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40 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Police Personality and Culture
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Police subculture—the set of informal values that characterize the police force as a distinct community with a common identity.
Police officers learn what is considered appropriate police behavior through formal and informal socialization—through the academy and from conversations with seasoned veterans. |
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Police Working Personality
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Over time, officers come to develop the police working personality.
The traditional values and patterns of behavior evidenced by police officers who have been effectively socialized into the police subculture. Often extends to the officer’s personal lives. |
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The Police Personality
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Authoritarian
Dogmatic Individualistic Efficient Prejudiced Cynical Suspicious Insecure Honorable Conservative Hostile Loyal Secret |
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Corruption and Integrity
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Most officers perform their duties responsibly, but occasionally some deviate from this norm.
Power, authority, and discretion produce great potential for abuse. Corruption is the abuse of police authority for personal or organizational gain. Exactly what constitutes corruption is not always clear. |
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Slippery Slope of Corruption
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Acceptance of small gratuities can lead to more readily acceptance of larger bribes.
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The Knapp Commission distinguished between two types of corrupt officers: grass eaters and meat eaters.
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Grass Eating
Illegitimate activity, which occurs from time to time in the normal course of police work. Most common form of corruption. Includes gratuities, minor bribes, playing favorites, intentional speeding, etc. Meat Eating Active seeking of illicit money-making opportunities by officers. More serious form of corruption. Includes major bribes, role malfeasance, committing crimes, protecting corrupt officers, denying civil rights, committing physical abuse. |
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The Rampart Scandal
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Widespread corruption by many
members of the LAPD’s anti- gang unit, CRASH. By 2005, 100 falsely obtained convictions were thrown out, and 20 LAPD officers left after duty, and $70.2 million was paid in settlements. |
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Building Police Integrity
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Police integrity can be promoted by:
Integrating police ethics training into programs Conducting research in the area of ethics Studying departments that are models in the area of police ethics Building trusting relationships with the public Creating agency-wide cultures of integrity Raising awareness of internal affairs |
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Internal Affairs
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… the branch of a police organization tasked with investigating charges of wrongdoing involving members of the department.
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The Dangers of Police Work
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Police work is dangerous.
The rate of violent death among police officers in the line of duty is small. On-the-job deaths occur from stress, training accidents, auto crashes, and violence. |
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Risk of Disease and Infected Evidence
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Officers must take caution due to the
number of serious diseases that can be transmitted by blood or other bodily fluids and possible release of biological weapons. Responding to calls, using breath alcohol instruments on infected persons, and handling evidence must be done carefully. |
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Biological Incident Law Enforcement Concerns
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Concerns exist over contact with:
Suspicious material Human bites Spit Urine/feces Blood and body fluids Officers should take universal precautions and use caution in all situations. |
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Stress and Fatigue
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Stress and fatigue are a normal component of police work.
Over long periods, stress and fatigue can be destructive and life-threatening. |
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Sources of Stress
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Stressors in police work include:
Exposure to violence and suffering Negative public opinion Shift work and overtime Dealing with death Living in constant danger Feeling like efforts do not always “make a difference” Arrests not leading to convictions Evidence not being allowed in court |
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Stress Reduction
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Ways to reduce stress include:
Humor Emotional distance Exercise Meditation |
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Terrorism’s Impact on Policing
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American police agencies are in a new era of international terrorism that began with the September 11, 2001 attacks.
The core mission of policing has not changed, but agencies at all levels devote more time and resources to preparing for possible terrorist attacks. |
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Police Responses to Terrorism
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Many police agencies have responded by:
Strengthening liaisons with other agencies Refining training and emergency response plans Increasing patrols and securing barriers around key points More heavily guarding public events Creating counterterrorism divisions Employing new technologies to help detect chemical, biological, and radiological attacks |
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FBI-Sponsored Information Sharing
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Information sharing is critically important in antiterrorism programs. Sharing information among law enforcement agencies at different levels is accomplished by:
Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTFs) Field Intelligence Groups (FIGs) Regional Terrorism Task Forces (RTTFs) |
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Civil Liability
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Civil liability refers to the potential
responsibility for payment of damages or other court-ordered enforcement as a result of a ruling in a lawsuit. It is not the same as criminal liability. Civil liability suits against law enforcement personnel may be state or federal. Supervisors may be held responsible for the actions of their officers. |
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Bivens Actions
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…a civil suit, based on the case of
Bivens v. Six Unknown Federal Agents (1971), brought against federal government officials for denying the constitutional rights of others. |
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Qualified Immunity
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Qualified immunity shields “reasonable”
law enforcement officers from civil liability if they believe their actions to be lawful. The doctrine of qualified immunity rests largely on the 2001 U.S. Supreme Court decision of Saucier v. Katz. |
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Criminal Liability
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Criminal charges can be brought against officers who appear to overstep boundaries or who act in violation of set standards.
