NCJ Number
161105
Date Published
1995
Length
384 pages
Annotation
This police officer's guide is intended to promote a better understanding of the police profession by focusing on skills necessary for police officers to succeed and on options that may be used to fulfill police responsibilities.
Abstract
Police officers need to be personally trained in laws, practices, policies, and procedures that apply in their jurisdictions. Misapplication or misuse of laws, techniques, and tools may make police officers vulnerable to lawsuits. The police profession is stressful, and police officers must have initiative, curiosity tempered with tact, and good psychomotor skills. The police officer's guide is organized in six parts, the first of which provides background information on police work, personal and career concerns of police officers, stress and family concerns, and human relations. The second part covers principles of police work and contains chapters on the judicial system, the penal system, law, search and seizure, warrant requirements, detention and arrest, police surveillance, and crimes. The third part focuses on police skills, including personal and professional skills, investigations, interviews, interrogations and confessions, interrogation techniques, report writing, the use of police dogs, identification, and going to court. The fourth part discusses police street work, with chapters devoted to traffic law enforcement, police patrol operations, crisis intervention, threat response, defensive techniques, and handcuffing techniques. The fifth part addresses police weapons, with particular attention paid to defensive devices, oleoresin capsicum, guns, and body armor. The final part consists of appended information on Federal law enforcement agencies and police organizations. References and photographs