Current Issues and Controversies in Policing

This text examines the major issues and controversies facing police officers and provides the reader with a solid understanding of the state of policing in the U. S. today.  The main theme of this text is change in policing, and the issues that shape the policing community - past and present.
 
Each chapter begins by placing its issues in historical context, then tracing how issues have evolved over time and finally discussing the resultant current challenges of today.
 
Five general areas of policing are examined:
o        (1) Selection, Recruitment and Training;
o        (2) New Philosophies and Strategies;
o        (3) Police Management and Operations;
o        (4) Police Misconduct and Accountability;
o        (5) The Future of Policing.
 
To reinforce the material for students, each chapter contains several pedagogical devices including: introductory and summary sections, lists of key words, and 5-10 discussion questions that the professor can use to test students' knowledge of the material and foster discussion in class.
 

List of contents

Preface
 
1          RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION
            The Traditional Approach
                        The First Fifty Years of Professional Policing
                        Reforming the Police: Recruitment and Selection as a First Step
                        The Emergence of Selection Procedures: Elements of a Standard Process
            Current Issues and Controversies
                        Recruitment
                        Basic Requirements
                        Selection Tests
                        Other Current Issues in Recruitment and Selection
            Summary
            Key Terms
            Discussion Questions
Appendix 1A Scholar's Perspective: The Challenge of Police Recruitment, by Heath Grant
            References
 
2          TRAINING THE POLICE
            Craft versus Profession
                        Policing as a Craft
                        Policing as a Profession
Finding the Middle Ground: Reducing the Gap between the Academy and the Street
                        The Need for Training and Education
            Police Academy Training
                        Historical Perspective
                        The Traditional Academy Model
                        Shortcomings of the Traditional Academy Training
            Field Training Officer Programs
                        The San Jose Model
                        The Benefits of an FTO Program
                        Performance Evaluation of Rookies
                        Selecting the Field Training Officers
                        An Example of an FTO Program
            In-Service Training
                        Specialized Training
                        Management Training
            Current Issues
                        Changing the Traditional Police Academy Pedagogy: Andragogy
                        Training in Community/Problem-Oriented Policing
                        Multicultural/Diversity Training
                        Stress Management Training
                        Domestic Violence Training
                        Training in Handling the Mentally Ill
                        Training in Communication and Writing
                        Technology and Training
                        Counterterrorism Training
            Summary
            Key Terms
            Discussion Questions
Appendix 2A Scholar's Perspective: Police Training in America, by Maria (Maki) Haberfeld
            References
 
3          DEVELOPING THE PROFESSIONAL POLICING MODEL
The Origins of Professional Policing: Sir Robert Peel and the Metropolitan London Police
                        The Impetus for Change in London
                        Sir Robert Peel and the Metropolitan Police Act of 1829
                        The Need for Development of Professional Policing in the United States
            U.S. Policing in the Nineteenth Century
                        Who Became Police Officers and How Did They Get the Job?
                        The Activities of the Nineteenth-Century U.S. Police Officer
                        Corruption and Brutality
            Reforming the Police
                        A First Attempt at Reform
                        A Second Effort at Police Reform
            Cracks in the Foundation of the Professional Police Model
                        A Partial Success
                        Signs of Trouble: Prohibition and the Wickersham Commission
                        The Police Subculture and the Working Personality
                        The 1950s and 1960s: National Crisis and the Police
                        The Research Revolution
                        Fallout from the 1960s: Policing Comes Full Circle
            Summary
            Key Terms
            Discussion Questions
Appendix 3A Scholar's Perspective: Populism, Politics, and the Struggle for Police Professionalism in the United States, by Anders Walker
References
 
4          NEW POLICING PHILOSOPHIES AND STRATEGIES
            Problem-Oriented Policing
                        Theoretical Foundations
                        The Basic Elements of Problem-Oriented Policing: The SARA Model
                        Characteristics of the Problem-Oriented Police Department
                        Diffusion: How Widespread Is Problem-Oriented Policing?
                        Research on the Effectiveness of Problem-Oriented Policing
                        Limitations and Questions
            Community-Oriented Policing
                        Theoretical Foundations
                        Core Features of Community Policing
                        Diffusion
                        Research on the Effectiveness of Community Policing
                        Limitations and Questions
            CompStat
                        Background
                        The Stages of CompStat
                        The Six Core Components
                        Diffusion and Impact of CompStat
            Zero Tolerance Policing
                        The Principles of Zero Tolerance Policing
                        The Impact of Zero Tolerance Policing
            COP, POP, CompStat, and Zero Tolerance: Similarities and Differences
            Summary
            Key Terms
            Discussion Questions
Appendix 4A Scholar's Perspective: Ethical Complexities of Broken Windows Policing Strategies, by Justin Ready
            References
 
