Cop in the Hood Chapter 1 PDF

Preview

Summary

These are notes of the first book, Cop in the Hood for Chapter 1....

Description

Peter Moskos’ Cop in the Hood, Chapter 1: The Departed 1. Baltimore Police  The Eastern District police station, under the command of a major has about 260 officers. About half are assigned to uniformed patrol. Each eight-and-a-half-hour patrol shift has about 40 uniformed officers, 3 sergeants, and on lieutenant. A patrol sergeant oversees a squad of 12 to 14 officers, 5 to 8 are working any given day.  The tricks of the trade involve knowing which corners to cut and why, what form to fill out and how, and when to modulate your radio voice to backup starts heading in your direction before trouble starts.  Fresh out of the academy, police are usually placed in high-crime districts because these areas are the least desirable to work.  High-crime areas are where the best and most experienced are needed. The enthusiasm of the young is no substitute for the wisdom of the old.  The job has more to do with public control than with public service. 2. The Hiring Process  Mosko was an Ivy League graduate student planning a comparatively mundane oneyear study of police socialization and his goal was not to become a police office.  He wanted to become an active member of an academy class and follow in the footsteps of MIT professor John Van Maanen, who did the same study in Seattle.  He was approved in Baltimore and moved there knowing little of the city. Started day one of the fifth academy class of the year. On day two, he was told he could no longer do his study because the police commissioner who had approved his research, Thomas Frazier, was out. To continue his study, the new commissioner said if he met all the hire requirements, he would be hired as a police officer and quit after his first year.  Spent six months in the academy and fourteen months on the street. 3. Balancing the Job and the Study  Moskos noted varied greatly in both quality and quantity and added up to about 350 single-spaced, typed pages.  After a long day’s work, he would convince himself he would remember and could write it down in the morning; what wasn’t written down was gone forever  Happily worked night shift because of steady work hours, faster commutes, almost nonexistent upper management presence, and less conflict with daytime family or work responsibilities.  After less than two weeks on the street, he was the primary officer responding to a shooting.  Squadmates were first suspicious about his intentions on doing a study. Most concerned with staying safe, staying out of trouble, and not jeopardizing their pensions.  Moskos work style was influenced by his aversion to court and not seeking arrests. Strengths were dealing with people, calming a situation, and writing good reports.  Moskos had never fired a shot out of his weapon outside of training, maced one person but never hit someone, and carried his baton to all his calls



One year after he quit the force, his friend and academy classmate, Crystal Sheftfeild, died in the line of duty...