Police Strategies
Police officers often employ various methods and strategies not only to combat criminal activities but also to ensure that the public is safe. These strategies entail beyond response to calls as a traditional method in the provision of service. In fact, they usually aim at crime intervention, prevention, as well as, effectiveness through the mechanisms such as efficient distribution of resources, community outreach, collection of criminal data, mapping of crime and location of suspect (Scaramella, Cox & McCamey, 2011). These police officers also put their life at risk to protect the citizens of America.
Smets (2012) explains that the criminal investigation and patrol were popular strategies that were employed up to the eighties by the law enforcement agencies. Police in uniforms would patrol the streets so as to interrupt crimes that were in progress, prevent criminal activities, and also apprehend criminal offenders. Police officers by themselves cannot stop crime. They need the help of citizens to help, report and assist in times of a criminal investigation or communicate with the police when they see something out of place. Some role of a police officer involves answering to services, resolving quarrels, making arrests. There has been many strategies that police officers have used in the past to prevent crime but some have been proven to be more effective than others.
Generally, there are two broad categories of police strategies. These are the
Society in general have showed the distrust, protests and many questions for the like hood of the police profession. The reputation of the police profession is that of the 6 pillars of policing in the modern world as outlined by the President’s Task Force on the 21st Century Policing, which sought to recommend steps forward. Under the banners of ‘Building Trust and Legitimacy’, ‘Policy and Oversight’, ‘Technology and Social Media’, ‘Community Policing and Crime Reduction’, ‘Officer Training and Education’, and ‘Officer Safety and Wellness’ – here are concise definitions for each one and what they mean for American policing ("Final report of the resident’s task force on 21st century policing," 2015).
Policing is a very difficult, complex and dynamic field of endeavor that is always evolves as hard lessons teach us what we need to know about what works and what don’t work. There are three different Era’s in America’s policing: The Political Era, The Reform Era, and The Community Problem Solving Era. A lot has changed in the way that policing works over the years in the United States.
Due to these apparent successes, the problem-focused approach has been used to address a diverse array of problems such as gangs, drugs, school crime and the management of police call for service in urban, suburban and even rural communities. The exploration of possible responses to a problem is handled by police officers. Once a problem is identified, officers are expected to work closely with the community members to develop a solution, which can include a wide range of alternatives to arrest. These may focus on the offender, the community, the environment, outside agencies, or the need for some kind of mediation. Problem-oriented policing grew out of twenty years of research into police practices, and differs from traditional policing strategies in many significant ways. For example, problem-oriented policing enables police agencies to be more effective. Currently, police agencies commit most of their time to responding to calls for service. Problem-oriented policing offers a more effective strategy by addressing the
Policing today consists of three eras. These three eras have adapted and built off one another through history (Parr, 2014). The first era started around 1840 to 1930, and is known as the Political Era. The second Era is known as the Reform Era and lasted from 1930 to 1970. The last era is called the Community-Problem Solving Era and is still being adapted and used today. The Political Era emphasizes on meeting the needs of politicians. The police were given power through the local government and the community had very little say in what happened. The police and politicians worked together to control the city and neighborhoods (Palmiotto, 2000). This was often referred to as a ward. The ward politician controlled all the police in their neighborhood. The police officers tasks included not only crime prevention and order but a lot of social service activities that involved their neighborhoods. The officers resembled the ethnic backgrounds of the neighborhoods they lived and worked in and performed their patrols gaining trust from their community (Palmiotto, 2000). This allowed positive integration of police officers leading to more public service, and the trust of the officers to stop crime when is starts.
