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Date: November 22, 2024 Fri
Time: 12:01 pm
Time: 12:01 pm
Results for police legitimacy
134 results foundAuthor: Advancement Project Title: Rampart Reconsidered: The Search for Real Reform Seven Years Later Summary: In 1999, allegations by a convicted former Los Angeles Department Rampart CRASH officer led to an investigation of police abuse and corruption within the Los Angeles Police Department. This report is a post-scandal check up that re-examines the underlying causes of the CRASH crisis and identifies continuing threats of corruption recurrence. It also is a proposal for actions that lock in current successes, resolve the department's longstanding problems and begin to defuse police-public hostility that still vexes high crime areas. Details: Los Angeles: Advancement Project, 2006. 101p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 17, 2018 at: http://assets.lapdonline.org/assets/pdf/Rampart%20Reconsidered-Full%20Report.pdf Year: 2006 Country: United States URL: http://assets.lapdonline.org/assets/pdf/Rampart%20Reconsidered-Full%20Report.pdf Shelf Number: 117107 Keywords: Police Corruption (Los Angeles)Police EthicsPolice IntegrityPolice Legitimacy |
Author: Tyler, Tom R. Title: Procedural Justice, Police Legitimacy and Cooperation With the Police: A New Paradigm for Policing Summary: Policing involves potentially one of the most coercive interactions between the State and its citizens. Consequently, understanding the role of legitimacy is a vital issue for modern policing. But what does ‘legitimacy’ mean for policing and from where does it derive? This briefing paper examines these questions, providing an incisive and accessible summary of the key international research findings. Details: Nathan, Qld: ARC Centre of Excellence in Policing and Security, 2011. 8p. Source: Internet Resource: Briefing Paper: Accessed July 20, 2011 at: http://www.ceps.edu.au/files/file/Tina%20Murphy%20Briefing%20Paper.pdf Year: 2011 Country: International URL: http://www.ceps.edu.au/files/file/Tina%20Murphy%20Briefing%20Paper.pdf Shelf Number: 122121 Keywords: Police LegitimacyPolice PerformancePolice ReformPolicing |
Author: Mazerolle, Lorraine Title: Key Findings of the Queensland Community Engagement Trial Summary: The international research community has spent the last twenty years developing a comprehensive understanding of public perceptions of police legitimacy and how the dynamics of police-citizen encounters explain variations in public perceptions of satisfaction, cooperation, compliance, trust in police and the capacity of police to maintain order, regulate and solve community problems. The Queensland Community Engagement Trial (QCET) is a world-first randomized field trial, conducted to investigate the effects of legitimacy policing through procedural justice and community engagement. The idea that legitimate policing can have positive impacts on police-citizen relations, community engagement and crime is not disputed and is clearly not new. However, never before have researchers used randomised field trial methods to directly test whether or not police can effectively and efficiently promote police legitimacy (and perceptions of police legitimacy) through procedural approaches, particularly in ethnically diverse communities where perceptions of legitimacy may be especially low. Accordingly, in December 2009, researchers from the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Policing and Security (CEPS) – in collaboration with the Queensland Police Service (QPS) – launched the Queensland Community Engagement Trial (QCET) in the Metropolitan South Region of Brisbane, Australia. This paper describes the QCET project and the key findings in terms of procedural justice and legitimacy. Details: Nathan, Qld: ARC Centre of Excellence in Policing and Security, 2011. 10p. Source: Internet Resource: Briefing Paper: Accessed July 20, 2011 at: http://www.ceps.edu.au/files/file/FINAL%20Key%20Findings%20of%20the%20Queensland%20Community%20Engagement%20Trial.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Australia URL: http://www.ceps.edu.au/files/file/FINAL%20Key%20Findings%20of%20the%20Queensland%20Community%20Engagement%20Trial.pdf Shelf Number: 122122 Keywords: Police LegitimacyPolice-Citizen InteractionsPolice-Community RelationsPolicing (Australia)Procedural Justice |
Author: Myhill, Andy Title: It's a Fair Cop? Police Legitimacy, Public Cooperation, and Crime Reduction. An Interpretative Evidence Commentary Summary: This paper is an interpretative commentary rather than a straightforward summary of research findings. The paper draws on robust research evidence, but does not review or formally assess the quality of all the available evidence. • The next few years will be challenging for a police service expected to reduce crime with fewer resources. Forces will inevitably have to make hard choices on what to prioritise in order to achieve this goal. Ideally, these decisions should be based on a clear understanding of how crime can be prevented, and which policing activities are cost-effective. • New research by the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) and London School of Economics suggests a policing approach that motivates the public to cooperate with the police and to not break the law could have significant benefits. As this approach seeks to encourage people to become more cooperative and socially responsible on a voluntary basis, by ‘winning hearts and minds’, it potentially offers a cost-effective way of reducing crime. • The NPIA study is in line with a growing international body of research. This research arguably has particular relevance to England and Wales because the relationship between the police and public has historically been defined in terms of ‘policing by consent’ – the idea that the police can only function because of the support given to it by the public. As public support is conditional and unlikely ever to be universal, ‘policing by consent’ raises important questions about the role the police are expected to perform and how officers are expected to act. This idea has continuing relevance to present day policing as it helps define the remit of the police service and mark out an important way in which it can fulfil its ‘core mission’. • The NPIA study – based on a robust national survey of the public – explored what motivated people to cooperate with the police (e.g. reporting crime and suspicious activity, and providing information to help catch offenders) and not breaking the law. Analysis found that the most important factor motivating people to cooperate and not break the law was the legitimacy of the police. When people thought the police were on the ‘same side’ as them, they were significantly less likely to say they had committed an offence and more inclined to say they would help with the police. Crucially, police legitimacy had a stronger effect on these outcomes than the perceived likelihood of people being caught and punished for breaking the law. • Trust and shared values were found to be key aspects of legitimacy. These attitudes were largely fostered by the perception of police fairness and not by the perception of police effectiveness (in terms of responding to emergencies, preventing and detecting crime, and keeping order). In other words, the legitimacy of the police in the eyes of the public was primarily based on people thinking officers would treat them with respect, make fair decisions and take time to explain them, and be friendly and approachable. • These findings have important implications for the police service. They show that fair decision-making and positive public interaction are not only important in their own right, but are also crucial for crime reduction in the longer term. The research suggests that the way officers behave is central to policing as it can encourage greater respect for the law and foster social responsibility. As the effect on crime would be largely preventive and rely on voluntary public cooperation, improved public encounters could help the police avoid the financial costs associated with enforcing the law, detecting crime, and processing offenders. • When forces decide how best to reduce crime with fewer resources, they should consider whether their proposed approach would enhance or undermine police legitimacy in the eyes of the public. While a narrow focus on enforcing the law might appeal to traditional ‘cop culture’, it was not found to have the strongest effect on cooperation and compliance, and might even be counter-productive in the longer-term if it is perceived to be unfair. • Widespread cultural change is likely to be required if the police are to capitalise on public cooperation. Other research by the NPIA on the police use of time, for example, has highlighted a prevailing view among officers that visible patrol is key to being effective, and that less value was place on interacting positively with the public. To help address these wider issues, the NPIA is currently providing support to two forces to understand the role leadership plays in shaping the values of frontline officers, and to evaluate the impact of innovative training on police contact with crime victims. Details: London: NPIA (National Policing Improvement Agency), 2011. 20p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 17, 2011 at: http://www.npia.police.uk/en/docs/Fair_cop_Full_Report.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.npia.police.uk/en/docs/Fair_cop_Full_Report.pdf Shelf Number: 123036 Keywords: Police LegitimacyPolice-Citizen InteractionPolice-Community Relations (U.K.)Public Opinion |
Author: Tyler, Tom R. Title: Future Challenges in the Study of Legitimacy and Criminal Justice Summary: Studies conducted over the last several decades have established that legitimacy shapes law-related behavior. They also make it clear that we should broaden our framework for understanding both how to conceptualize and measure legitimacy and for exploring its antecedents and consequences. This chapter reviews recent efforts to address these questions. Details: New Haven, CT: Yale Law School, 2012. 27p. Source: Internet Resource: Yale Law School, Public Law Working Paper No. 264: Accessed September 26, 2012 at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2141322 Year: 2012 Country: International URL: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2141322 Shelf Number: 126460 Keywords: Police BehaviorPolice LegitimacyPolice-Citizen InteractionsPolice-Community RelationsPublic ConfidenceTrust |
Author: La Vigne, Nancy Title: Key Issues in the Police Use of Pedestrian Stops and Searches: Discussion Papers from an Urban Institute Roundtable Summary: This compilation of papers examines how and why police stop and search pedestrians, and what the impact of that practice is on communities and public safety. Each paper presents the topic from researcher to practitioner perspectives with a primary focus on the implications for law enforcement practice. The papers discuss issues such as citizens' perceptions of street stops and their implications for police legitimacy; the disproportionate impact of street stops in communities of color; and ways in which stops and searches could be conducted in a manner that preserves police-community relations. Details: Washington, DC: Urban Institute, Justice Policy Center, 2012. 51p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 26, 2012 at: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/412647-Key-Issues-in-the-Police-Use-of-Pedestrian-Stops-and-Searches.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/412647-Key-Issues-in-the-Police-Use-of-Pedestrian-Stops-and-Searches.pdf Shelf Number: 126999 Keywords: PolicePolice LegitimacyPolice StopsPolice-Citizen InteractionsPolice-Community RelationsRacial Profiling in Law EnforcementStop and Search |
Author: Brandt, Chris Title: Young People and the Police in Lagos Summary: The relationship between young people and the police has normally been characterized by mutual suspicion and hostility. However, in Nigeria, very little data has been collected regarding this seemingly acrimonious relationship. Given the current political and social dynamics in Nigeria, it’s important to better understand the attitudes young people and police hold towards each other. Today, the police often pay special attention to the activities of young people, largely because of the perceived increase in youth crime in recent years. Pressure from both the media and elites on the police to crack down on young delinquents has brought about increased contact between juveniles and the police and led to the use of more aggressive forms of intervention (Alder et.al, 1992). A natural consequence of these negative interactions is mutual tension and suspicion. The negative relationship has several unsettling consequences. Young people, feeling persecuted and targeted by the police, are less likely to report criminal activities or seek out help when they are in distress. The hostile relationship also contributes to increased criminal activity among juveniles ( Alemika and Chukwuma, 2001). Young people, viewing the police with little respect or legitimacy, feel emboldened to commit criminal acts. This study was conceived against the backdrop of the palpable dangers posed to citizen safety and public order by an adversarial relationship between young people and the police. It sets out to explore and empirically determine the nature of the relationship between youths and the police in Lagos State, to establish the factors that define it, and to provide recommendations for how to improve it. Details: Lagos, Nigeria: CLEEN Foundations, 2011. 50p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 1, 2012 at: http://www.cleen.org/Young%20people%20and%20the%20police%20in%20Lagos%20State.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Nigeria URL: http://www.cleen.org/Young%20people%20and%20the%20police%20in%20Lagos%20State.pdf Shelf Number: 127043 Keywords: Juvenile OffendersPolice LegitimacyPolice-Citizen Interactions (Nigeria)Police-Juvenile RelationsPublic Attitudes Toward the PolicePublic Opinion |
Author: Mazerolle, Lorraine Title: Legitimacy in Policing: A Systematic Review Summary: Police require voluntary cooperation from the general public to be effective in controlling crime and maintaining order. Research shows that citizens are more likely to comply and cooperate with police and obey the law when they view the police as legitimate. The most common pathway that the police use to increase citizen perceptions of legitimacy is through the use of procedural justice. Procedural justice, as described in the literature, comprises four essential components. These components are citizen participation in the proceedings prior to an authority reaching a decision (or voice), perceived neutrality of the authority in making the decision, whether or not the authority showed dignity and respect toward citizens throughout the interaction, and whether or not the authority conveyed trustworthy motives. Police departments throughout the world are implicitly and explicitly weaving the dialogue of these four principles of procedural justice (treating people with dignity and respect, giving citizens “voice” during encounters, being neutral in decision making, and conveying trustworthy motives) into their operational policing programs and interventions. OBJECTIVES This review synthesizes published and unpublished empirical evidence on the impact of interventions led by the public police to enhance citizen perceptions of police legitimacy. Our objective is to provide a systematic review of the direct and indirect benefits of policing approaches that foster legitimacy in policing that either report an explicit statement that the intervention sought to increase legitimacy or report that there was an application of at least one of the principles of procedural justice: participation, neutrality, dignity/respect, and trustworthy motives. Details: Oslo: Campbell Collaboration, 2013. 147p. Source: Internet Resource: Campbell Systematic Reviews 2013:1; Accessed January 23, 2013 at: http://www.campbellcollaboration.org/library.php Year: 2013 Country: International URL: http://www.campbellcollaboration.org/library.php Shelf Number: 127363 Keywords: Police BehaviorPolice DiscretionPolice LegitimacyPolice-Citizen InteractionsPolice-Community Relations |
Author: Weisburd, David Title: Legitimacy, Fear and Collective Efficacy in Crime Hot Spots: Assessing the Impacts of Broken Windows Policing Strategies on Citizen Attitudes Summary: The aim of this study was to examine the impacts of broken windows policing at crime hot spots on fear of crime, ratings of police legitimacy and reports of collective efficacy among residents of targeted hot spots. A block randomized experimental design was employed to deliver a police intervention targeting disorder to 55 treatment street segments with an equal number of segments serving as controls. The main outcomes were measured using a panel telephone survey of 371 persons living or working in these street segments. Our results showed that the broken windows police intervention delivered to the crime hot spots in this study had no significant impacts on fear of crime, police legitimacy, collective efficacy, or perceptions of crime or social disorder. Perceptions of physical disorder, on the other hand, appear to have been modestly increased in the target areas. The study also did not find statistically significant changes in crime or disorder in official police data, though statistical power for these tests was low as the study was designed around the individual-level tests of the variables discussed above. As a whole, our findings suggest that recent criticisms of hot spots policing approaches which focus on possible negative “backfire” effects for residents of the targeted areas may be overstated. The study shows that residents are not aware of, or much affected by, a three hour per week dosage of aggressive order maintenance policing on their blocks (in addition to routine police responses in these areas). However, this lack of change also challenges the broken windows thesis as we did not find evidence of the reductions in fear of crime, or the increases in informal social control, that would be expected by advocates of broken windows based policing approaches. Future research needs to replicate these findings focusing on varied target populations and types of crime hot spots, while also examining different styles of hot spots policing. Details: Unpublished report to the U.S. National Institute of Justice, 2010. 209p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 12, 2013 at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/239971.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/239971.pdf Shelf Number: 127585 Keywords: Broken Windows Policing (U.S.)Collective EfficacyFear of CrimeHot Spots PolicingNuisance Crime and DisorderPolice LegitimacyPolice-Community RelationsPublic Opinion |
