CRJU 10 - crju110 PDF

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CRJU 10/11 Policing Incident-Driven Policing -Driven as policing in which calls for service are the primary instigators of action -Studies show that less than 30% of calls to police involve criminal law enforcement – most calls concern order maintenance and service Community Crime Prevention -There is a growing awareness that the police cannot control crime and disorder on their own – social control requires involvement by all members of the community – community crime prevention can be enhanced if government agencies and neighborhood organizations cooperate – more than six million Americans belong to citizen crime-watch groups which often have direct ties to police departments -Community Policing – decentralized model, more focused on non-emergency responses, often focus on problem-oriented policing, a strategy that looks for reasons citizens call for help – views citizens as customers and partners rather than people to be watched, controlled and served reactively – four components 1. Community-based crime prevention 2. Changing the focus of patrol activities to nonemergency services 3. Making the police more accountable to the public 4. Decentralizing decision-making to include residents Problem-Oriented Policing -Central feature of community policing – an approach to policing in which officers routinely seek to identify, analyze and response to the circumstances underlying the incidents that prompt citizens to call the police -1994 violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act increased numbers of officers assigned to community policing -Problems – does not reduce costs, requires additional funds, difficult to measure success, change is always difficult Special Populations -Urban police forces must deal with a complex population – city streets contain growing numbers of people suffering from mental illness, homelessness, alcoholism, drug addiction, or serious medical conditions such as acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) – deinstitutionalization of mentally ill in 1980s led to increase in homelessness, police may find youthful runaways and children victimized by their parents’ neglect Policing in a Multi-Cultural Society -In the last half century, the racial and ethnic composition of the United States has changed – Latinos are now the largest minority population in the nation – large pools of other immigrant groups in some cities, racial profiling is illegal -Policing requires trust, understanding, and cooperation between officers and the public -Lack of familiarity, difficulties in communicating, and excessive suspicion can create risks that officers will violate the American value of equal treatment of all people How do we measure police PRODUCTIVITY? -Usually measure through crime rate, arrests, and clearance rate – clearance rate is the percentage of crimes that have been solved through arrest – the clearance rate varies by type of

offense, in reactive situations this rate can be low (13% for burglary) – police have much more success in handling violent crimes, in which victims often know their assailant (46%) Policing is Changing -Technology – communications technology reshaping policing, less discretion because have to contact headquarters with report about each incident, 911 system increased calls to police -Compstat approach – accountability for crime control through computer systems that manage data – twice weekly briefings before peers and executives, held responsible for success of crime control efforts, computer systems with up-to-date crime data After 9/11 -Police must be trained to look for and gather information about such things as – emergence of radical groups, including religious groups, suspicious subjects observing infrastructure facilities, growth of phony charities that may steer money to terrorists, groups with links to foreign countries, unexpected terrorist information found during criminal searches, discovery of bombmaking operations – local police had information about 9/11 terrorists -New emphasis on information analysis and coordination among agencies – coordination with foreign governments, led to cooperation on drug trafficking, money laundering, border security, etc. -Fusion Centers – computer based state and local intelligence operation – 58 center in the US, databases with citizen’s credit reports, cell phone numbers, etc. also have DHS personnel New Laws and Controversies -Military has powers to arrest and detain indefinitely without trial those accused of terrorism -More than 30 states passed new terrorism laws -USA Patriot Act – a federal statute passed in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of 9/11, that broadens government authority to conduct searches and wiretaps and that expands the definitions of crimes involving terrorism -Edward Snowden, 2013 – NSA collects phone calls on nearly all Americans -Easier for: sneak and peak warrants, email searches...