Chapter_5
Chapter 5: Police Organization, Operation, and the Law
Page 1
Page 2: Police Officer vs Detective
Police Officer/Patrolling Officers:
Conduct initial investigations and respond to the scene.
Tasks include basic interviewing, note-taking, and evidence gathering.
Responsible for writing reports, submitting charges, and testifying in court.
Detectives:
Plain-clothes officers specializing in follow-up investigations.
Focus on gathering evidence, interviewing witnesses, and identifying suspects.
May collaborate with other law enforcement.
Page 3: Traffic Safety Guidelines for Emergency Responders
Applicable law enforcement agencies have jurisdiction over highway incidents.
Responsibilities include:
Serve as Incident Commander.
Secure incident scene and assist responders.
Establish access routes and control incident scene.
Conduct investigations and manage traffic control.
Page 4: Expectations of Police
Officers face multiple daily decisions involving:
Rights of offenders, citizens' opinions, and supervisors' demands.
Legal statutes and personal judgment.
Discretion is central to police work.
Page 5: Organization
Police departments may adopt a quasi-military structure with:
Uniforms, ranks, and centralized decision-making.
Military model benefits:
Controlling force through discipline.
Professionalization of police forces.
Effective organizational model due to military background.
Page 6: Police Organization Structure
Bureau of Field Operations
Chief of Police
Patrol Division
Traffic Division
Dispatch
Detective Division
Bureau of Administrative Services
Community and Staff Development
Civilian Staff
Page 7: Police vs Military
Key differences in decision-making and discretion.
Unique expectations for officers require independent reasoning.
Supervision of police is more challenging due to discretion.
Page 8: Challenges in Supervision of Police
Discretion: More prevalent compared to military.
Visibility: Higher public interaction and observation.
Authority: Less control over officers’ actions compared to military.
Page 9: What Police Do
Four main duties:
Patrol
Investigation
Traffic Enforcement
Peacemaking and Order Maintenance
Page 10: Goals of Patrolling
Deterring crime through visible presence.
Enhancing public safety and confidence.
Availability for immediate service and area knowledge.
Page 11: Modes of Transportation for Patrol
Modes include squad cars, aircraft, foot, bikes, horseback, and motorcycles.
Single-officer patrol cars: Cover wider areas.
Two-officer patrol cars: Increased safety for higher-risk situations.
Page 12: Response Time Challenges
Discovery Time: Delays in crime detection.
Reporting Time: Delayed reporting by victims.
Processing Time: Dispatcher availability issues.
Travel Time: Distance from the incident scene.
Page 13: Investigation Duties
Detectives take over evidence gathering post-patrol.
Key tasks: rebuilding crime scenes, coordination with patrol, and use of support personnel.
Page 14: Traffic Enforcement Responsibilities
Ensure safety on roads and respond to accidents.
Conduct roadblocks and enforce traffic laws.
High-risk duty area with potential for danger.
Page 15: Peacemaking & Order Maintenance
Police act as problem solvers:
Domestic disputes and crowd control.
Managing vice-related crimes and mental health issues.
First response during emergencies.
Page 16: Order Maintenance Challenges
Handling complex situations like mental health crises and juvenile encounters.
Deciding on the use of force during critical incidents.
Page 17: Rules Governing Police Action
Procedural law guides police actions to prevent abuses and ensure civil rights.
Balances police authority against the rights of individuals.
Page 18: Police Discretion
Officers do not enforce laws in every instance.
Selective enforcement is common, affecting the reputation of the justice system.
Page 19: Benefits and Harms of Police Discretion
Benefits: Targets harmful offenses, potentially reducing overall crime.
Harms: Risks of inequality, racial profiling, and corruption.
Page 20: Questions on Selective Enforcement
Should police arrest if future prosecution is unlikely?
Is selective enforcement justified due to limited resources?
Are individual-based enforcement decisions allowed?
Page 21: Procedural Law - 4th Amendment Overview
Protects against unreasonable searches and seizures.
Requires probable cause for search and arrest warrants.
Page 22: 4th Amendment Coverage
Search
Special-needs searches
Seizures
Stop-and-frisk
Arrests
Page 23: Search Definition
Investigates areas or persons for criminal evidence.
Legality requires a judge-approved search warrant.
Page 24: Search Doctrines
Trespass Doctrine: Defines a search based on physical intrusion.
Privacy Doctrine: Protects individuals from government intrusion in areas with reasonable privacy expectations.
Page 25: Plain-View Doctrine
Police can detect evidence without a search as long as:
The item is in plain view.
The officer is lawfully present.
Page 26: Lawful vs Unlawful Searches
Open-fields doctrine: No expectation of privacy in open fields.
Public places: Individuals cannot expect privacy when observed by police.
Page 27: 4th Amendment Exceptions
Searches incident to arrest.
Consent searches.
Exigent circumstances.
Vehicle searches with probable cause.
Page 28: Special-Needs Searches
Conducted without warrants but must be reasonable:
Impounds, border, airport searches, and student inspections.
Page 29: Seizure Defined
Illegally collected evidence cannot be used in court.
Intimidation leading to illegal seizure is a violation of the 4th Amendment.
Page 30: Stop-and-Frisk Overview
Describes the stop and search process by law enforcement.
Types of Stops:
Actual-Arrest stops and Show-of-Authority stops.
Page 31: Legal Standards for Stops
Supreme Court evaluates reasonableness of stops and searches, considering reasonable suspicion.
Page 32: Making Arrests
Requires probable cause and a higher standard of suspicion than simple stops.
Page 33: Restrictions on Home Arrests
Serious offenses only.
Knock and announce requirement.
Daylight requirement for arrests.
Page 34: No-Knock Warrants
Authorized entry without prior announcement in specific conditions.
Significant increase in use from the 1980s to 2010s.
Page 35: Interrogation and Confessions
Constitutional rights during questioning focus on self-incrimination and right to counsel.