Author: Graham, John Title: Policing Young Adults: A Scoping Study Summary: This report presents the findings of a small scoping study on the policing of young adults. Its main aim is to highlight key issues and challenges and identify a future agenda for research, policy and practice. It draws on a small number of interviews with young adults, police officers and individual experts (e.g. policy makers, community safety experts and relevant literature). The study focuses on encounters between young adults and the police, particularly those involving stop and search and the night-time economy, and how well the police handle – and are trained to handle – such encounters. Details: London: Police Foundation, 2013. 48p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 5, 2013 at: http://www.police-foundation.org.uk/uploads/catalogerfiles/policing-young-adults/policing_young_adults.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.police-foundation.org.uk/uploads/catalogerfiles/policing-young-adults/policing_young_adults.pdf Shelf Number: 127846 Keywords: Police BehaviorPolice LegitimacyPolice-Citizen InteractionPolice-Community RelationsPolicing (U.K.)Young Adult Offenders |
Author: Feilzer, Martina Title: The Impact of Value Based Decision Making on Policing in North Wales Summary: This report summarises research examining the impact of value based decision making on front line policing practice; as well as its impact on front line policing staff‟s perception of their work. The research also considered the impact of value based decision making on the local community‟s evaluation of policing and the perception of police legitimacy; and the likelihood of the adoption of value based decision making increasing public confidence in the police. Value based decision making was introduced and rolled out to the whole of the North Wales Police force area in 2010. North Wales Police invested heavily in training all police staff and in total 76 training sessions were delivered and approximately 1,200 staff trained. Value based decision making is a decision making process and, in an organisational setting, has come to mean that all decisions made should be based on the values of the organisation. The process is designed to help deal with legitimate value conflicts or ambiguous situations in front line policing, such as conflicts between crime control focussed decisions and avoiding criminalisation where it serves no public interest. The research was carried out between October 2010 and August 2011 and consisted of number of research methods, including secondary data analysis, repeat interviews, and observational work. We observed training sessions for North Wales police staff; carried out repeat interviews with ten members of North Wales Police, a total of 30 interviews; analysed victim satisfaction surveys and the British Crime Survey; analysed a total of 45 sample cases dealt with under VBDM; and reviewed press coverage of North Wales Police. The introduction of value based decision making in North Wales Police mirrored a wider national trend to move away from a detection driven target culture and to return a degree of discretion to front line policing. The rationale for this shift in emphasis was to ensure that the scarce resources of policing are used to their best effect. North Wales Police implemented value based decision making as a formal decision making process with the aim of ensuring that discretion in front line policing was not completely unfettered but that there was discretion „with rules‟. The introduction of value based decision making which allowed front line police officers to make decisions and not to always act formally upon offences „detected‟ was seen to signify a culture change by senior North Wales Police management. While police staff generally welcomed an officially condoned return of discretion to the front line, their assessment of whether or not it constituted a culture change was mixed and generally more cautious. Some staff felt that they had always been able to use discretion and therefore considered the introduction of VBDM simply as confirmation as what they had been doing all along; others considered it to be a significant shift from the detection culture but one that they did not trust entirely. Police staff‟s understanding of VBDM was generally poor and some of this was due to the vague nature of the concept as well as the implementation process including the structure and content of the training sessions. Assessing the impact of value based decision making on those subjected to policing, as victims, offenders, or the general public is difficult. North Wales Police has not advertised the use of VBDM widely as far as could be ascertained from our exploratory media analysis. Additionally, only few members of the public would be exposed to VBDM in practice, mainly victims and offenders involved in minor crimes. As a result, it is unlikely that the effects of VBDM will be measurable in general public opinion surveys. However, it may be worthwhile monitoring user satisfaction surveys to assess whether non-detection under VBDM has an effect on levels of satisfaction with services received and, in particular, whether the rate of respondents indicating that „nothing had been done‟ increases. The impact of the introduction of value based decision making can be seen in a slight fall of the overall detection rate but its impact on police staff‟s assessment of their working practices was limited. A significant impact on public ratings of public confidence in North Wales Police is unlikely but there may be some measurable impact on user satisfaction. This is yet to be seen. Details: Gwynedd, Wales: School of Social Sciences, Bangor University, 2012. 38p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed Mardh 18, 2013 at: http://wales.gov.uk/docs/caecd/research/130122-impact-value-based-decision-making-policing-north-wales-en.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://wales.gov.uk/docs/caecd/research/130122-impact-value-based-decision-making-policing-north-wales-en.pdf Shelf Number: 128008 Keywords: Police Decision-MakingPolice LegitimacyPolice-Citizen InteractionsPolice-Community RelationsPolicing (Wales, U.K.) |
Author: Dunn, Christopher Title: NYPD Stop-and-Frisk Activity in 2012 Summary: In May 2012, the New York Civil Liberties Union released a detailed analysis of the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk activity during 2011. Based on the NYPD database that the Department now makes public following earlier NYCLU litigation, the 2011 report examined stops, frisks, summonses, arrests, the use of force and gun recoveries, all on a citywide and precinct basis. The 2011 report also delved into the wide racial disparities in the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk regime. Since the release of the NYCLU report last year, the stop-and-frisk controversy in New York City has grown enormously. Shortly after release of the report, public officials and candidates seeking to succeed Mayor Michael Bloomberg started to regularly raise concerns about the stop-and-frisk program. In the summer of 2012, Mayor Bloomberg went on the offensive, attempting to aggressively defend the program by claiming that it reduces shootings and saves lives. In October 2011, a federal judge presided over a hearing in a case brought by the NYCLU and others challenging the part of the stop-and-frisk regime conducted at private residential buildings enrolled in the “Clean Halls” program in the Bronx. In January 2012, the court ruled that the NYPD was systematically stopping building residents, visitors and passersby unlawfully. Meanwhile, a package of NYPD reform bills in the City Council, collectively referred to as the Community Safety Act, has generated robust public discussion and is moving towards passage. Among other things, the bills would ban profiling by the NYPD and create an inspector general to review Department practices. Finally, just days before the release of this report, a federal judge heard closing arguments in a two-month trial challenging the enormous number of street stops that are at the heart of New York City’s stop-and-frisk regime. A ruling in that case is expected this summer. With all of these developments, a close examination of the stop-and-frisk activity from 2012 becomes particularly important. As with last year’s NYCLU report, this report discloses detailed information about all aspects of the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk program, including detailed breakdowns by precinct. New to this report is an analysis of marijuana-related aspects of the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk regime. Details: New York: New York Civil Liberties Union, 2013. 29p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 25, 2013 at: http://www.nyclu.org/publications/report-nypd-stop-and-frisk-activity-2012-2013 Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://www.nyclu.org/publications/report-nypd-stop-and-frisk-activity-2012-2013 Shelf Number: 128795 Keywords: MinoritiesPolice DiscretionPolice LegitimacyRacial Profiling in Law EnforcementStop and Search (New York, U.S.) |
Author: Jackson, Jonathan Title: Trust and Legitimacy Across Europe: A FIDUCIA Report on Comparative Public Attitudes Towards Legal Authority Summary: FIDUCIA (New European Crimes and Trust-based Policy) seeks to shed light on a number of distinctively ‘new European’ criminal behaviours which have emerged in the last decade as a consequence of both technology developments and the increased mobility of populations across Europe. A key objective of FIDUCIA is to propose and proof a ‘trust-based’ policy model in relation to emerging forms of criminality – to explore the idea that public trust and institutional legitimacy are important for the social regulation of the trafficking of human beings, the trafficking of goods, the criminalisation of migration and ethnic minorities, and cybercrimes. In this paper we detail levels of trust and legitimacy in the 26 countries, drawing on data from Round 5 of the European Social Survey. We also conduct a sensitivity analysis that investigates the effect of a lack of measurement equivalence on national estimates. Details: London: London School of Economics, 2013. 41p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 18, 2013 at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2272975 Year: 2013 Country: Europe URL: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2272975 Shelf Number: 129024 Keywords: Criminal CourtsLegitimacyPolice AuthorityPolice LegitimacyPolice-Citizen InteractionsPolicingPublic Confidence (Europe)Public OpinionTrust |
Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Home Affairs Committee Title: Leadership and Standards in the Police Summary: There are two sides to public perceptions of the police and to the image the police portray to us. Every day, thousands of officers show absolute commitment to their work and go beyond the call of duty to safeguard the public, prevent crime and catch criminals. The speedy and heroic response of officers to the brutal murder of Drummer Lee Rigby on 22 May is a spotlight on the kind of everyday excellence we have come to expect from the police service, attested to by many of our witnesses. This kind of crisis response underlines the deep-rooted faith accorded to the service by the public. Trust in the excellence of British policing is projected on the international stage—the desire to work with British police shown by our colleagues in Romania, on our recent visit to Bucharest, is just one example. We have no doubt that the British police service will continue to shine as one of the most impressive police forces in the world, while maintaining its civilian character and the principle of policing by consent. Behind the reputation, however, there are problems. There is a flip-side to public perceptions of the police prompted by examples of misconduct and criminality within their ranks, including a number of investigations which have come about as a result of historical police failings, such as Operations Yewtree and Elveden, and there is an undercurrent of discontent within the service itself, as reform and spending cuts affect the sense of worth of ordinary officers. The Government has begun a process of fundamental reform of the landscape of institutions that structure British policing. New institutions like the College of Policing and the National Crime Agency (NCA) will be crucial in cutting crime at reduced cost. As Keith Bristow, chief executive of the NCA, told us this is a chance to join up law enforcement, tackle threats more effectively and cut crime. We set out a simplified version of the new division of labour in policing in Annex I. At the same time, however, morale among many police officers has sunk to its lowest ebb in recent memory. A concatenation of crises risks damaging the quality of lawenforcement: public faith in policing has been tested by episodes such as the findings of the Hillsborough Panel Report, the “plebgate” incident, and the first dismissal of a chief constable in 30 years. At the same time, spending cuts have prompted a review of police pay and pensions and a freeze on recruitment which is slowing down efforts to promote diversity and renewal. In addition there has been the use of A19 to require the resignation of service officers with 30 or more years service. When we held our International Conference on Leadership and Standards in the Police on 14 January 2013, over a hundred ordinary officers travelled to London and others wrote to us, many with a message of warning about the future of policing. As many reminded us, policing is a vocation that can sustain officers through all kinds of trials, but there is a limit to what can be asked and waning police morale could have a direct effect on operational effectiveness. The visceral response of many officers to Tom Winsor’s Independent Review of Police Officers’ and Staff Remuneration and Conditions and the London march of more than 30,000 officers on 10 May 2012 were clear demonstrations of discontent. Nor can problems of integrity and morale be addressed easily in a “top-down” fashion. Although the police is a hierarchical organisation, chief constables do not issue orders to be followed to the letter by other officers. The independence of the office of constable means that “policy, law and other forms of direction are refracted through an enduring occupational culture”. Police actions derive from a mix of the professional instincts of officers, the directions of their superiors within a force, the directions of bodies such as the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and the culture of policing—“police commonsense”. This means that leadership is spread widely across the police service and its ranks and a high degree of independence and responsibility remains with officers at all levels. Team leaders—sergeants and inspectors—have a powerful influence over the effectiveness and integrity of large numbers of officers, but there is little leadership training at sergeant and inspector level. As Nigel Lloyd put it, “whilst people need a driving license to drive and regular training for taser, firearms and unarmed defensive tactics, you can be in charge of a shift of police officers without any formal training whatsoever”. The police officer is the bedrock of enforcement of English Law: a servant of the Crown, sworn into the Office of Constable. The office entails personal responsibility for the protection of life and property, the prevention and detection of crime, the maintenance of law and order and the detection and prosecution of offenders. While the Government has great vision for the new landscape of policing a number of pieces of the policing puzzle are still missing. It is not yet clear what is happening with the Police IT Procurement Company, what exactly the College of Policing is responsible for and where integrity registers, such as the Chief Constables’ register of interests, will be held. The landscape of policing is being redrawn with great potential to benefit the public. However, amidst this change, the Government risks leaving behind one critical element— police officers themselves. For policing to be effective, change must command the support of police officers and build the capabilities of all officers as independent professionals. It must win the backing of police staff (who are not warranted police constables), who are ever-more integral to policing operations. It must also command the support of the public, whose faith in the police is fundamental to their effectiveness. For these objectives to be fulfilled, the Government must match its reform of the institutional landscape of policing with a renewal of the police themselves: a new emphasis on professionalism, integrity and individual responsibility. The College of Policing will be at the heart of that change. There are three areas where the College will be key to developing an effective service: a) Renewing public confidence by setting out a new code of professional conduct, removing grey areas, with inescapable sanctions for misconduct. b) Rebuilding flagging police morale by elevating the craft of policing to a modern profession with an emphasis on the independence and responsibility of each officer. c) Refashioning the make-up of the police force so that it really represents the public, so that the contract of trust which underlies effective policing can be restored. The College of Policing must create a police service more confident in the professional judgement and discretion of individual officers. To do so, it must unify policing standards for the first time, setting out clear metrics of competency and clear principles of good conduct, at every level from constable to chief constable. New national benchmarks must be laid out for recruitment, so that the same level of performance applies across the land. Partnerships with universities must be regularised and rolled out, so their insights can be shared across the service. Grey areas of conduct must be eliminated and a list of those who are struck off must be established to restore faith in officer integrity. Not only will this help the public to have confidence in the police, it must also improve police professional independence. The lack of clarity in conduct cases has led to a quagmire of complaints, which we described in our Report on the IPCC, leaving officers bogged down in standards cases. Too often, officers go through the motions of policing, following standard procedures to cover their backs, where a commonsense approach would be better. With new clarity set out in a code of ethics, and new confidence and authority from professional training, we expect that the College will empower officers to get on with their jobs. Details: London: The Stationery Office Limited, 2013. 54p. Source: Internet Resource: Third Report of Session 2013–14: Accessed July 9, 2013 at: http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/home-affairs/HC%2067-I%20Leadership%20Report%20FINAL.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/home-affairs/HC%2067-I%20Leadership%20Report%20FINAL.pdf Shelf Number: 129332 Keywords: Police AdministrationPolice LegitimacyPolice PerformancePolice ReformPolice TrainingPolice-Community RelationsPolicing (U.K.) |
