POLICE REPORT - A VIEW OF LAW ENFORCEMENT

• NCJ Number: 47070
• Author(s): J WILSON
• Date Published: 1975
• Length: 292 pages
• Corporate Author: Little, Brown and Co
• Sale Source: Little, Brown and Co
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THE IDEA THAT THE POLICE ALONE, OF ALL COMPONENTS OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR CRIME CONTROL IS CRITICIZED. THE RESPONSE OF THE POLICE TO CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY IS EXAMINED.

Abstract

INFORMAL EXPLANATIONS ARE UNDERTAKEN FOR RECENT SURGES IN CRIMINAL ACTIVITY WITH REGARD TO THE ARGUMENT THAT MOST CRIMES OCCURRING IN AMERICA ARE URBAN IN NATURE AND ARE PERPETRATED NOT BY PROFESSIONAL CRIMINALS BUT BY QUASI-AMATEUR OFFENDERS. AN OVERVIEW OF THE POLICE FACET OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM IS PRESENTED. OBSERVATIONS ON HOW THE LAW IS APPLIED AND MISAPPLIED, THE IRONIC CONSEQUENCES OF CERTAIN LAWS, AND HOW THE POLICE CAN RESPOND INTELLIGENTLY IN THE FACE OF DISORDER AND LAWLESSNESS ARE DISCUSSED. URBAN UNREST, CRIMINAL ASPECTS OF DRUG ABUSE, JUVENILE DELINQUENCY, CRIME STATISTICS, WOMEN IN LAW ENFORCEMENT, AND SUPREME COURT DECISIONS THAT HAVE A BEARING ON LAW ENFORCEMENT ARE EXAMINED. ASPECTS OF THE MEASUREMENT OF CRIMINAL ACTIVITY ARE REVIEWED, AS IS CRIME IN AMERICA SINCE 1960, WITH SPECIAL ATTENTION TO CRIME CONTROL IN WASHINGTON D.C. A COMMON SENSE APPROACH TO THE HANDLING OF CIVIL DISTURBANCES IS PRESENTED. UPDATED PROCESSES FOR IMPROVING POLICE PERFORMANCE ARE EXAMINED AND POLICE ORGANIZATIONAL CONCEPTS ARE REVIEWED. PERSONNEL ISSUES, POLICE UNIONISM, AND THE PROCESSES AND STANDARDS FOR POLICE RECRUITMENT AND EMPLOYMENT ARE DISCUSSED. THE PITFALLS OF A PARAMILITARY RANK STRUCTURE AND DEFICIENCIES WITHIN POLICE PROMOTIONAL SYSTEMS ARE OUTLINED. DISCUSSION OF THE USE OF CIVILIANS BY POLICE DEPARTMENTS AND OF NEW DIRECTIONS IN POLICE TRAINING IS UNDERTAKEN. APPENDIXES PROVIDE DEFINITIONS OF CRIME CATEGORY CLASSIFICATIONS USED IN THE UNIFORM CRIME REPORTING SYTEM, TABLES AND GRAPHS OF CRIME INDEX OFFENSE RATES FOR THE U.S. 1933-1972 AND WASHINGTON D.C. 1958-1973, COPIES OF METROPOLITAN POLICE GENERAL ORDERS REGARDING PRETRIAL EYEWITNESS IDENTIFICATION AND AUTOMOBILE SEARCHES AND INVENTORIES, AND CASE CITATIONS FOR COURT DECISIONS REFERENCED THROUGHOUT THE TEXT. AN INDEX IS PROVIDED. (KBL)