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Racial Profiling
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… any police-initiated action that relies on the race, ethnicity, or national origin rather than [1] the behavior of an individual, or [2] on information that leads the police to a particular individual who has been identified as being, or having been, engaged in criminal activity.
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Police Use of Force
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Police use of force—the use of physical restraint by a police officer when dealing with a member of the public.
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Police Use of Force
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Law enforcement are authorized to use the amount of force that is reasonable and necessary given the circumstances.
Force may involve: hitting, restraining, choking, restraining with a police dog, handcuffing, threatening with a baton, flashlight, or gun. |
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Excessive Force
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Police use force in fewer than 20% of
adult custodial arrests. Most tactics are weaponless. There’s a difference between use of excessive force and excessive use of force. Both of those can also be distinguished from illegal use of force. |
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Deadly Force
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The FBI defines deadly force as “the
intentional use of a firearm or other instrument resulting in a high probability of death.” According to a 2001 Bureau of Justice Statistics report, the number of justifiable homicides by police averages “nearly 400 felons each year.” |
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Tennessee v. Garner (1985)
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Prior to Tennessee v. Garner (1985), the
fleeing felon rule guided deadly force decision making in most U.S. jurisdictions. The Court invalidated the fleeing felon rule and held that deadly force could be justified only where the suspect could reasonably be thought to represent a significant threat of serious injury or death to the public or the officer and where deadly force is necessary to affect the arrest. |
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Officer Implications of Deadly Force
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Social, legal, and personal complications
Officers often suffer depression and despair Issues multiply in “suicide by cop” cases |
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Less-Lethal Force
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Less-lethal weapons are designed to
disable, capture, or immobilize—but not kill—a suspect, like: Stun guns Tasers Rubber bullets Snare nets Pepper spray Occasional deaths do result from their use. |
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Police Professionalism
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In response to issues of corruption, danger, and liability, police administrators are calling for increased police professionalism.
Evidence of increased professionalism include: Specialized knowledge Code of ethics Professional organizations Accreditation Education and training |
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Education and Training
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Basic law enforcement training began in the 1950s. Modern programs involve training in:
Human relations Firearms Communications Legal issues Patrol Investigations Report writing A post-academy field training program (PTO) is a recent development in police training. |
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Formal Education
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Formal education is not required by all police departments, though for decades it has been recommended by several commissions and groups.
Departments vary with regard to hiring requirements. Some require no college; others require a four-year degree. Most federal agencies require college degrees. |
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Recruitment and Selection
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Law enforcement agencies use a variety of applicant screening methods, including:
Personal interviews Basic skills tests Physical agility measures Medical exams Drug tests Background investigations Psychological testing |
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Ethnic and Gender Diversity in Policing
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Opportunities for women and minorities
in policing are expanding. Although ethnic minorities are now employed in policing in significant numbers, women are still significantly underrepresented. |
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Women as Effective Police Officers
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Some women have integrated well into the role of police officer. Others feel strain and isolation.
Strain caused by family roles and parenting, underutilization, uncooperative attitudes of male officers. |
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Increasing the Number of Minorities and Women in Police Work
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The Police Foundation recommends:
Involving underrepresented groups in departmental affirmative action and long-term planning programs. Encouraging the development of an open promotion system. Periodic audits to make sure that female officers are not being underutilized by ineffective tracking into clerical and support positions. |
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Private Protective Services
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A number of private protective services, known as private security, also are involved in enforcement activities.
These organizations: Are privately funded, for-profit agencies. Provide a variety of security-related services to their clientele (which include governments). Have rapidly grown in recent years. Employ more people than public police. |
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Growth of Private Protective Services
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Major reasons for the quick growth of private protective services are:
An increase in workplace crimes An increase in fear of crime and terrorism Fiscal crises of states Greater public and business awareness of the use and cost-effectiveness of private security |
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Integrating Public and Private Security
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As the private security field grows, the relationship between public and private security is becoming more integrated with more of a cooperative crime-fighting potential.
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