Author: Great Britain. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary Title: Stop and Search Powers: Are the police using them effectively and fairly? Summary: The public expect the police to protect them from harm by using the powers granted to them by Parliament in an effective and fair manner. Arguably, some of the most intrusive and contentious powers are those of stop and search. For decades the inappropriate use of these powers, both real and perceived, has tarnished the relationship between constables and the communities they serve, and in doing so has brought into question the very legitimacy of the police service. Thirty years after the riots in Brixton, concerns about how the police use stop and search powers were again raised following the riots in England in August 2011. Over a million stop and search encounters have been recorded every year since 2006 but only 9% of these led to an arrest in 2011/12. Statistics also showed that members of black and minority ethnic groups were stopped and searched more than white people (compared to the resident population). Whilst there is strong public debate about the disproportionate use of the powers on certain groups, there is surprisingly little attention paid by either the police service or the public to how effective stop and search powers are in reducing or detecting crime. In a society where policing is based upon the principle of consent, the police service needs the support of the public in order to be effective. By using their powers fairly and in a way that is effective in keeping the public safe, the police can build community confidence and encourage people to be more socially responsible in helping to reduce crime and disorder. Her Majesty‘s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) is an independent inspectorate. It has a legal responsibility under section 54 of the Police Act 1996 to inspect forces in England and Wales, and to report on their efficiency and effectiveness. The objectives for this inspection were: to determine how effectively and fairly the police service is using the powers of stop and search in the fight against crime; to establish whether operational police officers know how to use stop and search powers tactically as part of evidence-based practice to fight crime; and to identify how the powers can be used in a way that builds the public‘s trust in the police, supporting the legitimacy of the service rather than eroding it. Details: London: HMIC, 2013. 64p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 5, 2013 at: http://www.hmic.gov.uk/media/stop-and-search-powers-20130709.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.hmic.gov.uk/media/stop-and-search-powers-20130709.pdf Shelf Number: 129537 Keywords: DiscriminationPolice DiscretionPolice LegitimacyStop and Search (U.K.) |
Author: Munneke, Jop Title: The Eyes and Ears of the Police? Questioning the Role of Community Policing in Durban, South Africa Summary: Today, the number of actors that are involved in policing are increasing, and its field is not limited to the state police anymore. In this wider field of policing, the role of the community is increasingly recognised as important. The idea that the community should be more actively involved in policing has led to the concept of Community Policing, where the community as an actor in the security spectrum is officially recognised. Community Policing is surfacing and gaining in importance all over the world. But what is Community Policing? What is the ideal behind it, and how is it implemented in actual settings? Community Policing is both initiated by the police as a formal strategy to policing, as well as by the community as an informal strategy, which is often a response caused by discontent about the state-police’s performance in ensuring citizens’ personal security. In South Africa, both forms are seen. Formal Community Policing initiatives were initially introduced during South Africa’s transition to democracy in the early 1990s, when it was used as the police’s main strategy to ensure a smooth transition into a new political system, and to increase the legitimacy of the police among the public. Community Policing Fora (CPF) were the structures that were to ensure Community Policing’s proper implementation. Today, several years after the country’s transition, CPF lost their necessity in ensuring a proper transfer to democracy. Thus, their focus has changed towards crime-prevention, and the community, the police, and local governments are to establish a partnership and devise strategies together to ensure a reduction in crime and safer neighbourhoods. This thesis is based on an ethnographic study that I undertook within neighbourhoods of Durban and their CPF in early 2011. I undertook this research with the purpose of understanding how the CPF work and what their relationship is to the community’s perceptions of security. My findings show that different CPF face different successes and challenges, and that no general conclusion can be made as to how they work. However, factors that may be distinguished as potential challenges to the proper functioning of the fora include resource problems among the South African Police Service (SAPS), the deeply divided society of post-Apartheid South Africa, a lack of trust that the community has in the police and wrong interpretations about how a CPF should function. The effects of a poor relationship between the CPF and the community that is caused by these factors, show themselves in the CPF turning into a complaints forum, poor attendance from the community, increasingly negative perceptions of the SAPS and the surfacing of informal Community Policing initiatives in both the formal and informal settlements of Durban. However, positive results are also seen, and especially through an educational role where the CPF educate the public about actual crime rates and necessary precautions to take in order to decrease an individual’s chances of being a victim of crime, the CPF can and do contribute to higher perceptions of security among the community. Finally, I conclude that when determining the successes of CPF, they should be viewed in a broader perspective than the current one which only looks at their influence on crime-rates. CPF may fail to cause a substantial decrease in numbers, but they may have an effect on longer-term issues that South African society faces, like socio-economic inequality and a deeply divided society. Details: International Police Executive Symposium, 2013. 76p. Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper No. 43: Accessed August 7, 2013 at: http://www.ipes.info/WPS/WPS_No_43.pdf Year: 2013 Country: South Africa URL: http://www.ipes.info/WPS/WPS_No_43.pdf Shelf Number: 129567 Keywords: Community Policing (Durban, South Africa)Police EffectivenessPolice LegitimacyPolice-Community Relations |
Author: Chambers, Max Title: The Pioneers: Police and Crime Commissioners, one year on. A collection of essays Summary: One year ago, the first Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) were elected across England and Wales. Charged with setting strategic policing priorities, holding Chief Constables and forces to account and improving public confidence in law enforcement, the 41 new PCCs form an integral part of the Government's wideranging police reform agenda. Policy Exchange has consistently argued that single, democratically-elected figures have the potential for renewing the police governance model and revitalising the relationship between the public and the police. As these important reforms continue to bed in and the pioneers get to grips with their new roles, we asked a cross-party group of PCCs to share their perspectives on their first year in office, highlight the key initiatives they are leading, outline the challenges and opportunities facing policing, and describe how their new leadership can help the service to succeed. Details: London: Policy Exchange, 2013. 89p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 11, 2013 at: http://www.policyexchange.org.uk/images/publications/the%20pioneers.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.policyexchange.org.uk/images/publications/the%20pioneers.pdf Shelf Number: 131632 Keywords: Criminal Justice ReformPolice LegitimacyPolice ReformPolice-Citizen InteractionsPolice-Community RelationsPolicing (U.K.) |
Author: Maffei, Stefano, ed. Title: New European Crimes and Trust-Based Policy Summary: In the last decade, two large-scale research projects that focused on trust in justice were funded by the European Commission under the Seventh Framework Programme. EURO-JUSTIS, which was co-ordinated by Mike Hough and ran from 2008 to 2011, aimed to develop social indicators on trust in justice in order to enable evidence-based public assessment of criminal justice across Europe. The purpose of the FIDUCIA project, which began in 2012 and will conclude in 2015, is to shed light on a number of distinctively "new European" criminal behaviours which have emerged in the last decade as a consequence of technology developments and the increased mobility of populations across Europe, and propose new approaches to the regulation of such behaviours. For years, the question which has dominated and defined criminology is, 'Why do people break the law?' Procedural justice theory in general, and the two projects in particular, invert this question to discover reasons for compliance with the law. This focuses attention on a different set of explanations. When we ask why we ourselves observe the criminal law most of the time, we immediately look to answers that are couched in terms of normative compliance. When people ask why others break the law, explanations tend to be in terms of instrumental factors, such as insufficient deterrence or insufficient responsiveness to deterrence. The central idea behind the FIDUCIA project is that public trust in justice is important for social regulation: this is why the Consortium proposes a "trust-based" policy model in respect of emerging forms of criminality. Its aim is to determine whether new ways of regulating the sorts of crimes that are becoming more common as we move towards a more integrated Europe, with improved communication, large movements of citizens and non-citizens between member states can be discovered. What does the FIDUCIA research team mean by "trust-based policy"? This is a fundamental idea, however it requires further explanation. Most people think that police and criminal justice systems control crime through systems of deterrent threat. They suppose that people obey the law because they want to avoid the costs of conviction and punishment in the courts. This is partly true, yet it is only part of the story. Most people obey the law most of the time because they think it is the right thing to do. The police and the courts play an important role in maintaining this "normative commitment to the law", and they do it best when they command legitimate authority. People are more likely to obey the law and to cooperate with police and justice officials when they regard them as legitimate. This publication contains the findings of the FIDUCIA project's first-year of research, namely a review of: the state of knowledge on crime trends (Deliverables 1-3), the effectiveness of current criminal policies (Deliverables 4-6) and the fear of crime, trust in justice and punitive attitudes of citizens across Europe (Deliverables 7-9). Details: Athens, Greece: FIDUCIA, 2013. 230p. Source: Internet Resource: Volume #1: Accessed January 31, 2014 at: http://www.fiduciaproject.eu/media/publications/11/FiduciaVol1_Nov18.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Europe URL: http://www.fiduciaproject.eu/media/publications/11/FiduciaVol1_Nov18.pdf Shelf Number: 131820 Keywords: Crime TrendsCriminal Justice PolicyFear of CrimePolice Legitimacy |
Author: Corbacho, Ana Title: Crime and Erosion of Trust: Evidence for Latin America Summary: Crime has tangible economic costs. It also has less understood and likely sizable intangible costs. In particular, widespread crime has the potential to weaken trust between citizens and institutions, undermine government reform efforts, and become an obstacle to development. Yet, the impact of crime on trust remains relatively unexplored in the literature. This paper analyzes the potential interrelationship between individual victimization and several measures of trust, including trust in formal public institutions and trust in informal private networks. It is based on a representative sample of individuals in 19 countries in Latin America. The empirical strategy is intended to mitigate overt biases and assess sensitivity to hidden biases. The results show that victimization has a substantial negative effect on trust in the local police but no robust effect on informal institutions. Governments may henceforth need to redouble efforts to reduce victimization and the resulting erosion of trust in public institutions. Details: Washington, DC: Inter-American Development Bank, 2012. 38p. Source: Internet Resource: IDB working paper series; 344)Accessed March 12, 2014 at: http://idbdocs.iadb.org/wsdocs/getdocument.aspx?docnum=37071808 Year: 2012 Country: Latin America URL: http://idbdocs.iadb.org/wsdocs/getdocument.aspx?docnum=37071808 Shelf Number: 131866 Keywords: Police LegitimacySocioeconomic Conditions and CrimeTrustVictimizationVictims of Crime |
Author: Independent Police Commission (UK) Title: Policing for a Better Britain Summary: Policing for a Better Britain, the final report of the Independent Police Commission (IPC) presents a bold and radical vision of how to deliver fair and effective policing in these economically difficult times. The report aims to provide a roadmap for the professional evolution of the policy force and sets out 37 recommendations covering eight key themes: A social justice model of neighbourhood policing; Creating effective partnerships; Achieving better democratic governance; A new deal for police officers and staff; Building a police profession; Raising standards and remedying misconduct; A structure fit for purpose; and Making savings and efficiencies. Details: London: The Commission, 2013. 226p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 13, 2014 at: http://independentpolicecommission.org.uk/uploads/37d80308-be23-9684-054d-e4958bb9d518.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://independentpolicecommission.org.uk/uploads/37d80308-be23-9684-054d-e4958bb9d518.pdf Shelf Number: 131907 Keywords: Police AdministrationPolice LegitimacyPolice Policies and PracticesPolicing |
Author: Bradford, Ben Title: Self-Legitimacy, Police Culture and Support for Democratic Policing in an English Constabulary Summary: When do police officers feel confident in their own authority? What factors influence their sense of their own legitimacy? What is the effect of such 'self-legitimacy' on the way they think about policing? This paper addresses these questions using a survey of police officers working in an English constabulary. We find that the most powerful predictor of officers' confidence in their own authority is identification with their organization, itself something strongly associated with perceptions of the procedural justice of senior management. A greater sense of self-legitimacy is in turn linked to greater commitment to 'democratic' modes of policing. Finally, we find that this sense of legitimacy is embedded in a matrix of identities and cultural adaptations within the police organization. Details: Oxford, UK: Centre for Criminology, University of Oxford, 2014. 21p. Source: Internet Resource: Oxford Legal Studies Research Paper No. 14/2014; Accessed March 20, 2014 at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2406350 Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2406350 Shelf Number: 131984 Keywords: Police CulturePolice Legitimacy |
Author: Greenhalgh, Stephen Title: The Police Mission in the Twenty-first Century: Rebalancing the Role of the First Public Services Summary: In common with other public services, the policing landscape in Britain has undergone unprecedented structural reform in the last few years. The police reform agenda of the Coalition Government since 2010 has instituted major changes to police governance, training, pay, conditions and pensions, which the Home Secretary is right to describe as the most significant for over 50 years. The reforms have all been controversial but they were necessary to ensure British policing could become more professional, accountable, and locally-driven. Whole new institutions - like the College of Policing and the National Crime Agency - have been created, whilst others have been reshaped or abolished. The most important reform - the introduction of elected Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) - was also the most contested, largely because both opponents and advocates could foresee how important it would be. Despite a rocky start, PCCs are now well established and forging important new relationships that will improve public safety. To this end it is hoped that PCCs will catalyse much wider changes to policing and other public services, with the opportunities for systemic improvements that strengthen collaboration and enhance customer service only just beginning. Policing is one public service reform programme that has been successfully landed, despite sustained opposition, when others have been scaled back or abandoned completely. But the new settlement we have now is the product of just the first phase of police reform that required new legislation, guidance and lengthy independent reviews. This first phase was all about form, not function. It created new structures; it did not change the culture. It reassigned some personnel; it did not redefine the mission. There was some rhetoric about the police role, but little new policy that actually rebalanced that role. The components of the new policing settlement are easy to identify, with PCCs the most visible part. What has been harder to gauge is what all the reforms mean for the job of policing itself, the mission that drives police officers, and the work that they do each day to deliver the first public service. Now we are entering a second phase of police reform which must be about function, not form. About what the public can realistically expect from the police, what the policing function is beyond fighting crime, and how the police can be equipped to deliver their core mission in an era of complex threats, high public demand, and shrinking budgets. The hardest question facing the police in the next decade is not whether the new settlement is the right form. That debate has ended, and none of the biggest challenges facing policing are addressed by the stale proposal of police force mergers. But rather, given the new settlement, how should the policing function adapt to the pressures of the modern world? A function - or mission - that is getting pulled and probed and tested every day by budget reductions, high public expectations, and new patterns of crime. The report's key recommendations are: - Greater clarity of the police mission which draws some boundaries and gives officers a clearer sense of their role and where they really add value. - A rebalancing of the time and effort of the police back towards crime prevention in line with public expectations, and aided by technology. - An active pursuit by the police of collaboration, to aid them in managing demand better and reducing it in the long-term. Details: London: Reform, 2014. 80p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 7, 2014 at: http://reform.co.uk/resources/0000/1267/21st_Century_Policing_FINAL.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://reform.co.uk/resources/0000/1267/21st_Century_Policing_FINAL.pdf Shelf Number: 132267 Keywords: Police LegitimacyPolice ReformPolice-Citizen InteractionsPolice-Community RelationsPolicing (U.K.) |
