NCJ Number
193015
Date Published
2002
Length
161 pages
Annotation
This volume examines police-community relations and offers strategies for use by citizens and police for avoiding conflicts during their encounters and interactions.
Abstract
Each chapter begins with separate suggestions and questions for police and citizens to consider as they read the chapter. The first two chapters examine the differences in the ways that many citizens and police regard law enforcement. These chapters explore citizens’ legitimate expectations of police; the police culture and its impact on how police regard themselves, their peers, and the larger community they serve; and differences in citizen and police perspectives on law enforcement. Additional chapters examine unique constraints and duties that the police culture imposes on its members, as well as police safety and the main reasons police officers behave the way they do in their dealings with the public. Another chapter discusses recent high-profile cases involving police shootings of unarmed suspects, racial profiling, and the Rampart scandal involving police misconduct in Los Angeles. Further chapters focus on failures in police management, police internal investigations, civilian police review, recommended citizen behavior skills to use when interacting with the police in any official capacity, and avenues for handling a citizen complaint against the police. Other chapters describe constructive efforts by police agencies to improve community relations and police-citizen interactions and outline central police values and attitudes related to police professionalism, including loyalty, honesty, integrity, respect, and courage. Index and 67 references