chapter 6

SOC 3880Intro to Criminal

[email protected]

Criminal Justice

CHAPTER 6ISSUES IN LAW ENFORCEMENT AND POLICE

BEHAVIOR

mailto:[email protected]

© 2013 by Pearson Higher Education, IncUpper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 • All Rights Reserved


6.1

Describe police corruption issues.

6.2

6.3

6.4

6.5 Summarize the guidelines for using force and determining when excessive force has been used.

Summarize the law enforcement code of ethics and police subculture.

Describe the dangers, conflicts, challenges, and sourcesof stress that police officers face in their work.

Compare various police styles.

6.6 Summarize how various police oversight programs operate.

CHAPTER OBJECTIVES



Define terms related to policing issues and challenges.

6.7

6.8

6.9 Summarize the legal aspects of intelligence gathering.

Explain the importance of police professionalism andintegrity and various methods for building them.

CHAPTER OBJECTIVES



Compare various police styles.

Learning ObjectivesAfter this lecture, you should be able to complete the following Learning Outcomes

6.1


3 Styles of Policing6.1

Watchman (Neighbor)

Legalistic(Soldier)

Service(Teacher)

5



Describe the dangers, conflicts, challenges, and sources of stress that police officers face in their work.


6.2

© 2013 by Pearson Higher Education, IncUpper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 • All Rights Reserved7

6.2

Police and Alcohol

Family Problems and

the Police

Police and Suicide

Dealing with the Stress of

Policing


6.2

Suspicious Material

Human Bites Spitting Urine/

FecesCuts/

Puncture Wounds

CPR/First Aid

Body Removal

Casual Contact

Any Contact

with Blood or Body Fluids

Contact with Dried

Blood

Concerns



Summarize the law enforcement code of ethics and police subculture.


6.3


6.3

Police Subculture


6.3

Authoritarian Cynical Secret Efficient

Suspicious Hostile Conservative Prejudiced Insecure

Loyal Individualistic Dogmatic Honorable


6.3

12



Describe police corruption issues.


6.4


6.4

Corruption


6.4

15


6.4

Grass Eaters

Meat Eaters

Categories of Corruption



Violent Crime High-Level Corruption

Low-Level Corruption

Denial of Civil Rights

Criminal Enterprise

Property Crimes

Major Bribes

Role Malfeasance

Being Above “Inconvenient Laws”

Minor Bribes

Playing Favorites

Gratuities

6.4



Summarize the guidelines for using force and determining when excessive force has been used.


6.5


6.5

Use of Force


6.5Deadly Force

Less-Than-Lethal

Weapons

Use of Restraints

Use of Body Positioning

Use of Authority


6.5

Less-Than-Lethal Weapons


6.5

Excessive Force

Deadly Force


6.5

23



Summarize how various police oversight programs operate.


6.6


6.6

Internal Review Committee



Explain the importance of police professionalism and integrity and various methods for building them.


6.7


Calls for Increased

Police Professionalis

m

Issues

27

6.7

Corruption

Danger

Liability



Define terms related to policing issues and challenges.


6.8



Summarize the legal aspects of intelligence gathering.


6.9


6.9

Data Gathering



6.1

6.2

6.3

Some explanations of police corruption focus on individual “rotten apples,” whereas others focus on the “barrel,” or the whole department. Most experts reject individual explanations and suggest that there is a deviant police subculture or that

corruption results from secrecy within departments.

Pressures on police: how officers make decisions that affect the liberty of private citizens. How police deal with the pressures of performance and the use of deadly force, and how they face the

issues of corruption and brutality.

Police styles include: The watchman (neighbor), the legalistic officer (soldier), and service (teacher).

Police corruption takes three forms: nonfeasance (failure to perform a legal duty), misfeasance (failure to perform a legal duty in a proper manner), and malfeasance (commission of an

illegal act).6.4

CHAPTER SUMMARY



6.5The Supreme Court has ruled that police may use deadly force

to stop a suspect only if the suspect threatens the officer with a weapon or there is probable cause to believe that the suspect is

dangerous.

6.6

Intelligence gathering is a difficult task, however, because it takes a great deal of skill and experience to distinguish disjointed information from true intelligence. For mere information to become intelligence it must be linked to

particular individuals, locations, known groups, methods of operation, patterns of past conduct, or communications that raise the level of suspicion. Still, most intelligence leads to

dead-ends, making it time-consuming and sometimes frustrating work. This is characteristic of criminal investigative

work of all kinds.

6.7

All police officers enter a law enforcement career with an attitude of professionalism and commitment, but all soon

experience failure and/or frustration on the job. The resulting disenchantment leads to

cynicism for some but renewed commitment for others.

CHAPTER SUMMARY



6.9

In the effort to develop information into intelligence, police are subject to criticism. They have been accused of “profiling” racial or ethnic groups by singling them out for scrutiny, unnecessary surveillance of suspects, of following false

terrorism tips that disrupt the lives of the subjects, and of gathering intelligence without proper oversight. These

criticisms are not to be taken lightly, but they are common any time police take on a new role.

See page 217 for Key Terms.6.8

CHAPTER SUMMARY