Author: Toronto Police Service Title: The Police and Community Engagement Review (The PACER Report); Phase II -- Internal Report and Recommendations Summary: Since March 2012, the Toronto Police Service has been undertaking a review of the way in which we engage with the community. The Police and Community Engagement Review (PACER) has considered the procedures that flow from these contacts, in particular the recording of an individual's personal information on a card or in a database after an encounter with a police officer. Chief William Blair initiated this review in response to growing concerns by individuals, public groups, and organizations in the community, that the police were unfairly targeting some people. There were also growing concerns about the nature of the information being gathered, what was being done with that information, and how that information might affect an individual. The goal of the PACER Team was to make recommendations that would improve public safety while ensuring the delivery of bias-free police services. To do this, the team analyzed data and consulted with the community, frontline officers, academics, and legal experts to arrive at a comprehensive view of the issues. The result was 31 recommendations designed to improve our systems, our training, and our public communications, to bolster the confidence and respect among all members of the community. The implementation of these recommendations will mean changes to the way we conduct and manage our operations, evaluate our performance, and communicate with the public. We invite you to learn more about the recommendations and the rationale behind them by reading the report. Highlights of the Report include: - The Service will create a Standing Community Advisory Committee that will include people from outside of the Toronto Police Service who will work continuously with the Service on the delivery of bias-free police services. - Training for all officers will be enhanced in the areas of the Canadian Charter of Rights & Freedoms, the Ontario Human Rights Code, articulable cause, note-taking, tactical communications and strategic disengagement. - Officers' performance will include a review of the quality, not quantity, of their community engagements. - The Service will continue to consider Community Safety Note information in the recruitment and hiring process, however, a CSN does not preclude anyone from employment opportunities with the Service. Any consideration of a CSN as part of the hiring process will now include a supervisor's review and input from the original issuing officer. - The Service will explore body-worn cameras and an Intercultural Development program. - Officers will no longer complete a hard-copy Community Inquiry Report card. Officers will make notes directly into their memo books. Information that can be used to solve crimes or protect the community may be entered as a Community Safety Note into the Service's records management system. This information will be retained for seven years. - The Community Inquiry Report Receipt will be modified into a re-designed business card. Keeping our neighbourhoods safe from harm remains at the forefront of our thoughts and forms the basis for all of our actions. Nevertheless, we recognize that the community needs to understand our purpose and have confidence in our ability to understand the lived experiences of others. These recommendations will ensure we continue to improve in that regard. Details: Toronto: Toronto Police Service, 2014. 95p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 12, 2014 at: http://www.torontopolice.on.ca/publications/files/reports/2013pacerreport.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Canada URL: http://www.torontopolice.on.ca/publications/files/reports/2013pacerreport.pdf Shelf Number: 133003 Keywords: Police LegitimacyPolice PerformancePolice Policies and ProceduresPolice-Citizen InteractionsPolice-Community Relations (Toronto, Canada) |
Author: White, Michael D. Title: Police Officer Body-Worn Cameras: Assessing the Evidence Summary: Body-worn cameras represent the latest technological innovation for law enforcement. The perceived benefits of these cameras are far-ranging and touch on core elements of the police mission, including enhanced police legitimacy, reduced use of force, and fewer citizen complaints. Criticism of the technology centers on equally important issues, such as violations of citizen and officer privacy, and on enormous investments in terms of cost and resources. Unfortunately, there have been few balanced discussions of body-worn cameras and even fewer empirical studies of the technology in the field. As such, Police Officer Body-Worn Cameras: Assessing the Evidence provides a thorough review of the merits and drawbacks regarding the technology and assesses the available empirical evidence on each of those claims. Overall, this publication articulates the key questions surrounding the technology and provides a framework for informed decision-making regarding adoption and empirical evaluation of body-worn cameras. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, OJP Diagnostic Center, 2014. 60p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 9, 2014 at: https://ojpdiagnosticcenter.org/sites/default/files/spotlight/download/Police%20Officer%20Body-Worn%20Cameras.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: https://ojpdiagnosticcenter.org/sites/default/files/spotlight/download/Police%20Officer%20Body-Worn%20Cameras.pdf Shelf Number: 133180 Keywords: Body-Worn Cameras Camera Technology Law Enforcement Technology Police BehaviorPolice LegitimacyPolice Technology Police Use of Force |
Author: Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) Title: Review of the IPCC's work on investigating deaths: final report Summary: In 2012 the IPCC began a review into the way that we investigate deaths following police contact, with the aim of identifying and implementing changes to ensure that our work in this key area is: - thorough, transparent and effective - sensitive to the needs and expectations of bereaved families - able to build and sustain public confidence We have consulted widely with those affected - in particular those who have been critical of our approach to this important work or of the outcomes of our investigations. We published a progress report in September 2013, detailing the issues and concerns raised, and our response to them. This final report summarises all that we were told, our responses, and most importantly the actions we have taken or are planning to take. Details: London: IPCC, 2014. 111p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 20, 2014 at: http://www.ipcc.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Documents/deaths_review/Review_of_the_IPCCs_work_in_investigating_deaths_2014.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.ipcc.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Documents/deaths_review/Review_of_the_IPCCs_work_in_investigating_deaths_2014.pdf Shelf Number: 134180 Keywords: Deadly ForcePolice BehaviorPolice EffectivenessPolice LegitimacyPolice Use of Force (U.K.) |
Author: Human Rights Watch Title: Summary: "No answers, no apology" was how a mother described the response of the police in Malaysia to her inquiries about her son who was shot to death by police officers. Her experience is echoed by many other families whose relatives have been killed or injured by the Malaysian police. Based on in-depth interviews in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, and in Selangor, Johor, Kelantan, and Perak, this report documents failures by Malaysian authorities to adequately investigate allegations of deaths and mistreatment of persons in police custody, unjustified shootings, and excessive use of force in dispersing peaceful public demonstrations. There is typically no meaningful accountability for the police officers and officials implicated in such abuses. The police do not effectively investigate allegations of misconduct and the government has shown no inclination to ensure they do so. This impunity is facilitated by the lack of a robust, independent oversight body focused specifically on police accountability, and the police force's poor record of cooperation with existing oversight bodies, including the national human rights commission, SUHAKAM. Police secrecy about internal policies, such as standing orders on the use of force and firearms, further frustrates external investigations. Police need to be accountable to the public and should demonstrate that their policies and practices conform to international human rights standards. External pressure and oversight are important in improving accountability, and police leadership and effective supervision are critical to preventing abuse and misconduct. Human Rights Watch recommends that the Malaysian government create an independent, external commission tasked solely to receive and investigate complaints about police misconduct and abuse. Police authorities should establish an ombudsman's office empowered to receive and follow up on complaints of police abuse and take disciplinary action against officers. Those authorities should also share internal police standing orders with external oversight bodies and reform those orders to bring them into compliance with international human rights standards. Details: New York: HRW, 2014. 128p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 22, 2015 at: http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/malaysia0414_ForUpload.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Malaysia URL: http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/malaysia0414_ForUpload.pdf Shelf Number: 134443 Keywords: Human Rights Abuses (Malaysia)Police AccountabilityPolice BrutalityPolice InvestigationsPolice LegitimacyPolice MisconductPolice Use of Force |
Author: King, Denise Rodriguez Title: The Collaborative Reform Model: A Review of Use of Force Policies, Processes, and Practices in the Spokane Police Department Summary: The proper investigation and review of use of force (UOF) incidents, especially those involving deadly force, can have a significant impact on a police department's legitimacy and relationship with the community. The negative effects and impact of an improper investigation and limited transparency are most apparent in the Spokane Police Department's (SPD) investigation of the 2006 Otto Zehm deadly force incident. This incident created an uproar and conflict within the community, and it led to a federal investigation and a civil lawsuit. Six years after the incident, the civil lawsuit was settled, and the officer involved was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison. In spite of the settlement and sentencing of the officer, there is still an opinion within the community that the department has done little to change the internal culture that led to the officer's use of deadly force and the improper investigation of that force. Eight years after the Otto Zehm incident, the police-community relationship continues to be frayed. New leadership within the police department and an organizational restructuring are signs of positive progress; however, both the department and the community agree that continued change and improvement are needed to repair the scars left by events such as the 2006 deadly force incident. In fall 2012, Chief Frank Straub, only months after being sworn in as the new police chief, requested that the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) assess the SPD's use of force policies, processes, and practices. The COPS Office responded and tasked the CNA Corporation to conduct this assessment under the COPS Office's Collaborative Reform Initiative for Technical Assistance (CRI-TA) program. The goal of this review was to improve the use of force processes in the SPD, taking into account national standards, best practices, existing research, and community expectations. The objectives of the review were as follows: - Examine the SPD's use of force policies and procedures compared with national best practices and existing research, identify areas for improvement, and provide recommendations. - Analyze a sample of use of force investigation files from 2009 through 2013 and identify trends, strengths, and weaknesses. - Examine the role of the ombudsman in use of force investigations compared with national best practices and existing research. - Improve the SPD organization's culture as it relates to use of force, in order to build trust with the community. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, 2014. 132p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 9, 2015 at: http://ric-zai-inc.com/Publications/cops-w0751-pub.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://ric-zai-inc.com/Publications/cops-w0751-pub.pdf Shelf Number: 134772 Keywords: Deadly ForcePolice LegitimacyPolice MisconductPolice Policies and PracticesPolice ReformPolice Use of Force (Spokane, Washington) |
Author: Police Executive Research Forum Title: Legitimacy and Procedural Justice: The New Orleans Case Study Summary: As today's police executives strive to maintain the progress in reducing crime while serving as effective agents of change, many are taking on a new challenge: applying the concepts of "legitimacy" and "procedural justice" as they apply to policing. Legitimacy and procedural justice are measurements of the extent to which members of the public trust and have confidence in the police, believe that the police are honest and competent, think that the police treat people fairly and with respect, and are willing to defer to the law and to police authority. In this paper, PERF provides a more extensive analysis of the connections between leadership and legitimacy through an unusual case study: the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD). Details: Washington, DC: PERF, 2014. 46p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 20, 2015 at: http://www.policeforum.org/assets/docs/Free_Online_Documents/Leadership/legitimacy%20and%20procedural%20justice%20-%20the%20new%20orleans%20case%20study.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.policeforum.org/assets/docs/Free_Online_Documents/Leadership/legitimacy%20and%20procedural%20justice%20-%20the%20new%20orleans%20case%20study.pdf Shelf Number: 134993 Keywords: Police AdministrationPolice AuthorityPolice LegitimacyPolice-Citizen InteractionsPolice-Community RelationsPolicing (New Orleans) |
Author: New South Wales Police Force Title: NSW Police Force Priorities for Working in a Culturally, Linguistically and Religiously Diverse Society and Multicultural Policies and Services Forward Plan 2011-2014 Summary: This document follows NSW Police Priorities for Working in a Culturally, Linguistically and Religiously Diverse Society 2006-2009, which set a vision for delivering policing services in a multicultural community. This plan continues to inform future directions for an organisation that is at the forefront of the justice system and maintains its focus on enhancing the capacity, confidence and capabilities of the entire NSW Police Force to operate effectively in a diverse cultural, linguistic and religious environment. Understanding diversity in the Australian context must start with acknowledging the diversity and rich history of Aboriginal people as the original inhabitants and custodians of the land. Rich, diverse and long, Aboriginal cultures set the scene for any discussion of diversity and the benefits it offers. Many Aboriginal Australians, however, continue to suffer the effects of policies and practices that have impacted on their welfare, identity, culture and language over time. This ongoing struggle must be addressed in recognising the challenges that new Australians from diverse cultural and language backgrounds experience in contributing to society and giving expression to their cultural identities. Any effort on the part of government agencies to embrace cultural, linguistic and religious diversity must therefore also acknowledge the need for reconciliation and healing between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians as a starting point. In this spirit, the NSW Police Force Multicultural Policies and Services Program grounds its commitment to working with diverse cultural, religious and linguistic communities in its equal commitment to strengthening its relationship with Aboriginal communities. It is only through this that an authentic commitment to multiculturalism and culturally capable policing practice is possible. While the Multicultural Policies and Services Program celebrates cultural, linguistic and religious diversity, the NSW Police Force acknowledges that diversity and culturally capable policing draws on all aspects of everyday policing and the complex life events that affect individuals. This document is built on the premise that people and their diversity (in all of its dimensions including age, gender, culture, language, religion, sexuality, education, employment, ability, values, opinions and experiences) are the greatest asset available to any group, organisation or community. This includes the diversity amongst police officers themselves in terms of an individuals background, role and opinion and life experience. Details: Sydney: NSW Police Force, 2011. 98p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 1, 2015 at: http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/73156/Internet_-_MPSP_Plan_2011-14.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Australia URL: http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/73156/Internet_-_MPSP_Plan_2011-14.pdf Shelf Number: 135127 Keywords: AboriginalsCommunity PolicingDiversityMinority GroupsPolice LegitimacyPolice Recruitment and SelectionPolice-Community InteractionsPolice-Community Relations |
