • DIAND and the Indian Special Constable Program; APD

    • First Nations Policing Policy (FNPP)

    • Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service (NAPS)

    • Charlie Chapman in Sachigo Lake First Nation, Ont. (photograph reference)

    • Watch Video embedded in article: I’m Here to Protect My People

  • E. Private and Corporate Policing

    • R v Asante-Mensah (2003)

    • GardaWorld; Para-police

    • Class Questions: How does para-police challenge Liberal Democratic principles of CJ? Does it pose a threat to democracy?

RACE AND GENDER COMPOSITION OF POLICING

  • Women in policing

    • See discussions around representation in Table 4.2 (Canada, provinces, and territories)

  • Under-representation vs. increasing representation

  • Indigenous Officers

    • Increasing representation over time

TABLE 4.2: POLICE OFFICERS BY RANK AND GENDER, CANADA, PROVINCES, AND TERRITORIES (1)

  • Data snapshot (2013–2017)

    • Officers overall: Female proportion increases modestly from 20.2% (2013) to 21.4% (2017); Male proportion decreases from 79.8% to 78.6%

    • Senior officers (always 100% represented as a category): Female rising from 10.4% (2013) to 14.7% (2017); Male corresponding decrease from 89.6% to 85.3%

    • Non-commissioned officers: Female rising from 17.1% (2013) to 19% (2017); Male falling from 82.9% to 81%

    • Constables: Female rising from 21.9% (2013) to 22.6% (2017); Male falling from 78.1% to 77.4%

  • Notes and definitions

    • (1) Total for Canada includes RCMP HQ and training academy

    • (2) Actual officer strength as of specified dates (1986–1995; 1996–2005; since 2006)

    • (3) Senior officers include ranks such as lieutenant, chief, deputy chief, staff superintendent, superintendent, etc.

    • (4) Non-commissioned officers include staff-sergeants, sergeants, detective-sergeants, corporals, etc.

  • Source: Convright ©2022 Pearson Canada Inc.

RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING

  • Representation in Policing: Why Minorities Don’t Apply

    • Tangible reasons

    • Intangible reasons

  • Why Minorities Apply but Don’t Get Chosen

    • Systemic discrimination

    • Individual discrimination

OFFICER RETENTION

  • Issues

    • Turnover can negatively affect police work and hinder leadership development

  • Resources mentioned for further reading/viewing

    • CBC video link

    • Canadian Dimension article on RCMP culture and sexualized violence (external review)

HISTORICAL ADVERTISEMENT CASE STUDY

  • London Metropolitan Police advertisement, 1930s

    • How the ad contributes to intangible reasons women don’t apply

    • How the ad contributed to tangible hiring disparities

    • How the ad relates to retention issues (women leaving after hiring)

THE DAILY WORK OF OFFICERS

  • Core daily activities (the bulk of police work is here)

  • Discretionary moments

  • Order Maintenance

  • Detection, Investigation, Apprehension, and Charging an Offender

  • Law Enforcement

CRIME PREVENTION

  • Role of police presence in preventing crime

  • Involvement in community programs

  • Example reference: Hamilton example with Jackie Masters in a Grade 3 class (video reference)

SOCIAL SERVICE

  • Consent policing and the public good

  • Providing services beyond policing scope (e.g., mental health issues)

  • Pilot projects and evolving responses ( Winnipeg wellness checks example)

FORENSICS

  • Intelligence-led policing techniques

  • Crime analytic software

  • Crime scene analysis

  • Psychology and eyewitness testimony

POLICE SUB-CULTURES

  • Definition: subcultures are groups sharing ideas/thoughts/experiences

  • Origins of police subculture

    • Symbolic assailant

    • Social isolation

    • In-group solidarity

WORKING PERSONALITY OF POLICE

  • Characteristics

    • Preoccupation with danger

    • Protective cynicism

    • Conservative values

    • Highly moral attitude

    • Lack of empathy

    • Secretiveness

    • Authoritativeness

    • General mistrust of others

    • Willingness to use coercive power

THE BLUE LINE

  • The informal rule: not reporting fellow officers’ errors, misconducts, or crimes

