Module 6: Police in Uniform

Lecture and Reflection Question:

lecture question: “ In this lecture I discuss the three W’s of policing: what does police look like (demographics)? What does police do? and why the means might be more important than the ends?
reflection question: Can demographic changes to police help establishing police’s legitimacy in society? Why or why not? What are some ways to change the culture of policing?”

Final (midterm II) question to keep in mind

1. "Policing practices and visibility often influence public perception of security, particularly in urban areas. Using the concepts of 'police visibility,' 'symbolic visibility,' and 'force,' critically assess how police presence impacts both crime prevention and the public's sense of safety in different socio-economic communities. How might this visibility contribute to or detract from the legitimacy of police in these communities? Consider relevant sociological theories, such as Weber’s theory of the state and the relationship between the police and marginalized communities."

2. "Police corruption has been analyzed as more than just a 'few bad apples' problem, reflecting deeper structural issues within law enforcement. Drawing on the theories of police corruption discussed in the course, such as Kleinig's ethical framework and the 'Dirty Harry problem,' critically evaluate the factors that contribute to police corruption. Discuss how these factors might vary between different police departments and social contexts. In your response, explore how the structure of policing, discretionary power, and public expectations shape the prevalence of corruption and the challenges in preventing it."

Lecture Notes

  • What do police look like?

    • Demographically, policing is a young profession. Compared to lawyers, doctors, etc.. you can get into policing young (avg age is 35 years old)

      • only about 4% of officers are above the age of 50.

    • one of the issues with this is that these young officers might not have the life experiences required to deal with the complex social situations police officers regularly deal with (like dealing with others who are living the worst days of their lives)

      • “police officers have to deal with some of the most complex issues in society” - Prof

    • So, perhaps age is an important factor in police hiring. after all, young officers are the most malleable in their habits and beliefs.

      • The professor suggests that “maybe having older police officers means that they’re more likely to blow the whistle; they’re less likely to be intimidated”

        • yet I’d argue that this means that they could be more instilled in the ‘boys club’ culture of policing and would be more likely to support the boys in blue. They’ve been longer instilled in the culture of policing both good and bad

  • Cultural Studies:

    • cultural studies deals with the concept of “code-switching” where you act differently in different cultures and situations depending on who is present

      • and it's weird and culturally abnormal to behave in a way that is not in accordance with that culture (when we fail to adapt the norms of the culture sub-culture that we are presently in. Well, policing is a subculture, and this applies to police as well.

    • when ppl become officers, they switch. they change. We find that officers have to put on a mask and act in a way that is in accordance with police culture.

    • Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of cultural capital says that when we belong to a particular culture or subculture, we get knowledge associated with that culture that others do not have, which grants an advantage over others.

      • police officers who are considered “rats” by being whistle-blowers or not in accordance with some of the instilled values of police culture may not receive this cultural capital or support because they are not partaking in the culture.

  • Women in policing

    • policing has had many lights shut on, which demonstrates toxic masculinity being present within policing. Having women officers helps remove this hyper-masculinity stigma and further enforce legitimacy.

      • However, this does not really remove the hyper-masculine culture in the institution but rather causes the women to adapt to the culture and mindset of the majority. the old blood has the power over the new blood.

        • for subcultures to change, we need more than just new blood. we need an EXTERNAL PUSH. new blood will always adapt to the culture of the old, but an external push will force those to get over the hump

    • but systemically, women have been excluded from the aspects of policing that look more likely military than the police. The SWAT, riot teams, etc.. do not have many women - because the sub-culture inside of these agencies does not think that including them is beneficial. This is a systemic sexist ideology.

      • often you will hear that women are weaker than men, the prof says that this difference is almost negligible.

  • Ethnicities In Policing

    • (in Canada, we don’t keep data on ethnicities in police, so we will draw on the findings of US police. it’s different, yes, but the trends are likely to be similar.)

    • Hiring visual minorities will likely not change the systemic racist subculture (for the same reason that hiring women doesn’t really change the sexist subculture but just masks it to the public)

      • but unlike the case of hiring women, hiring visual minorities seems to have an inverse effect in the eyes of the public. members of the ethnic communities view the officers of their ethnic communities to be sellouts; they’re not positively received, and the officers that are minorities have more mental health issues as a result.

  • Education:

    • police officers are becoming more educated.

    • more educated officers understand more of the complexities of life. they understand more of that social complexity that young officers might struggle with

  • What do police do?

    • police do not do that much crime-fighting on a day-to-day basis (only 4% of their time in a day is spent enforcing law and order), but there is potential for this. So, we should focus more on what the police CAN or COULD do theoretically.

    • it is tough to define policing because they do a lot, but at the same time, they do not do a lot, and this is critical and needed.

    • most of the time, policing is reactive

  • How police are

    • Visibility:

      • revolves around how police are seen

        • prof mentions Mcluhan, and how Mcluhan said that medium is the message.

      • visibility is also a relationship. Police want to be seen; it is a visual deterrence and a presence

      • Police wear their uniform for their recognizability and the reputation that this uniform holds.

      • except this visibility can cause fear. if you see a mass amount of police, you will likely feel insecure.

      • it's less about what police actually do, but more about what it appears that police are actually doing. perception does not equal truth, but if you believe it's real, it is truth to you and is no longer non-fiction.

    • symbolic visibility:

      • if you see crime happening (drug dealing, prostitution), you may feel unsafe, even though crime might be scarce or not a threat to you. (google symbolic visibility more; I think it’s important)

    • presumption of compliance:

      • police assume we will comply with orders because police assume that they are legitimate and are viewed as legitimate in the eyes of the public. without legitimacy, you would not presume compliance at all.





Interview Notes With Bryan M. Larkin

  • “every interaction does not have to end with the judicial process” - Bryan Larkin

  • Bryan thinks that there is an internal and external crisis concerning what the real role of the police is.

  • “Many of the vulnerable are marginalized and vulnerable based on social policy" - Bryan

  • discretion needs to be monitored and people need to be held accountable - Bryan

  • bringing educated people into the police force brings divergent thinking, which is very important - Bryan

  • there is a benefit to having an egalitarian police force - bryan

  • if you’re a baby boomer in policing, your thoughts towards illicit drug use is probably very different than a 22 year olds - bryan

  • low economic communities or misfortuned communities in other ways may have different requirements or expectations of a legitimate police force - bryan

  • to build trust in communities you have to be vulnerable - bryan

    • you (as in police) have to be able to sit down, be prepared to listen, hear the challenges, explain what you do and why you do what you do - bryan

  • “We have an opportunity to reshape and transform the role of policing in society” -bryan

  • brayn thinks that police “training” as a term is problematic, but rather we should look at “education” as learning and education in a university setting is different than training. training doesn’t encourage you to learn how to think for yourself and reshape your thoughts like education does (especially in a university setting) - bryan

    • Bryan says that the complexity of policing has always been dynamic and changing (only getting more complex), yet the 13-week police training has not really adapted to these changes in the same way. It's been a 13-week course for a long time and still is.



Documentary Notes

  • black people are more likely to be carded. this is an instance of police visibility that is negative to the community, especially the black community.

  • Toronto is facing a crisis of distrust.

  • Carding is being used to make officers eligible for promotions. it is almost a race between officers to see who can card more in order to get the promotion.

  • youth have a very sophisticated view of the police and are able to distinguish between the “public relations police”, as they were called, and the “real police” that roll around after 10 pm and harass them.

    • PR police would be ones that are primarily building community relations, while “real police” are ones that are heavy in enforcing the law.

  • police data that is recorded, especially the data recorded when carded, should be monitored and reviewed by a civilian oversight body.