Policing in the United States has changed dramatically since it was first brought to the thirteen colonies from England. However, some of the issues faced then are being faced in policing today. There are also new trends that are prevalent, and these trends will continue to have lasting effects on the future of policing. Even though new trends improve policing overall, they can also cause more serious issues. It is crucial to continue making changes topolicing because it allows law enforcement officers to keep up with the rest of society, including the knowledge of new crime trends. This paper will
As a police officer, the major objectives are to maintain order, enforce the law, protect one’s property, and to save lives. In addition, police are divided into two roles based on how they perform their duties. The two roles of a police officer are a public servant and a crime fighter. A police officer whose role as a public servant is to serve all types of people, as well as criminals. Public servants regularly provide advice and make judgments as to the degree of risk they should take with the public. Many decisions involving risk are relatively easy to make, but others are complex and significant consequences (Kernaghan and Langford, 2016). These risks may involve using force and the consequences could be media backlash or a potential termination. Public servants abide by the oath and uphold the integrity and honor of the organization as an officer. Also, public servant officers like to play it safe because they like to be known as ordinary citizens who like to go home to their
The field of police work is constantly being forced to develop and improve its protocols, procedures, and practices in an effort to keep pace with the ever-changing society in which it operates and criminal behavior it seeks to eradicate. While the history of policing has been marked by substantial changes throughout time, the work of modern-day police officers and officials demonstrate some of the most substantial adaptations to its surrounding environment that the field has ever seen. In order to understand where the future of policing is heading, it is important to first understand these current trends that are affecting the current landscape of the profession. By
The topic of police in general, and the brutal beatings, shootings, and arrests that have occurred over the past couple of years in the United States has hit the media full force, leaving many wondering what actions should be taken to keep the peace. Many question the system as a whole, and the training police officers receive, as well as their mental health. Across the borders, police are trained differently and follow various policies that may seem ridiculous or foreign, however, when comparing and contrasting two police systems, the similarities may be alarming, and the differences may be great, but knowing the strengths and weakness of each different system, can help towards progressing to have a better system and better training for police officers.
In 2014, the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial website Statistics (November 2014), Retrieved from (http://www. odmp.org) has estimated there have been 106 law enforcement officer deaths. Of those listed there were 43 deaths were from gunfire, 10 from vehicular assaults and 2 from physical assault. Does the community have a relationship with law enforcement? This term paper will review incidents of attacks on law enforcement, efforts of community policing and past incidents leading toward possible future threats on officers. The intent of this paper will discuss the question of are law enforcement safe and are they equipped or prepared for the threats of the present and future? Additionally, this term paper will review the possibilities of officer safety being compromised.
Law enforcement officials are trusted with a great deal of responsibility and discretion in order for them to effectively complete their daily duties. An officer’s job is to protect citizens and uphold the law. Officers often have to act immediately and their work can only be examined later. Due to this, it is imperative that the public is
Police Agencies in modern society are a part of the American fabric to serve and protect the American public. The United States currently have more than 15,000 police agencies, (Walker & Katz, 2011). Police Departments across the United States face similar critical issues policing. All police officers face dangers in the job of policing the dangers can emanate from internal and external origins. Police officers have continued to evolve to serve communities by finding better less than lethal alternatives to weapons used. In addition, police departments have continued to keep up with
Law-enforcement needs to expand educational areas and how police officers are to execute the duties of the job, as well as teaching the individuals at younger ages, how to interact with an officer. The research has shown that many altercations between civilians and officers are escalated because of the communication between the civilian and Officer. The offices are only following the evolution of the policing models to make sure that they keep the streets safe from drugs, criminals, and potential dangers. The policing evolution continues to evolve with the needs of the world. Criminal justice agencies take the time to evaluate what is working to protect the community and what needs to change to evolve policing into what the community
While the Reform Era worked to professionalize police, as society became more complex, so did the role of the police officer. The Community Policing Era was developed as a result of the need to develop cooperation and positive relationships between the police and public. What developed out of this era was an essential element of community policing – public accountability. Police officers became accountable to their supervisors who in turn became accountable to the community. Accountability can be seen as an honest evaluation of achievement based on clearly defined objectives. Many of these objectives are defined by complex community and social problems; as such police officers require the capacity and flexibility to work on them in a variety of styles and employing a variety of strategies.
There are multiple approaches to engaging a police force with the community in order to most effectively prevent and respond to crime, and considering the relative strengths and weakness of each of these strategic models will demonstrate how models can impact the operation of daily policing practices and activities. The model under discussion here is called community oriented policing (COP), and focuses on building relationships and rapport between officers and the community in order to more effectively prevent crime. It is augmented by a model called problem solving policing (PSP), and depends upon rank-and-file officers identifying community problem areas through direct observation and analysis. Each model excels at slightly different things, and in practice most police agencies deploy a mix of models. By examining the Miami-Dade Police Department's handbook for school resource officers, it will be possible to view a COP/PSP policy in action in order to better understand how these models practically affect policing.
Many law enforcement officers in the United States are good, dedicated and committed to serving the people by protecting them and their property. In most cases, however, we hear news of police officer involvement in criminal activities or unethical behavior such as theft, robbery, abuse of authority and excessive coercion. The indication of police using force against suspects and committing crimes does not appear favorable to the public because people have entrusted them for their protection. Therefore, to address and effectively reduce crime, practitioners in the criminal justice system at the federal, state, and local levels must maintain high ethical standards in their practice. To