5          THE POLICE ORGANIZATION
            The Police Bureaucracy
                        Bureaucracy and the Police
                        The Quasi-Military Style of Policing
            Civil Service
            Police Unions
Function and Structure of the Police Organization
            Functions of the Police
            Structure of the Police Organization
            Supervision and Leadership
Current Issues in Police Management and Organization
            Alternative Organizational Methods
            Manpower and Resource Shortages
            Militarization of the Police
Summary
Key Terms
Discussion Questions
Appendix 5A Scholar's Perspective: Restructuring of the City of Paterson, New Jersey, Police Department, by Michael C. Walker
References
 
6          POLICE FIELD WORK
            Police and the Law
Key Legal Principles and Issues from the Bill of Rights: Search, Seizure, and Arrest
                        Current Issues and Controversies Involving the Law
            Discretion and Decision Making
                        Defining and Discovering Discretion
                        The Context of Police Decision Making
                        Understanding the Complexity of Police Decision Making
Building on What We Know: Increasing the Rationality of Police Decision Making
            New (and Some Old) Crime Problems
                        Drugs and Gangs
                        Policing Domestic Violence
                        Police and the Mentally Ill
                        Identity Theft and Computer Crime
                        Terrorism
            Summary
            Key Terms
            Discussion Questions
Appendix 6A Scholar's Perspective: The Police and Sex Offenders, by Karen J. Terry
            References
 
7          MEASURING POLICE PERFORMANCE
            The Unclear Police Mandate
            Traditional Measures of Police Performance
                        The Numbers Game
                        Summary
            New Measures of Police Performance
                        At the Department Level
                        At the Individual Officer Level
            Summary
            Key Terms
            Discussion Questions
Appendix 7A Practitioner's Perspective: Measuring Police Officer Performance in the NYPD, by Anthony J. Raganella
            References
 
8          POLICE MISCONDUCT
            Defining and Measuring Police Misconduct
                        Police Crime
                        Occupational Deviance
                        Corruption
                        Abuse of Authority
            U.S. Policing and Misconduct: History, Prevalence, and Consequences
                        The History of U.S. Policing and Misconduct
                        How Prevalent Is Police Misconduct Today?
                        The Consequences of Police Misconduct
            Theoretical Frameworks for Understanding Police Misconduct
                        The Rotten Apple Theory
                        Structural Explanations
            The Persistent Problems for Police
                        Abuse of Authority
                        Corruption
                        Prejudice and Discrimination
            Summary
            Key Terms
            Discussion Questions
Appendix 8A Scholar's Perspective: Police Pursuit: Policies and Training, by Geoffrey P. Alpert
            References
 
 
9          POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY: INTERNAL MECHANISMS
            Internal Control Mechanisms
                        Careful Recruitment and Selection of Personnel
                        Police Training
                        Supervision
                        Administrative Guidance
                        Internal Affairs
                        Integrity Tests
                        Accreditation
                        Changing the Subculture
                        The Central Role of the Chief
            Summary
            Key Terms
            Discussion Questions
Appendix 9A Scholar's Perspective: Early Warning Systems: Responding to the Problem Police Officer, by Samuel Walker, Geoffrey P. Alpert, and Dennis J. Kenney
References
 
10        POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY: EXTERNAL MECHANISMS
            External Control Mechanisms
                        Criminal Law: Prosecuting the Police
                        Civil Litigation: Suing the Police
                        Judicial Intervention
                        Special Investigations
                        U.S. Department of Justice Consent Decrees
                        Citizen Oversight
                        Public Interest Groups, the Media, and the Public
            Summary
            Key Terms
            Discussion Questions
Appendix 10A Scholar's Perspective: Supercession of the Camden, New Jersey, Police Department, by Carmen V. LaBruno
            References
 
11        TECHNOLOGY AND THE POLICE
            Stages of Technological Advancement
                        The First Stage: 1881-1945
                        The Second Stage: 1946-1959
                        The Third Stage: 1960-1979
                        The Fourth Stage: 1980-present
            Crime Scene Investigation
                        Historical Perspective
                        The Locard Principle and Physical Evidence
                        Basic Procedures in Crime Scene Investigation
                        The Realities of Crime Scene Investigation
            Crime Analysis
                        Historical Perspective
            &n...

Summary

This text examines the major issues and controversies facing police officers and provides the reader with a solid understanding of the state of policing in the U. S.today.  This main theme of this text is change in policing, and the issues that shape the policing community - past and present.
 
Each chapter begins by placing its issues in historical context, then traces how issues have evolved over time and finally discusses the resultant current challenges of today.
 
Five general areas of policing are examined:
o        (1) Selection, Recruitment and Training;
o        (2) New Philosophies and Strategies;
o        (3) Police Management and Operations;
o        (4) Police Misconduct and Accountability;
o        (5) Future of Policing.
 
To reinforce the material for students, each chapter contains several pedagogical devices including: introductory and summary sections, lists of key words, and 5-10 discussion questions that the professor can use to test students' knowledge of the material and foster discussion in class.
 

Product details

• Authors: Michael D White, Michael D. White
• Publisher: Pearson Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 01.01.2006
• EAN: 9780205470051
• ISBN: 978-0-205-47005-1
• No. of pages: 400
• Weight: 370 g
• Series: Prentice Hall; Prentice Hall
• Subject: Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political science and political education