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Discussion board post 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. 8, 10, 11, 12 and 13
instructor: Gartin...

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Forum 1 One of the biggest issues that the police in the United States face is terrorism. Even though terrorism has much in common with ordinary crimes, it also raises different challenges for the police. The 9/11 terrorist attack was followed by new strategies and action plans for police at all levels in the U.S. and recent events all around the world – e.g. France, England and Belgium – have shown that those strategies are needed. Terrorism-oriented policing is a strategy that “adds new duties to those already assumed by the police in an attempt to detect and prevent terrorist acts.” This means that the workload of police departments increases as new responsibilities are given to them. Consequently, counterterrorism should be included in the everyday work and thinking of every police officer, which can be a challenge. Additionally, local law enforcement has a significant role in terrorism-oriented policing. Local police can gather intelligence, protect possible victims and prepare for the possibility of an attack. The most visible steps to the public that the police have taken in the fight against terrorism is increased security in major events and amplified patrols at potential targets, such as bridges or ports. However, traditional methods are no match for urban terrorists, so additional and appropriate training is needed.

Forum 2 Most police organizations are hierarchies and most of the hierarchical organizations resemble pyramids. The base of the pyramid consists of line personnel, such as patrol officers and investigators, and a few management personnel at the top of the structure. In a majority of organizations, the hierarchical position dictates the type of responsibility for the rank. For example, chief executives have different responsibilities than middle managers. However, lower-ranking police officers on the street have more policing responsibilities than administrators. The most important characteristics of the hierarchy are unity of command, rank structure and span of control. Unity of command means that every member of the police organization reports to a superior. Rank structure, in turn, dictates who communicates with whom and precisely identifies the line of authority. Lastly, the span of control means the ratio of supervisors to subordinates. There are some strengths to the traditional police organizational structure. The division of authority is well understood and it ensures clear responsibility for different tasks. Its weaknesses include communication problems, such as one-way flow of information. It is also difficult for low-ranking police officers to give feedback, which is especially a downside since the feedback from lower-ranking staff is important and valuable.

Forum 3 Antidiscrimination legislation and affirmative action programs have resulted in a more diverse and equal selection of police officers. They have opened up doors for women and different races and/or ethnicities and this way, the police force is viewed to understand the community’s problems better. Equal opportunity laws have many positive consequences. The National Center for Women and Policing lists a number of advantages in having women in police agencies, such as reducing the likelihood of the use of excessive force by officers and improving the law enforcement’s response to violence against women. The increase of minority group members as police officers is also positive, since the community views the

diverse police force as a better representation of the community’s population and perspective, thus improving the relationship between law enforcement and the public. The most visible negative consequence are consent decrees. They are agreements related to an employer achieving a balance in terms of race, ethnicity and gender in the workplace. The use of consent decrees has caused confusion and ill feelings among employers. They are supposed to hire the most qualified applicant for the job but as a part of consent decrees, quotas are used to increase the diversity of the workforce.

Forum 4 I think that one of the most important topics in police training should be communication skills. Communication includes many areas of police work, such as investigating a crime, public relations, acting as buffers between aggravated parties, giving orders and directives or evaluating or promoting someone. Consequently, police personnel should be trained in both verbal and nonverbal communication. In fact, police officers that are trained to express themselves clearly and as good listeners are likely to be better at performing order maintenance and law enforcement. Another important topic is technology. In today’s world, it is practically impossible to not come across some sort of technological device. Since police training is supposed to keep police personnel current, it is important to acknowledge the importance of computers, smart phones etc. in modern society. Using these tools in police work is beneficial, so every police officer should be familiar with modern technology. Moreover, cyber crime is a current threat that increases every day, so it is vital that law enforcement is able to fight this type of crime as well.

Forum 5 There are two types of performance measures for police performance: hard and soft. A hard measure is expressed numerically, whereas a soft measure is a qualitative attribute. A hard measure is easy to formulate, since it’s usually a number, rate, percentage or ratio of something, whereas a soft measure is voiced in terms of degree of excellence, desirability, attitude or perception and is usually based on output or outcome. Even though police have traditionally used the quantitative measures to evaluate police performance, it is not necessarily the best way to assess officers. Quantitative measures only represent a portion of the role of police and they are also subject to misinterpretation. For example, a low crime rate does not necessarily indicate that there are no crimes and that the police department is doing a great job: it can also mean that people do not report crimes because they do not trust the police. Consequently, soft measures provide a broader picture of the role of the police and take into consideration many important factors when evaluating police performance. Even though qualitative measures of policing are harder to assess, they still offer a better understanding of things like citizen satisfaction with the police or citizen’s perceived levels of fear. This is why soft measures should be emphasized in police evaluations, and I think that by doing so, we can best assess police performance.

