Larry J. Siegel www.cengage.com/cj/siegel

Chapter 5 The Police: Role and Function

Joe Morris • Northwestern State University Cherly Gary • North Central Texas College Lisa Ann Zilney • Montclair State

Learning Objectives • • • • • • • • • Understand the organization of police departments.

Articulate the complexities of the police role.

Discuss the concept of patrol and its effectiveness.

Be familiar with methods of improving patrol, including broken windows policing.

Discuss the organization of police detectives.

Know what forensics is and what forensic experts do for police agencies.

Understand the concept of community policing.

Discuss the concept of problem-oriented policing.

Be familiar with the various police support functions.

The Police Organization • • • Most municipal police departments are independent agencies within the executive branch of government Most follow para-military model adhering to semi rigid chain of command Personnel decisions often based on time-in-rank

The Police Role • • • Crime fighting is a small part of overall role Duties include: • • handling minor disturbances calls for service • • administrative duties traffic Police role is varied and complex

The Patrol Function • • • • • • • • Account for 2/3 of most departments’ personnel Deters crime through visible presence Maintains public order Responds to law violations or emergencies Identifies and apprehend criminals Aids citizens in distress Facilitates movement of people and traffic Creates a sense of safety and security

Does Patrol Deter Crime?

• • Kansas City Patrol Study Levels of patrol had no significant impact on any outcome measure

Proactive Policing and Directed Patrol • • • Use of aggressive, proactive patrol may help reduce crime Active enforcement of minor regulations - more likely to experience lower felony crime Directed patrol – involves concentrating police resources in high crime areas

Broken Windows Policing • • Police as maintainers of community order and safety • Neighborhood disorder creates fear • • Neighborhoods give out crime-promoting signals Police need citizen cooperation Community preservation, public safety, and order maintenance – not crime fighting – should be primary focus of patrol

The Investigation Function • • Detectives investigate causes of crime and attempt to identify those responsible Undercover/sting operations • Police deceive criminals into openly committing illegal acts • Common in investigation of prostitution, gambling, and narcotics • Critics argue constitutes entrapment or may encourage commission of additional offenses

How Do Detectives Detect?

Evaluating Investigations • • • Police have only a 5 percent chance of solving a crime if more than 15 minutes elapse from the time of occurrence to reporting Detectives generally lack sufficient resources to carry out lengthy probes unless crime is serious Most crimes are solved when the perpetrator is identified at scene of crime by patrol officers

Community Policing • Set of programs and strategies designed to bring police and the public closer together and create a more cooperative working environment

Changing the Police Role • • • Neighborhood orientation Changing management styles Changing recruitment and training

Challenges of Community Policing • • • • • • Defining community Defining roles Changing supervisor attitudes Reorienting police values Revising training Reorienting recruitment

Community Policing Effectiveness • • Some community policing efforts can reduce disorder and impact the crime rate No clear-cut evidence that community policing is highly successful at reducing all types of crime

Problem Oriented Policing • • Stresses proactive problem solving, not reactive crime fighting Hot spots of crime – places from which a significant portion of all police calls originate

Support Functions • • • • • Administrative functions (records, etc.) Internal Affairs Division Budgeting Dispatch centers Training bureau