Author: McDowall, Almuth Title: Promoting ethical behaviour and preventing wrongdoing in organisations: A rapid evidence assessment Summary: This report summarises the findings of an REA, the aim of which was to identify interventions, mechanisms and levers that might help to encourage ethical behaviour and prevent wrongdoing in organisations (i.e. comply with common professional standards or ethical principles). This review builds on the separate REA carried out by the College on the impact of codes of ethics on professional behaviour (see Brown 2014). The REA is based on a total of 57 studies carried out in policing and other professions. The review used a clear protocol to search for, sift and bring together the most relevant research papers. It reports 39 studies identified by this method, plus an additional 18 studies identified by the College of Policing or at peer review. While it was difficult to draw out overall conclusions from the literature, because the studies included in the review used a wide range of research methods to answer different questions in a variety of settings, the key findings are highlighted below. Evidence from existing systematic reviews is presented separately to that from single studies and case studies. What works and what's promising While the number of evaluated interventions and practices found during our literature search was fairly small, and sometimes not of the type required to make statements about "what works", the evidence we did find suggested that organisations can take positive steps to encourage ethical behaviour and address wrongdoing. Evidence from a systematic review - Procedural justice policing - The strongest intervention evidence we identified - based on a systematic review - explored the impact of a range of interventions on public perceptions of the police, a "positive" measure of ethical behaviour, rather than a "negative" measure of wrongdoing: - Overall, interventions that embraced the principles of procedural justice (i.e. fair decision-making and respectful treatment) - such as community policing, informal contact and restorative justice - improved public trust and confidence, and changed people's perception of the police for the better. - The review concluded there was "overwhelming support" for the police to introduce innovations that seek to advance citizen perceptions of legitimacy. Evidence from individual intervention studies or case study reviews - Body worn video cameras - One US randomised controlled trial (identified by the College outside the search protocol) showed that body worn video cameras can lead to a significant reduction in the police use of force. The effect on public complaints also appeared to be positive, but was less conclusive. - Being held to account - One quasi-experiment involving Dutch riot police suggested that reminding officers they would be accountable for their actions had a positive impact on reported attitudes (e.g. more moderate views about the police use of force). - Training - Five studies were identified exploring the effect of training in both military and policing contexts. Though the content and delivery of the training differed, the nature of decision-making and interaction skills were common elements. Each study suggested training could have a positive effect: - Training in moral decision-making (military) - A quasi-experiment, involving the Swiss military, showed that a one-week training programme on resolving moral dilemmas was effective in improving the decision-making competence of officers. - Training in procedural justice (police) - A randomised controlled trial carried out in Greater Manchester Police showed that training in practical communication skills resulted in victims perceiving the police to be fairer and more respectful. - Training in personal responsibility and control (police) - Two related studies carried out in the Nigerian Police suggested that training aimed at raising awareness of officers' personal responsibilities could change attitudes towards corruption. - Conflict resolution training (police) - One US quasi-experiment showed that three-day simulation-based training gave officers an alternative way of managing encounters, reducing the frequency and intensity with which force was used. - Ethics programmes - One before/after study carried out in an Israeli regional council suggested that the introduction of an ethics programme - in support of a code of ethics - resulted in changes to some, but not all, employee perceptions (e.g. improved perceptions of there being an ethical work climate). - Targeted problem-solving and early interventions - can potentially lead to substantial reductions on the police use of force and complaints. - One international review of before/after case studies suggested there was plausible evidence that the adoption of a problem-oriented approach by the police could reduce excessive or unnecessary uses of force. - Several individual case studies were identified that suggested the scanning and analysis of police data as ways of identifying particular officers or hotspots for target prevention activity was potentially promising. When interventions are most likely to be effective - Limited evidence was uncovered about the specific contexts in which interventions were most likely to be effective. However, studies pointed towards a need for both: - scanning and analysis of available police data, to ensure the intervention is well targeted and deals with the underlying causes of a problem; and -{ organisational commitment and leadership. Evidence from individual intervention studies or case study reviews - Body worn video cameras - One US randomised controlled trial (identified by the College outside the search protocol) showed that body worn video cameras can lead to a significant reduction in the police use of force. The effect on public complaints also appeared to be positive, but was less conclusive. - Being held to account - One quasi-experiment involving Dutch riot police suggested that reminding officers they would be accountable for their actions had a positive impact on reported attitudes (e.g. more moderate views about the police use of force). - Training - Five studies were identified exploring the effect of training in both military and policing contexts. Though the content and delivery of the training differed, the nature of decision-making and interaction skills were common elements. Each study suggested training could have a positive effect: - Training in moral decision-making (military) - A quasi-experiment, involving the Swiss military, showed that a one-week training programme on resolving moral dilemmas was effective in improving the decision-making competence of officers. - Training in procedural justice (police) - A randomised controlled trial carried out in Greater Manchester Police showed that training in practical communication skills resulted in victims perceiving the police to be fairer and more respectful. - Training in personal responsibility and control (police) - Two related studies carried out in the Nigerian Police suggested that training aimed at raising awareness of officers' personal responsibilities could change attitudes towards corruption. - Conflict resolution training (police) - One US quasi-experiment showed that three-day simulation-based training gave officers an alternative way of managing encounters, reducing the frequency and intensity with which force was used. - Ethics programmes - One before/after study carried out in an Israeli regional council suggested that the introduction of an ethics programme - in support of a code of ethics - resulted in changes to some, but not all, employee perceptions (e.g. improved perceptions of there being an ethical work climate). - Targeted problem-solving and early interventions - can potentially lead to substantial reductions on the police use of force and complaints. - One international review of before/after case studies suggested there was plausible evidence that the adoption of a problem-oriented approach by the police could reduce excessive or unnecessary uses of force. - Several individual case studies were identified that suggested the scanning and analysis of police data as ways of identifying particular officers or hotspots for target prevention activity was potentially promising. When interventions are most likely to be effective - Limited evidence was uncovered about the specific contexts in which interventions were most likely to be effective. However, studies pointed towards a need for both: - scanning and analysis of available police data, to ensure the intervention is well targeted and deals with the underlying causes of a problem; and organisational commitment and leadership. What doesn't work and evaluation gaps - No ineffective or counter-productive interventions were identified. However, there is a clear need for any intervention to be implemented thoughtfully and with care to help ensure it does not have any unintended negative consequences, and to put appropriate evaluation in place. - Limited empirical evidence was found on a number of approaches used by the police or proposed in the literature for promoting ethical behaviour and preventing wrongdoing (such as proactive investigative techniques, recruitment screening). This finding points to the need for further testing to identify "what works". The factors influencing ethical behaviour and wrongdoing We identified evidence from a number of empirical studies and literature reviews about factors associated with ethical behaviour and wrongdoing in organisations. By understanding these factors, practitioners may be better placed to design and implement more effective interventions or target them appropriately. Evidence from a systematic review - Systematic review evidence - based on 136 studies from a wide range of professional and occupational settings - suggested that ethical choices in the workplace were influenced by a range of factors at the individual, situational and organisational level. - An ethical working environment and a belief among workers that a code of conduct was well-enforced both had a positive effect on ethical decision-making. - Overall, the context of the situation in which a decision is made, particularly in terms of its perceived immediacy and magnitude of its consequences for others, was associated with workers avoiding unethical behaviour. - The influence of individual characteristics on ethical decision-making was relatively small overall: - Workers who were concerned about others, less "flexible" in their morality, less manipulative, and who took greater personal responsibility, tended to be more ethical at work. - Men and younger workers were more likely to make unethical choices overall than women and older workers. - Educational attainment was found to have no overall effect. - The range of factors associated with ethical choices suggests action at individual, situational and organisational level may be required to deal with wrongdoing and that it would be insufficient to target "bad apples", "bad cases" or "bad barrels" on their own. - Interventions focused solely on officer attitudes and intentions may not lead to improved behaviour, as the systematic review evidence suggested unethical decisions were not always based on unethical intentions. The choices made by a worker were more accurately predicted by their past behaviour than by their reported intentions. Evidence from individual studies - Organisational factors - The working environment, organisational justice and ethical leadership were all found to be "protective factors" against wrongdoing. Ethical leadership appeared to have a range of direct and indirect influences. While there was some consistency between studies on the value of role-modelling, other leadership behaviours and styles were also found to have an effect, such as openness or strictness (i.e. setting and enforcing standards). Thus, while it is clear that supervisors and leaders should - as a default - seek to be good role models through exemplary behaviour, and to encourage open discussion, there may be situations where it is important for them to set appropriate standards of behaviour and to sanction behaviour that falls short. - Situational factors - Some evidence was found on the situational factors that increased the chances of officers using improper force (e.g. the suspect being agitated or antagonistic, and having been involved in a serious offence). There was some indication that officers could sometimes be unsure whether particular activities were unethical. Several studies were also found that pointed to the existence of a "blue code of silence" - the informal pressure on officers not to report their colleagues - although its effect appeared to vary within and between organisations. - Individual characteristics - A range of individual characteristics - such as being male, younger, less experienced - were found in the literature to be associated with some types of wrongdoing. Early career misconduct and a range of social and psychological risk factors were also found to be potentially important influences, although their impact was found to be difficult to measure. The implications for practice of these individual characteristics are perhaps less clear as they are potentially related to other confounding factors and arguably harder for practitioners to influence. Conclusions and implications Taken together, the evidence in this REA raises a range of possibilities to take forward into practice. While the number of evaluated practices was fairly small, the evidence we found suggested that organisations can take steps to encourage ethical behaviour and reduce wrongdoing. Although there were no ready-made single solutions, a multi-pronged approach is likely to be needed. Notably, all the promising interventions that were identified were broadly preventive or remedial in their approach; none were purely focused on apprehending and disciplining those responsible for wrongdoing. The evidence also underlined how important leadership was within organisations. The need for strong and effective leadership - such as leaders being open, acting as role models, and also being "firm" in terms of setting and enforcing standards - was highlighted as encouraging ethical behaviour and as an essential ingredient for the successful implementation of interventions. This finding contains learning for individual leaders about how they should perform their role, but also has wider implications for the way leadership in the service is selected, promoted, developed and held to account. Moreover, leadership - and the organisational environment it helped create - were strong influences on the attitudes and (reported) behaviours of those working for them. Key here were the ideas of organisational justice (fair decision-making and respectful treatment internally) and ethical leadership. However, despite its importance, leadership was only one of several influences on ethical behaviour. A range of factors at the organisational, situational and individual level were all found to affect wrongdoing in different professional settings. While it is not clear what initiatives will "work", this finding highlights the need for action to be taken in combination at all three levels. Details: Ryton-on-Dunsmore, UK: College of Policing, 2015. 57p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 2, 2015 at: http://whatworks.college.police.uk/Research/Documents/150317_Integrity_REA_FINAL_REPORT.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://whatworks.college.police.uk/Research/Documents/150317_Integrity_REA_FINAL_REPORT.pdf Shelf Number: 135133 Keywords: Police AccountabilityPolice BehaviorPolice EthicsPolice IntegrityPolice LegitimacyPolice Misconduct (U.K.)Police TrainingPolice-Citizen InteractionsProcedural Justice |
Author: Police Reform Taskforce Title: Policing for the People: Interim report of the Police Reform Taskforce Summary: The central premise of this report is that, in spite of record spending on law and order, crime remains far too high. A more effective criminal justice system and social action will be important components of a new approach to fighting crime. But the police are a vital link in the chain of justice, consuming two-thirds of law and order spending. Their performance over the next decade will be essential in improving the quality of life of millions of citizens. The Government's approach to the police has been a familiar one: higher public spending combined with an ever tighter central grip. Like other public services, the police are bedeviled with national targets, interference and the bureaucracy created by central intervention. The result has been that even as resources for the police have reached record levels, officers feel unable to deliver the service they and the public want - and the gulf between the police and public is growing. The hundreds of meetings we have had with police officers over the past months have reinforced our belief that the service is full of officers with a real commitment to delivering effective policing for the public. Nevertheless, neither politicians nor the police can afford to ignore an undercurrent of public dissatisfaction about the level of policing which they are receiving. Focus groups which we conducted for the Taskforce indicated sympathy for the difficulty of the task which the police face. A general feeling, expressed by one participant, was that "their hands are totally tied - by red tape and political correctness". But there were also harsh words, reflecting an alienation from the service: "Your local bobby used to be known by everyone. He was an authority on the area and a friend. They are now obsolete". A familiar grievance was that the police appeared to pursue motorists with particular zeal: "You get pulled over for a driving offence and get treated like a complete criminal". This qualitative research is supported by quantitative evidence that trust in the police has declined and attitudes towards them are negatively related to personal experiences of the service. The most recent survey, conducted by ICM for the TaxPayers' Alliance, found that while the overwhelming majority of the public respects the police, less than a quarter think that policing in their area has improved, and less than half think that increases in council tax to pay for improvements to local policing in the last ten years have been good value for money. Large majorities of the public agree that the police spend too much time in police stations and not enough time on the beat; their hands are tied by red tape and political correctness, and they prefer to focus on easy targets like speeding motorists rather than deal with antisocial behaviour and local crime. The closure of police stations is emblematic of the withdrawal of the police from the public. On paper, police officer numbers have increased - the police workforce has grown by almost 25 per cent in the last five years. In practice, the public simply do not see it. ICM's survey found that most people think that there are fewer police on the beat than there used to be, and that nearly three quarters of the public know none of the police officers in their neighbourhood. As we demonstrate, vast amounts of police time are spent tied up in stations; the police spend more time on paperwork than on patrol, and less than a tenth of England and Wales' police officers are dedicated to neighbourhood policing. If the amount of time a police officer spends on the beat could be increased from one fifth to two fifths, this would effectively double the police presence on the streets of England and Wales without recruiting a single additional officer. For decades, an expert wisdom prevailed that high crime was inevitable and that policing could do little to prevent it. There was no point in putting police officers on the streets, the argument ran, because it would do little to reduce crime. Today such fatalism, which was never accepted by the public, has been debunked. When more police were put on the streets of central London after 7/7, crime fell. The success of New York City's reductions in crime in the 1990s - recently described by one leading academic as "by far the biggest crime prevention achievement in the recorded history of metropolitan policing" - demonstrates that good policing, which accounted for half of the 75 per cent reduction in crime in a decade, can make our streets safer. The lessons of New York are important ones. Better police performance was achieved by a combination of factors: a significant increase in police numbers on the streets, robust community policing, and powerful reforms which enhanced the accountability of managers. The changes were driven by an elected Mayor who was accountable to the people, and an inspirational police chief who innovated and led his force. Today the British police face the twin challenges of rebuilding community policing to tackle low level crime and antisocial behaviour, while at the same time strengthening the fight against serious crime and terrorism. To meet these challenges it will be vital to ensure that the police are properly resourced in the future. But they have never had so much money, so many officers or such access to technology. Furthermore, the growth of spending on public services is now slowing; indeed the Home Office budget is to be frozen from next year. The police face a new imperative to deliver value for money. Details: London: Policy Review, 2007. 241p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 20, 2015 at: http://conservativehome.blogs.com/torydiary/files/policing_for_the_people.pdf Year: 2007 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://conservativehome.blogs.com/torydiary/files/policing_for_the_people.pdf Shelf Number: 135321 Keywords: Community PolicingCosts of Criminal JusticePolice AccountabilityPolice AdministrationPolice EffectivenessPolice LegitimacyPolice ReformPolicing (U.K.) |