  • RCMP directive: eliminates wearing of the “Thin Blue Line” in public discourse about the role of police

POLICE USE OF FORCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY

  • Use of Force

    • Continuum from verbal commands to lethal force

    • Defined and constrained by the Criminal Code

  • Use of Force Framework

    • One plus one rule: force level is one level greater than resistance

    • Cover, threat cues, verbal communication, de-escalation

    • Win-mentality, reactionary gap

    • See public examples and discussions (e.g., Winnipeg incident video)

POLICE MISCONDUCT

  • Categories of misconduct and related issues

    • Occupational deviance

    • Racialized policing

    • Abuse of authority

    • Noble Cause Corruption

    • Dirty Harry Problem (ethical dilemma where good outcomes may require bad means)

SUMMARY

  • Policing structure varies across Canada; recruitment is locally determined

  • Police engage in order maintenance, law enforcement, crime prevention, social service, and forensics daily

  • Sub-culture and working personality characterize policing

  • Police misconduct is linked to organizational goals, activities, and sub-culture

  • Accountability mechanisms exist across various bodies to address misconduct

KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS

  • Policing the Social

    • The role of police in shaping social norms and everyday behavior

  • Police Discretion

    • Officer’s judgment on whether to intervene or not

  • Thin Blue Line

    • The idea of police standing between order and disorder

  • Police Strength

    • Number of police officers per 100,000 people

    • Formula: Police\ strength = \frac{N}{P} \times 10^5 where N = number of officers, P = population

  • McDonald Commission

    • Royal Commission of Inquiry into Certain Activities of the RCMP; urged scrutiny after FLQ-related allegations

  • Contract Policing

    • Negotiated service agreements between federal government and provinces/municipalities

  • Regional Policing

    • Amalgamation of multiple municipal departments into one force

  • Para-Military

    • Structure resembling professional military but not the professional military

  • Task Environment

    • External conditions that shape which tasks a police organization undertakes and how it achieves its mandate

  • Representative Recruitment

    • Efforts to recruit more visible minorities, women, and Indigenous people to reflect the population policed

  • Para-Police

    • Law enforcement agents existing as secondary or subordinate to regular police forces

  • Systemic Discrimination

    • Structural/organizational patterns that disadvantage minorities

  • Individual Discrimination

    • Personal actions that treat individuals unequally due to race/ethnicity/gender

  • Basic Qualifications

    • Minimum requirements to apply for policing (age, fitness, education, etc.)

  • Preferred Characteristics

    • Additional attributes that increase competitiveness (e.g., second language, higher education)

  • Experienced Officers

    • Officers who have trained/served elsewhere or left policing and returned

  • In-Service Training

    • Training conducted while officers are on the job

  • Officer Retention

    • Ability of police services to retain personnel

  • Discretionary Moments

    • Situations requiring officers to decide between arrest, service, or warning

  • Sub-Cultures

    • Groups within a culture with distinct norms that differ from the dominant culture

  • Symbolic Assailant

    • A construct viewing people/events through suspicion of violence

  • Social Isolation

    • Distance between police and the general public

  • In-Group Solidarity

    • Fellowship among group members with shared purpose

  • Blue Wall

    • Informal norm not to report a colleague’s misconduct

  • One Plus One Rule

    • The escalation rule for force: $f = r + 1$ where r is resistance level

  • Occupational Deviance

    • Deviant acts occurring during normal work activities

  • Racialized Policing

    • Policing that uses racial frames, reinforcing stereotypes

  • Abuse of Authority

    • Using power for personal gain

  • Dirty Harry Problem

    • Ethical dilemma where good outcomes may require bad means

  • Noble Cause Corruption

    • Corrupt actions to achieve a morally desired outcome

ext{Note: All numerical references, dates, and table notes are taken directly from the transcript provided. For any exam, review the original source for precise figures and footnotes.}