Forum 8 The 1st Amendment includes the rights of free speech and peaceful assembly and freedom of religion. Consequently, police officers are there to make sure people respect these rights by, for example, protecting

protesters from those who don't agree with them. The 2nd Amendment deals with the right to bear arms. This right's interpretation somewhat determines the number of citizens who have access to guns, which affects law enforcement's work.The 4th Amendment prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures and requires that probable cause be demonstrated prior to the issuing of warrants. This means that in their everyday work, police officers have to state reasons why they find someone or something worth searching or seizing. The 5th Amendment includes the right to a grand jury, the right to not be tried for the same offense twice and the privilege against self-incrimination. This is related to statements, admissions and confessions given to the police. The 14th Amendment states that no state can deprive any person of life, liberty or property without due process of law. It relates to the police specifically since due process requires that evidence of a crime be presented in court and that both testimonial and physical evidence is obtained according to the rules. I think the most important is the 4th Amendment because the police should not be able to search or seize anyone or anything without any reason whatsoever. I think everyone should have a right to privacy unless the police can prove that there is something wrong.

Forum 10 Two key terms related to police success in multicultural relations are responsiveness and accountability. Responsiveness means that the police provide appropriate services promptly and competently or refer people to appropriate services outside of police jurisdiction. This means that departments have to use available resources according to established priorities and strategies in partnership with the community. Clear communication of the strategies and assuring the public that the police take requests seriously is important. Accountability, in turn, means that police officers are accountable to their employers for their actions. Accountability can be accomplished by, for instance, making periodic and annual reports to the public, developing and using an internal affairs unit, cooperating in developing a civilian review board, hearing complaints and establishing informative websites. There are also many ways for the public to improve relations with the police. The community needs to engage in open dialog and be open to building a positive relationship. Community residents can develop programs to support police efforts and recognize police performance, such as informing the police during investigation and serving as witnesses in court. Good community relations also require that citizens feel free to discuss with appropriate authorities their complaints about police office behavior.

Forum 11 Technology makes police work so much more efficient and easy. For example, computers are used to access a number of databases, to fill out paperwork, and to record statements while the officers are still at the scene. They can also use wireless technology to upload digital photos of crime scenes and to check license plate numbers or suspect IDs against a database of stolen cars or outstanding warrants. However, the use of police technology can also cause concerns. Citizens are increasingly worried about the misuse of technological devices to track their every move and invade their privacy. For instance, the ability to hear through walls may be used to conduct surveillance on people in their most private moments without their consent. Technology can also be expensive and it can have bugs and defects. Ethical considerations about police technology come down to the fact that due to technology, the police have access to a greater amount of information than ever before, which means that there is also a greater

chance for the misuse or abuse of information. People need to be able to trust the police with the information they have.

Forum 12 Terrorism training that focuses on recognition and reporting is an important improvement especially to law enforcement responses. The recognition training components detail the intelligence gathering and sharing processes, collaboration among law enforcement agencies, types of terrorism, weapons of mass destruction and safety precautions. One particular focus of the training is recognizing suspicious activity that may not amount to terrorism but might be part of a larger plan. For example, if a police officer stops a vehicle full of gunpowder and terrorist literature, the officer knows to take additional steps to identify the driver, document the items, report his findings and maybe arrest the driver, thus possibly preventing a terrorist attack. Focusing on your surroundings and any suspicious activity also works well for normal citizens. For example, a t-shirt vendor prevented a car bombing when he alerted police about smoke that was coming from an unoccupied SUV on the street. So, instead of ignoring unusual activity because “it’s none of my business”, people should pay attention and not be afraid to contact law enforcement when needed. All in all, public awareness is an essential part in defending the country against terrorism.

Forum 13 I think that in the future it is likely that the private police will increase its part in crime prevention since it has already increased greatly in the past decades. However, I do not believe that private police can completely replace public police. I think that both are needed in order to guarantee safety for people since private and public police both fill different roles in society. Even though the relationship between private and public police has been often uneasy due to reasons like lack of mutual respect and lack of communication, I think that in the future these problems can be left behind. The public and private police working together enhances safety for everyone and guaranteeing that safety for everyone should be the main concern for both. I believe that in the future, public and private police will make formal commitment to cooperate. For the collaboration to work, there must also be some kind of training on cooperation. Communication is also key, so I believe that public and private police will invest in bettering improving their communication with each other. All in all, I think it is important that private and public police coordinate their efforts and work together to fight crime....