Author: Jackson, Brian A. Title: Respect and Legitimacy - A Two-Way Street. Strengthening Trust Between Police and the Public in an Era of Increasing Transparency Summary: Events in recent months have focused national attention on profound fractures in trust between some police departments and the communities they are charged with protecting. Though the potential for such fractures is always present given the role of police in society, building and maintaining trust between police and the public is critical for the health of American democracy. However, in an era when information technology has the potential to greatly increase transparency of police activities in a variety of ways, building and maintaining trust is challenging. Doing so likely requires steps taken by both police organizations and the public to build understanding and relationships that can sustain trust through tragic incidents that can occur in the course of policing - whether it is a citizen's or officer's life that is lost. This paper draws on the deep literature on legitimacy, procedural justice, and trust to frame three core questions that must be addressed to build and maintain mutual trust between police and the public: (1) What is the police department doing and why? (2) What are the results of the department's actions? and (3) What mechanisms are in place to discover and respond to problems from the officer to the department level? Answering these questions ensures that both the public and police have mutual understanding and expectations about the goals and tactics of policing, their side effects, and the procedures to address problems fairly and effectively, maintaining confidence over time. Details: Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2015. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 9, 2015 at: http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/perspectives/PE100/PE154/RAND_PE154.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/perspectives/PE100/PE154/RAND_PE154.pdf Shelf Number: 135543 Keywords: Police LegitimacyPolice-Citizen InteractionsPolice-Community RelationsProcedural Justice |
Author: U.S. President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing Title: Interim report of The President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing Summary: Trust between law enforcement agencies and the people they protect and serve is essential in a democracy. It is key to the stability of our communities, the integrity of our criminal justice system, and the safe and effective delivery of policing services. In light of the recent events that have exposed rifts in the relationships between local police and the communities they protect and serve, on December 18, 2014, President Barack Obama signed an Executive Order establishing the Task Force on 21st Century Policing. In establishing the task force, the President spoke of the distrust that exists between too many police departments and too many communities - the sense that in a country where our basic principle is equality under the law, too many individuals, particularly young people of color, do not feel as if they are being treated fairly. "When any part of the American family does not feel like it is being treated fairly, that's a problem for all of us," said the President. "It's not just a problem for some. It's not just a problem for a particular community or a particular demographic. It means that we are not as strong as a country as we can be. And when applied to the criminal justice system, it means we're not as effective in fighting crime as we could be." These remarks underpin the philosophical foundation for the Task Force on 21st Century Policing: to build trust between citizens and their peace officers so that all components of a community are treating one another fairly and justly and are invested in maintaining public safety in an atmosphere of mutual respect. Decades of research and practice tell us that the public cares as much about how police interact with them as they care about the outcomes that legal actions produce. People are more likely to obey the law when they believe those who are enforcing it have the right - the legitimate authority - to tell them what to do. Building trust and legitimacy, therefore, is not just a policing issue. It involves all components of the criminal justice system and is inextricably bound to bedrock issues affecting the community such as poverty, education, and public health. The mission of the task force was to examine how to foster strong, collaborative relationships between local law enforcement and the communities they protect and to make recommendations to the President on how policing practices can promote effective crime reduction while building public trust. The president selected members of the task force based on their ability to contribute to its mission because of their relevant perspective, experience, or subject matter expertise in policing, law enforcement and community relations, civil rights, and civil liberties. Details: Washington, DC: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, 2015. 109p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 30, 2015 at: http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/taskforce/interim_tf_report.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/taskforce/interim_tf_report.pdf Shelf Number: 135831 Keywords: Police LegitimacyPolice ReformPolice-Citizen InteractionsPolice-Community RelationsPolicing |
Author: Flannery, Kate Title: Police for collaboration: An independent review of the Warwickshire/West Marcia Strategic Alliance Summary: The global financial crisis in 2007 ushered in the era of austerity that now dominates much of the debate around public services - where do priorities lie, and how much of their cost can the public purse bear? For police forces the impact has been dramatic. The need to adapt policing models to meet changing and growing demands, with little real growth in income, had tested chief officers and police authorities for a number of years. But the coalition government has, since 2010, ramped up these challenges. All forces must now reduce budgets in real terms by up to 20 per cent over the five-year comprehensive spending review period, while attempting to satisfy local communities' demands for traditional/visible policing and transform operational practices to cope with internet-enabled crime that recognises no conventional boundaries. How have forces and Police and Crime Commissioners reacted to this challenge? Unsurprisingly, no silver bullet has been discovered - rather, a menu of options has emerged that encompass internal restructuring, savings programmes, outsourcing, regionalisation (mostly of specialist operations) and collaboration. HM Inspectorate of Constabulary has subjected forces' efforts to independent scrutiny and, while praising the achievement of budget reductions, has been largely critical of the failure to maximise collaborative opportunities. Indeed, it has identified some examples of retrenchment, despite the Home Office's expectation that collaboration would help forces meet the twin pressures of financial constraint and new policing demands. Against this background, the success of the collaboration between Warwickshire and West Mercia is notable. Its origins lie in discussions held in 2010 and early 2011 about the nature and extent of collaboration between the four forces in the West Midlands region. The region had a strong track record of productive working together, especially on specialist operations and protective services, but the four could not agree on how to move the agenda on. Concerned about their future prospects outside a regional collaborative framework, Warwickshire and West Mercia chief officers and police authority chairs agreed to embark on what became known as a 'strategic alliance'. After the dissolution of police authorities the newly elected Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) determined to continue with the alliance. Three years on, the bulk of policing and support services across the two force areas are delivered under unified leadership and processes. As a model of integrated police provision it has much to commend it, offering local people greater protection from harm and value for money. But despite a confidence in the Strategic Alliance and its impact, chief officers and the PCCs did not want to rest on their laurels and invited the Police Foundation to conduct an independent review. This looked critically at both achievements and lessons to be learnt, and identified ways in which the Alliance could progress. The work is summarised in this report, focusing on: - clarifying leadership roles; - strengthening accountability and governance; - securing a cultural identity for the Alliance without losing what is valued about Warwickshire and West Mercia as individual entities; - improving the ability to manage organisational change and - resolving anomalies in structure and processes. Our conclusion is that the Strategic Alliance forged by Warwickshire and West Mercia is a beacon of collaboration that others can learn from, notably the integration of operational policing across force boundaries and the harmonisation of finance, HR and estate services. (A note of caution, however; its success is rooted in similarities of policing environment, culture and working practice that make its full replication elsewhere less than straight forward.) Details: London: Police Foundation, 2015. 36p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 1, 2015 at: http://www.police-foundation.org.uk/uploads/holding/projects/police_force_collaboration.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.police-foundation.org.uk/uploads/holding/projects/police_force_collaboration.pdf Shelf Number: 135834 Keywords: CollaborationPartnershipsPolice AdministrationPolice LegitimacyPolice-Community Relations |
Author: Rahr, Sue Title: From Warriors to Guardians: Recommitting American Police Culture to Democratic Ideals Summary: Despite two decades of aspiring to effective community policing, American law enforcement seems to have drifted off the course of building close community ties toward creating a safe distance from community members, in some cases substituting equipment and technology as the preferred means of gathering information about crime and addressing threats to public safety. In some communities, the friendly neighborhood beat cop - community guardian - has been replaced with the urban warrior, trained for battle and equipped with the accouterments and weaponry of modern warfare. Armed with sophisticated technology to mine data about crime trends, officers can lose sight of the value of building close community ties. Largely stripped of a nuanced understanding of how communities operate, crime tracking and crime prediction software minimizes the utility of hard-earned intelligence provided by line officers who know their beats. After all, one's ability to glean meaning from algorithms is only as good as its sourcing: the accumulated body of knowledge of officers who have come to understand that there are few "straight lines" in policing - that (sometimes visceral) person-to- person contact is typically not well-suited to statistical models. Most law enforcement leaders recognize that creating stronger human connections and community engagement will lead to improved public safety and more effective crime fighting. So how do we build the foundation of trust necessary to form a true partnership between the police and the people we serve? The research tells us that, despite three decades of falling crime rates - and improved training, technology and tactics - public trust in the police has not improved. Instead, empirical assessments of trust and confidence in the police have remained generally unchanged in recent years. It turns out that people don't care as much about crime rates as they do about how they are treated by the police. This phenomenon, known in academic circles as procedural justice, is regularly practiced and understood by effective and respected beat officers. The public knows it when they see it. But neither has likely heard of or used the term. Both beat officers and members of the public would describe procedural justice in action as being a good cop and doing the right thing. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice, 2015. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: New Perspectives in Policing: Accessed June 3, 3015 at: http://www.hks.harvard.edu/content/download/76023/1708385/version/1/file/WarriorstoGuardians.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://www.hks.harvard.edu/content/download/76023/1708385/version/1/file/WarriorstoGuardians.pdf Shelf Number: 135859 Keywords: Community PolicingPolice LegitimacyPolice ReformPolice-Community InteractionsPolice-Community RelationsProcedural Justice |
Author: Croslin, Chike Title: Independent Lens: Toward Transparency, Accountability, and Effectiveness in Police Tactics, Summary: Mandating that police wear body-worn cameras can help to improve relations between police and communities, and ensure greater accountability for police actions. But these requirements must be carefully and thoughtfully implemented within a much wider set of policy and practical policing reforms. These are the conclusions drawn from a new report released by the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice titled Independent Lens: Toward Transparency, Accountability, and Effectiveness in Police Tactics, that explores the potential and limitations of body-worn cameras for police. Recent police shootings of unarmed civilians, incidents of police misconduct, high levels of complaints against police, and costly settlements have highlighted the divisions that exist between police and residents, and the lack of trust that frequently exists between police and the communities they serve, particularly communities of color. In response, many are calling for new laws to require police officers to wear body-worn cameras to record their interactions with the public. Because this technology is relatively new and still largely untested, there exist myriad questions about the legality, usefulness, and effectiveness of such requirements" Independent Lens takes a close look at these questions, and concludes that body-worn cameras, when appropriately integrated into existing police practices and supported by a detailed regulatory architecture, can be a key tool for reinvigorating community policing and reducing costs stemming from complaints, litigation, and settlements." However, the report also cautions policymakers of the limitations of body-worn camera technology. Such devices do not address the need for deeper reforms within police departments, such as additional training of police officers, greater monitoring of the effects of implicit racial bias, and shifts in agency incentive structures away from arrests and toward greater public safety. Details: Cambridge, MA: Harvard Black Law Students Association, 2015. 45p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 15, 2015 at: http://www.charleshamiltonhouston.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Independent-Lens-Cvr-Guts.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://www.charleshamiltonhouston.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Independent-Lens-Cvr-Guts.pdf Shelf Number: 136073 Keywords: Body-Worn CamerasPolice LegitimacyPolice MisconductPolice Policies and PracticesPolice Use of ForcePolice-Community Relations |
