NCJ Number
114674
Editor(s)
R G Dunham,
G P Alpert
Date Published
1989
Length
530 pages
Annotation
These 31 papers examine the historical development of the police in the United States and analyze current issues related to selection, training, management, organization, police deviance, minorities in policing, community-based policing, police use of deadly force, and the hazards of police work.
Abstract
A sociohistorical overview examines the social context in which the police work and the role of police in social control. Articles on selection, training, and socialization focus on the psychological screening of police applicants, field training, police discretionary behavior, and the process of becoming a sergeant. Papers on management and organization focus on the impacts of the AIDS epidemic, the role of police vehicle pursuits in urban areas, and the influence of research on police practices. Analyses of police deviance examine the internal problems of the Miami police force, citizen complaints against the police, and drug testing of police. Further papers examine the status of women and racial and ethnic minorities in policing, changes in efforts to improve police-community relations, the role of foot patrols in maintaining community order, and problem-oriented policing in Newport News, Va. Additional articles examine ways to control police use of deadly force, methods of coping with police stress, issued for survivors of deaths in the line of duty, and dangers to police in domestic disturbances. Maps, tables, footnotes, and chapter reference lists.