NCJ Number
193042
Date Published
2002
Length
464 pages
Annotation
This book introduces the roles of the police profession and the issues fundamental to police officers.
Abstract
Chapter 1 defines the police and the role of police in government. Crime, separation of powers, public trust, police image versus reality, and the goals of policing are also discussed. In chapter 2, the historical foundations of policing are described, along with the emergence of the professional police officer and the community-policing era. Contemporary police systems, such as Federal, State, county, municipal, and private police, are presented in chapter 3. Chapter 4 describes police operations: the patrol function, allocation of resources, types of patrol, police-community relations, the investigation function, and police lineups. Police authority is defined in chapter 5. This includes police power and the rule of law, police discretion, probable cause, the decision to arrest, search and seizure, custodial interrogation, electronic surveillance, and use of force. Chapter 6 explains ethics and deviance among police. The foundations of ethics, the police subculture and ethics, and discretion and ethics are discussed. Police misconduct, sexual harassment, performance of duty, and making use of the subculture are issues of police deviance. In chapter 7, the focus is on understanding and controlling police behavior. Specifically, it explains the police working personality, litigation, civil liability, State law tort, and other control mechanisms. Chapter 8 presents personnel administration, such as personnel management, recruitment, the officer selection process, academy training, field training, higher education, and police unions. Chapter 9 relates police and community issues, such as citizen attitudes, racial profiling, and community policing. Job-related issues are discussed in chapter 10. These include police mortality, women as police officers, Black police officers, family problems, alcohol and drug abuse, suicide, disease prevention, and stress and burnout. Current challenges and future directions, Chapter 11 describes the changing demographics, the graying of America, improved police technology, invasion of privacy, organized crime, and terrorism. Glossary, index