Author: Great Britain. Committee on Standards in Public Life Title: Tone from the Top: Leadership, ethics and accountability in policing Summary: 1. The public expects high ethical standards from the police that serve them. Trust in the police is vital - from the Chief Constable to the most junior police officer. Police ethics - their honesty, their integrity, their impartiality, their openness - should be beyond reproach. Above all, this requires effective accountability and leadership to create a culture where high standards of behaviour are the norm. High standards - of both conduct and accountability - also need to be demonstrated by those charged with holding the police to account. 2. The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 (the Act) created elected Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to "ensure the police respond to local priorities and are directly accountable to the public."1 PCCs set the strategic direction and aims of the police force and have responsibility for delivering community safety and reducing crime and delivering value for money. PCCs control over 12bn of police force funding.2 They have the statutory responsibility to appoint a Chief Constable as well as for their removal. In addition to the PCCs' local role, they have a regional and national role to ensure cross border resilience and capability and to meet national threats such as terrorism or organised crime. PCCs can and have entered into collaboration agreements with other PCCs and organisations to improve the efficiency or effectiveness of policing, for example by sharing back office functions. The Act also provided for the establishment of local Police and Crime Panels who have a dual scrutiny and support role in respect of the PCC and have some powers of veto on budgets and on the appointment of a Chief Constable. 3. PCCs represent a deliberate and substantial strengthening of the locally elected element of the tripartite arrangements for policing accountability. The model is one of democratic accountability "replacing bureaucratic accountability with democratic accountability" where "the public will have elected Police and Crime Commissioners and will be holding them to account for how policing is delivered through their force." The model is primarily reliant on the cycle of elections as the main means of holding PCCs to account. The average turnout for the PCC election in 2012 was 15.1%. The Committee's public research has found that knowledge of the policing accountability arrangements is not very high4 and there is a very low level of public interest in policing - 60% of respondents said they were not interested in finding out about policing issues in their local area5. Rather, for the public, the key accountability mechanism is the ability to question or challenge "their" local beat team or commander on specific areas of concern. 4. The statutory Policing Protocol, which sets out to all PCCs, Chief Constables and Police and Crime Panels how their functions will be exercised in relation to each other, makes clear that all parties will abide by the Seven Principles of Public Life - Selflessness, Integrity, Objectivity, Accountability, Openness, Honesty and Leadership. 5. The Committee believes that any accountability and governance framework for policing should similarly reflect the Seven Principles of Public Life, and operate in a way which is capable of ensuring ethical behaviour, reducing ethical risks and providing effective accountability in order to command public confidence. 6. This matters because our policing system relies on policing by consent in a way that meets the differing needs and priorities of communities. It also relies on the operational independence of the police. But operational independence does not mean that there can be exceptionalism for the police - the public is clear on what the ethical standards should be and is consistent in its expectation that those in public life should abide by them. Year on year the public has affirmed that the definition of standards set out in the Seven Principles is still relevant and should continue to apply to public office holders and all those delivering public services. 7. The Committee recognises that the role of police officer is a unique and valuable one. It does not underestimate the challenging and often unexpected situations the police face every day. "Police officers are expected to make quick but finely-calibrated judgements about when, how and how much of their power it is justified to use" and the vast majority of police officers do so with integrity. They are operating in a fast moving landscape with changing demands of crime where increased accountability, professionalisation and ethical behaviour will be key to ensuring public confidence. 8. The Committee's surveys tell us that public experience of core policing values is generally positive. They show that the majority of respondents thought senior police officers could be trusted to tell the truth and the large majority of respondents thought they would be treated fairly as a victim of crime reporting it to the police. This view is reinforced by other surveys which showed that 65% of respondents thought police officers could be trusted to tell the truth, and 63% of adults gave positive ratings of local police. Research carried out specifically for this inquiry showed that the majority of respondents believed that the police are held to account for their actions and that police deal with crime and anti-social behaviour issues that matter in their local area. 9. The democratic accountability of the PCC must not negate oversight of those who hold public office. As the government acknowledged: "the public need to have the right information to judge the Commissioner's performance and they need to know the Commissioner can be called to account with effective scrutiny and appropriate checks and balances, in particular at a local level." 10. Accountability should be tested between elections by demonstrable compliance with standards of conduct, propriety and performance. It should be tested and verified by independent scrutiny, with failure addressed with appropriate and timely sanctions. 11. The Committee is conscious that all those involved in the new local accountability arrangements have had to adapt to new relationships and ways of working, with relatively little guidance and support from central Government. PCCs in particular faced a huge task to develop their Police and Crime Plans setting out their priorities and establish their offices in a short space of time after delayed elections. The Committee has borne this in mind throughout the course of the inquiry. The Committee has found evidence of: a. recognition of the importance of the College of Policing's Code of Ethics and core policing values and diverse good practice in implementing and embedding the Code within police forces; b. increased professionalism that is ethically based and an acknowledgement of the importance of leadership in policing to support high ethical standards; c. increased visibility, greater focus on victim support and local public engagement by PCCs in comparison to the Police Authorities they replaced, but questions around the wider impact of that engagement; d. the existence of various mechanisms, of varying effectiveness, to support high standards of behaviour and propriety such as information transparency, audit committees, ethical frameworks, scrutiny plans, controls to manage conflicts of interests and arrangements to engage, promote and monitor best practice - these arrangements will need to be consistently and actively implemented with regular monitoring of compliance and impact. 13. The Committee has also identified significant standards risks including: a. confusion amongst the public and the participants about roles and responsibilities, especially in relation to where operational independence and governance oversight begin and end; b. a significant absence of a clear process to take action against a PCC whose conduct falls below the standards expected of public office holders, resulting in that behaviour going unchallenged and uncensured; c. concerns about the robustness of current selection processes for chief officers; d. PCCs not encountering sufficient constructive challenge or active support in exercising decision making powers; e. barriers to the effective operation of Police and Crime Panels as scrutinisers including support, resources and the consistency and credibility of representative membership; f. a lack of timely and accessible information being provided to Police and Crime Panels by PCCs affecting Police and Crime Panels' ability to scrutinise and support the PCC; g. potential for high risk conflict of interests in roles jointly appointed by PCCs and Chief Constables (which although relatively rare, may increase in number) and risks inherent in the combined role of Chief Executive and Monitoring Officer to the PCC; h. confusion between, and inherent tensions in the current police complaints system and the complaints system attaching to PCCs, and a gap in the expectations of the public in how complaints against PCCs would be resolved, especially when this involved unethical but not criminal behaviour. 14. Combined, these factors impact on the ability of Police and Crime Panels to ensure, "that decisions of PCCs are tested on behalf of the public on a regular basis." There are benefits for PCCs in active engagement with Police and Crime Panels as a source of local knowledge, political support and leverage. PCCs need to play their part in sustaining open and trusting relationships. There is also scope for Police and Crime Panels to develop a more strategic future focus with better forward planning. 15. The operational and strategic roles of the Chief Constable and PCC respectively are not clearly defined and this has created confusion in the minds of the public which has fed into the complaints system. The evidence has also shown that success or failure in the current framework depends not only on the skills and experience but also on the personalities of and the relationship between the Chief Constable and the PCC. Whilst this is not a substantially new issue - constructive relationships were an important factor when Chief Constables were accountable to Police Authorities - it becomes critical when it is a one-on-one relationship. 16. The risk that the balance of power will become asymmetric or dysfunctional argues for transparency in working relationships and appropriate checks and balances. The Committee is not convinced that the existing safeguards in the framework are sufficient, given that the PCC as a single individual directly controls local policing, crime strategy and a significant budget. This matters because policing in times of austerity may mean that Chief Constables will increasingly be making difficult operational decisions which may not be supported by the public or the PCC. 17. The Committee considers a minimum code of conduct for PCCs an essential component in ensuring there is clarity as to the standards of conduct and behaviour expected from the individuals concerned and in providing the public with certainty as to what is and is not acceptable conduct. This will in turn increase transparency in the complaints system and produce a common standard of conduct which could be relied upon in any future power of recall. 18. The Committee noted the establishment of Ethics Committees in some areas, but considers they are an adjunct to, not an answer to, embedding a standards culture. Nor are they part of the formal accountability for holding Chief Constables to account. The Committee believes the remit of Ethics Committees needs to be sharply focused and clearly differentiated from other groups such as Independent Advisory Groups. As new bodies in an already crowded landscape, their effectiveness should be regularly reviewed. 19. The Committee has concluded that to provide assurance that high ethical standards of behaviour are capable of being upheld and to sustain core policing values14 there needs to be a strong and continuing focus on: - clarity of responsibility and accountability; - developing a sustainable culture of embedding high ethical standards; and - robust effective ethical leadership. Details: London: The Committee, 2015. 141p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 29, 2015 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/439208/Tone_from_the_top_-_CSPL.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/439208/Tone_from_the_top_-_CSPL.pdf Shelf Number: 136254 Keywords: Police AccountabilityPolice BehaviorPolice EffectivenessPolice EthicsPolice LegitimacyPolice Performance |
Author: Gormally, Brian Title: The Policing You Don't See: Covert Policing and the Accountability Gap: Five years on from the transfer of 'national security' primacy to MI5 Summary: Covert policing - the practices of communication interception, surveillance, the use of informants and undercover operations - was used extensively during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Covert policing is argued to have prolonged the conflict and did lasting and immense damage to the rule of law. After the signing of the peace agreement, the Northern Ireland police service undertook large-scale reforms which were designed to prevent the recurrence of such abuses. Yet the secret Security Service - implicated in past abuses - has not yet undertaken such reformation but has been put in charge of a highly important area of mainstream policing. MI5 maintains primacy in covert 'national security' policing and gives 'strategic direction' to the PSNI in this area. Despite its large role in policing and its lack of reform, governmental oversight of MI5 is limited and ineffective. Limited additional accountably measures were promised in the St. Andrews Agreement but some of the most significant commitments, such as those to publish policy frameworks, have not been honoured. Instead, MI5 has been given control of one of the most sensitive areas of policing in Northern Ireland, operating undercover, without having been reformed, and without an accountability structure. This report develops a human rights based framework from international standards and the Patten Report and uses it to analyse past and present covert policing practice. This report reflects on evidence of the involvement of police informants in serious criminality, which led to recommendations to improve legality and accountability of covert policing. However, since primacy in 'national security' policing was given to MI5 five years ago (2007), the research finds that there is a growing "accountability gap" over a large part of policing. This report explains that the UK level oversight of MI5 is plainly inadequate and that the local mechanisms that hold the PSNI to account are evaded by the Security Service. It argues that this situation falls woefully short of international standards and has the capacity to undermine confidence in policing as a whole. Details: Belfast: University of Ulster, Transnational Justice Institute, 2013. 115p. Source: Internet Resource: Transitional Justice Institute Research Paper No. 13-07: Accessed July 29, 2015 at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2362759 Year: 2013 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2362759 Shelf Number: 136257 Keywords: Covert PolicingPolice AccountabilityPolice LegitimacyPolice Surveillance |
Author: Jansson, Krista Title: Public confidence in the Criminal Justice System - findings from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (2013/14) Summary: Public confidence in the Criminal Justice System (CJS) is an important aim for the Ministry of Justice. Ensuring the public believe the CJS is fair and effective can be important for the efficient functioning of the system, for example in securing cooperation from victims and witnesses. This report provides an overview of levels of confidence in the CJS and the extent to which perceptions and experiences of crime, disorder and local policing are related to confidence in the CJS. The report is based on the 2013/14 Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) and supports existing evidence based on the survey (e.g. Smith, 2010; Hough et al., 2013) with the latest findings. Key findings - Levels of confidence in the fairness and effectiveness of the CJS increased slightly between 2012/13 and 2013/14, continuing the longer-term trends of increases in both measures. Levels of confidence in CJS fairness have been consistently higher than levels in CJS effectiveness. In the 2013/14 CSEW, 64 per cent of respondents said they were very or fairly confident the CJS was fair and 48 per cent said they were very or fairly confident the CJS was effective. - Confidence in the different CJS agencies and different aspects of CJS fairness varies. For example, while the majority of adults were confident in the police being effective at catching criminals (69%), fewer than a quarter were confident in prisons being effective at rehabilitating offenders (22%). Analysis of the 2013/14 CSEW demonstrated, in line with previous research, that levels of confidence in the CJS vary between adults depending on their experiences of crime and disorder. - Adults who had been victims of crime or witnessed certain types of crime were less likely to have confidence in the CJS than those who had not. - Adults who perceived higher levels of crime and antisocial behaviour (ASB) in their local area were less likely to have confidence in the CJS than those who perceived lower levels of crime or ASB in their local area. - Those who reported having committed theft, vandalism or violence since the age of 16 were less likely to have confidence in the CJS than those who had not. Perceptions and awareness of local police and collective efficacy were also associated with confidence in the CJS. - Those who had positive perceptions of the local police, e.g. in terms of being informed of crime and ASB issues in the area and what was being done about them, were more likely to be confident in the CJS than those who were not. A range of other measures related to police, including visibility of local police, were also associated with confidence in the CJS. - Collective efficacy, as measured by the perceived likelihood of people in the neighbourhood intervening if they saw a fight or children painting graffiti, was also positively associated with confidence in the CJS. Details: London: Ministry of Justice, 2015. 21p. Source: Internet Resource: Analytical Summary: Accessed July 30, 2015 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/449444/public-confidence.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/449444/public-confidence.pdf Shelf Number: 136265 Keywords: Police LegitimacyPolice-Community RelationsPublic Opinion |
