NCJ Number
82398
Date Published
1981
Length
10 pages
Annotation
Legislators are the primary determiners of West German criminal policy, which the police are bound to implement according to the way that offenses and criminality, as well as crime control and prevention, have been defined by law.
Abstract
Areas critically dependent upon effective policy determination for police work include data development and security, organized crime countermeasures, violent demonstrations, petty mass criminality, and technological developments in policing. Unified police regulations should be established for all States in the Federal Republic of Germany, and international cooperation should be pursued. A nationwide, regularly updated criminal data bank, subject to information security regulations, is vital for interstate police effectiveness. Permissible law enforcement actions and investigation strategies must be specifically defined to protect police involved in combating organized crime and subduing violent demonstrations. Furthermore, police responsibilities in coping with petty mass crimes must be alleviated; their high incidence distorts official crime statistics and overburdens police enforcement work. Finally specific legal limits should be formulated to guide police use of technology for forensic purposes.