Author: Roth, Olivier Title: A Fair Cop? Elected Police Commissioners, Democracy and Local Accountability Summary: The Coalition's White Paper entitled "21st Century Policing" argues for structural changes within the police service, in order to improve local accountability and to foster citizen engagement. The current tripartite arrangement would be replaced by directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners, who would be supported in their duties by newly created Police and Crime Panels. This research paper will analyse some of the issues and tensions that this proposal creates, and will attempt to issue a set of recommendations and principles designed to maximise the benefits that can be derived from its implementation. As a complex and multi-layered issue, policing requires cross-sectoral cooperation and collaboration. Police and Crime Commissioners will therefore have to work in partnership with local authorities and other public bodies, with citizens and communities, and with the newly created National Crime Agency in order to deliver positive policing outcomes. Police and Crime Commissioners should not be able to circumvent these partnership workings, and should therefore be required to consult and work with these entities on a regular basis. This engagement should provide further opportunities for neighbourhoods and citizens to participate in the improvement of crime outcomes. While directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners should improve police visibility and give citizens a channel through which they can address their concerns, there is a risk that electoral considerations could influence the actions and focus of Police and Crime Commissioners, and that these will become too politicised. As a repository of local democracy, Police and Crime Panels should play an important part in this process, and have their functions commensurately increased. A two-thirds majority in Police and Crime Panels should allow them to veto specific key decisions from Police and Crime Commissioners. Reducing bureaucracy is a key part of the Coalition's White Paper, which NLGN fully supports. The use of technology, and a standardisation in processes, could go a long way towards both reducing bureaucracy and collecting comparable data relating to policing outcomes. These should form the basis on which citizens would judge the work that has been done by their Police and Crime Commissioners, and allow them to focus their crime-reducing initiatives on specific problems in delimited areas. Finally, special attention will have to be paid to the costs involved in these reforms. Studies have shown that elections and new structures can be expensive to finance, and mechanisms designed to keep the costs as low as possible will be needed, for example by holding Police and Crime Commissioners elections at the same time as local ones. Details: London; New Local Government Network (NLGN), 2010. 38p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 19, 2015 at: http://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/sites/default/files/nlgn_a_fair_cop.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/sites/default/files/nlgn_a_fair_cop.pdf Shelf Number: 136487 Keywords: CollaborationPartnershipsPolice AccountabilityPolice AdministrationPolice LegitimacyPolice PerformancePolice Reform |
Author: Police Executive Research Forum Title: An Integrated Approach to De-Escalation and minimizing Use of Force Summary: Persons with mental illnesses, drug or alcohol addictions, or disorders such as autism can present police officers with difficult challenges. In some cases, a person may brandish a weapon or otherwise appear to pose a threat to the public, to the police, or to himself or herself. The threat may be a real one, or the situation may be less dangerous that it appears, and often it is difficult to assess the level of danger. These situations often are complicated when, because of their conditions, persons cannot communicate effectively with police officers. In some cases, they may appear to be threatening or uncooperative, when in fact they are unable to understand an officer's questions or orders. Many police agencies have recognized the special challenges they face in dealing with these populations of persons with various conditions, and have undertaken specialized training programs designed to teach officers to understand these situations when they happen, and to make special efforts to de-escalate the situations when that is possible. As one recent news report expressed it, "With that mind-set, the officer can use alternative tactics: words instead of guns, questions instead of orders, patience instead of immediate action. The method may not only defuse a tense situation, authorities say, but [also may] result in treatment at a screening center for the suspect rather than weeks in jail." When police fail to understand that they are dealing with a person with a special condition, the result is sometimes a use of force that may be legally and morally justifiable, especially if the person appeared to be threatening the safety of others, but which produces a very unfortunate outcome-a situation that some observers call "lawful, but awful." For police departments, the challenge is to adopt policies and training programs that are designed to improve the handling of these difficult encounters and reduce the chances of force being used unnecessarily. This report summarizes the findings of PERF research on this topic and presentations made at a PERF Summit in Washington, D.C. in February 2012 on "An Integrated Approach to De-Escalation and Minimizing Use of Force." At this one-day meeting, police chiefs and other experts described their experiences on issues such as the following: - How "slowing the situation down" and getting a supervisor to the scene can reduce the chances of violence; - How Crisis Intervention Teams (CITs) and other partnerships with mental health officials can result in more effective handling of encounters with members of special populations; - Identifying "chronic consumers" of police resources and helping them to avoid crisis situations; - Special considerations in dealing with veterans in crisis; - Avoiding overreliance on weapons, such as Electronic Control Weapons, as opposed to hands-on tactics and verbal skills; - Recognizing the real threats to officers that can be posed by persons with mental illnesses or other conditions, and the anxiety that officers feel about such situations; - Training officers in "tactical disengagement"; - The importance of training for officers in these encounters, and practicing strategies to de-escalate volatile situations; - Use-of-force continuums and other tools for discussing use-of-force options; - The defunding of mental health care, and the "cycling" of mentally ill persons through lockups, jails, and prisons; and - The negative impact on a police agency's "legitimacy" that can occur from a "lawful, but awful" event. As in other reports in the Critical Issues Series, we present the discussions from our meeting in the police chiefs' and other experts' own words, in order to convey their insight and experience. Details: Washington, DC: PERF, 2012. 56p. Source: Internet Resource: Critical Issues in Policing Series: Accessed August 31, 2015 at: http://www.policeforum.org/assets/docs/Critical_Issues_Series/an%20integrated%20approach%20to%20de-escalation%20and%20minimizing%20use%20of%20force%202012.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://www.policeforum.org/assets/docs/Critical_Issues_Series/an%20integrated%20approach%20to%20de-escalation%20and%20minimizing%20use%20of%20force%202012.pdf Shelf Number: 136622 Keywords: Crisis InterventionMentally Ill PersonsPolice DiscretionPolice LegitimacyPolice Use of ForcePolice-Citizen Interactions |
Author: Silva, Rolondo Title: Palm Beach County, Florida Smart Policing Initiative: Increasing Police Legitimacy and Reducing Victimization in Immigrant Communities Summary: The Palm Beach County, Florida Smart Policing Initiative (SPI) addressed robberies in the Guatemalan community in Lake Worth using strategies that reflect core principles of Community Policing: data-driven analysis of the problem, community engagement, problem solving, and partnerships. Analysis showed that many of the robbery victims are day laborers who make easy targets for criminals because they tend to carry cash payments from their labor on their person; they solicit employment from potential, but unknown employers; and they loiter in public places at night, often engaging in public consumption of alcohol. This problem is complicated by a trust gap between law enforcement and the Guatemalan community, due to language and cultural barriers, as well as a variety of complications linked to illegal immigration, migrant workers, and enforcement of immigration laws. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office (PBSO) SPI included targeted efforts to increase police legitimacy, to improve residents' awareness of their victimization risk, and to empower residents to embrace crime prevention in their community. The centerpiece of the Palm Beach County SPI involved the hiring of a Community Liaison and the re-assignment of a dedicated robbery detective to the target area. The Community Liaison served as a community advocate and as an intermediary between law enforcement and the immigrant community. For this project, the Community Liaison was a Guatemalan-born naturalized citizen who speaks English, Spanish, and the Mayan language, Kanjobal. His central goal was to build a bridge between PBSO and the migrant community by engaging residents and law enforcement in positive outreach events. He also collaborated extensively with the line and leadership levels of the PBSO, the Guatemalan Consulate, community-based organizations, banks, business leaders, and the media. In addition, a dedicated robbery detective investigated all robberies in the target community, worked closely with the Community Liaison, conducted proactive patrols throughout the target area, and monitored known offenders and ex-offenders. Surveys of residents in the target area indicate that immigrants' attitudes toward the police improved notably during the SPI, including higher levels of satisfaction, and greater levels of comfort speaking to police and reporting crimes (i.e., greater trust). Crime data indicate a short-term spike in robberies during the initial phase of the project, possibly resulting from increased reporting due to successful engagement of the residents, followed by a longer-term decline in robberies. At the same time, arrests for robberies have increased. The Palm Beach County SPI highlights a number of lessons that may be useful for other law enforcement agencies seeking to engage immigrant communities, such as the importance of hiring a Community Liaison; coordinating with state and federal immigration authorities; anticipating brief spikes in crime as a result of greater crime reporting; and understanding the "big picture" with regard to community engagement, police legitimacy, and increased cooperation and compliance with the law. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, bureau of Justice Assistance, 2012. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Smart Policing Initiative: Site Spotlight: Accessed September 5, 2015 at: http://www.smartpolicinginitiative.com/sites/all/files/Palm%20Beach%20SPI%20Site%20Spotlight%202012%20FINAL.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://www.smartpolicinginitiative.com/sites/all/files/Palm%20Beach%20SPI%20Site%20Spotlight%202012%20FINAL.pdf Shelf Number: 136680 Keywords: Immigrant CommunitiesPolice EffectivenessPolice LegitimacyPolice-Citizen InteractionsPolice-Community RelationsRobbery |
Author: Cox, Adam B. Title: Legitimacy and Cooperation: Will Immigrants Cooperate with Local Police Who Enforce Federal Immigration Law? Summary: Solving crimes often requires community cooperation. Cooperation is thought by many scholars to depend critically on whether community members believe that law enforcement institutions are legitimate and trustworthy. Yet establishing an empirical link between legitimacy and cooperation has proven elusive, with most studies relying on surveys or lab experiments of people's beliefs and attitudes, rather than on their behavior in the real world. This Article aims to overcome these shortcomings, capitalizing on a unique natural policy experiment to directly address a fundamental question about legitimacy, cooperation, and law enforcement success: do de-legitimating policy interventions actually undermine community cooperation with the police? The policy experiment is a massive federal immigration enforcement program called Secure Communities. Secure Communities was widely criticized for undermining the legitimacy of local police in the eyes of immigrants, and it was rolled out nationwide over a four-year period in a way that approximates a natural experiment. Using the rate at which police solve crimes as a proxy for community cooperation, we find no evidence that the program reduced community cooperation - despite its massive size and broad scope. The results call into question optimistic claims that discrete policy interventions can, in the short run, meaningfully affect community perceptions of law enforcement legitimacy in ways that shape community cooperation with police. Details: Chicago: University of Chicago School of Law, 2015. 64p. Source: Internet Resource: University of Chicago Coase-Sandor Institute for Law & Economics Research Paper No. 734 U of Chicago, Public Law Working Paper No. 543 : Accessed September 18, 2015 at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2658265 Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2658265 Shelf Number: 136815 Keywords: Immigration EnforcementPolice LegitimacyPolice-Community RelationsProcedural Justice |
Author: Martin, Gerard Title: Community Policing in Central America: The Way Forward Summary: El Salvador, Guatemala, and Central America in general face complex security problems, including the proliferation of violent gangs, drug-trafficking organizations, and organized crime, as expressed in homicide rates that are among the highest in the Latin America and Caribbean region. Police reform that incorporates a community policing (CP) approach could contribute significantly to solutions, but it faces significant hurdles, including entrenched opposition to police reform, poor leadership and management capacity within police and other law enforcement entities, corruption as well as a challenging security environment. This report focuses on the status of USAID and U.S. State Department support for CP in El Salvador and Guatemala, and the road ahead, addressing five questions: - What key elements are leading to successful CP in El Salvador and Guatemala? - What factors keep CP programs from succeeding? - How can programs achieve quick successes in target communities, become sustainable, and be replicated? - What are we missing - and what else can we do? - Which innovative aspects of current practices can be used as best practices in the challenging security situation in these countries? This report presents an assessment of each country's current CP situation and the ongoing support from USAID and the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL). The assessment offers country-specific conclusions, next steps, and observations about key elements for successful replication in the region. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Agency for International Development, 2011. 45p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 25, 2015 at: http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00JBQ7.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Central America URL: http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00JBQ7.pdf Shelf Number: 136878 Keywords: Community PolicingPolice LegitimacyPolice ReformPolice-Community Relations |
Author: Katz, Charles M. Title: Phoenix, Arizona, Smart Policing Initiative: Evaluating the Impact of Police Officer Body-Worn Cameras Summary: A number of highly publicized deaths of citizens at the hands of the police have sparked a national debate over police accountability 0 with body-worn cameras (BWCs) at the center of the debate. BWCs enjoy support from many law enforcement agencies, citizen advocacy groups, civil rights organizations, politicians, and the federal government. Though there has been wide-ranging speculation over the potential impact and consequences of BWCs, few rigorous examinations of the technology have been conducted, and many questions remain unanswered. The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), through the Smart Policing Initiative (SPI), funded the Phoenix Police Department to purchase, deploy, and evaluate police body-worn cameras. In the study, the Phoenix SPI team deployed 56 BWCs to officers in one of the two Maryvale Precinct squad areas. All officers assigned to the target area were issued BWCs, and officers in the adjacent squad area served as a comparison group. Cameras were deployed in the field in April 2013, and the study period covered approximately 30 months (15 months pre-deployment; 15 months post-deployment). The evaluation of BWCs, led by the research partners at Arizona State University, focused on six critical areas: (1) officer camera activation compliance, (2) officer perceptions of the wearability and utility of body-worn cameras, (3) impact on officers' job performance, (4) impact on public compliance and cooperation, (5) impact on officer accountability, and (6) impact on domestic violence case processing and outcomes. The study found the following: (1) Officer compliance with the activation of BWCs was generally low (under 30 percent), varying by call type (between 6 percent and 48 percent). (2) Police perceptions of BWCs changed notably over time, as officers reported increased comfort and ease as well as greater recognition of the benefits of the technology. (3) BWCs appeared to increase arrest activity. (4) BWCs did not seem to change citizen behavior, based on resisting-arrest charges. (5) BWCs appeared to significantly reduce complaints against officers (23 percent drop) when compared with officers in the other squad area (10 percent increase). (6) Finally, BWCs improved the processing of domestic violence incidents, as cases with video were more likely to be charged and successfully prosecuted, although BWCs did result in longer case processing times. The Phoenix SPI study produced a number of important lessons learned. The decision to deploy BWCs represents an enormous investment in resources and manpower. It is important for police managers to be strategic, deliberate, and collaborative in planning their BWC program. Coordination with the Prosecutor's Office is absolutely critical. Training, policy development, and transparency with line officers also are essential for a successful BWC program. The perceived benefits of BWCs hinge on their use and proper operation in accordance with departmental policy. That is, the benefits of BWCs can be realized only if officers appropriately activate the cameras during police-citizen encounters. Line officers should become educated Line officers should become educated consumers regarding BWCs, and both line officers and police managers should be realistic about the potential impact of the technology on police operations, encounters with citizens, and community perceptions of police legitimacy. Details: Arlington, VA: CNA Analysis & Solutions, 2015. 20p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 5, 2015 at: http://www.smartpolicinginitiative.com/sites/all/files/Phoenix%20SPI%20Spotlight%20FINAL.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://www.smartpolicinginitiative.com/sites/all/files/Phoenix%20SPI%20Spotlight%20FINAL.pdf Shelf Number: 136946 Keywords: Body-Worn CamerasComplaints Against the PolicePolice AccountabilityPolice LegitimacyPolice TechnologyPolice-Citizens Encounters |
Author: Grossmith, Lynne Title: Police, Camera, Evidence: London's cluster randomised controlled trial of Body Worn Video Summary: Overall the findings suggest there are potential benefits of Body Worn Video (BWV), although those related to criminal justice outcomes were not fully realised during the timescales of the trial and need the support of criminal justice partners to be achieved. - BWV can reduce the number of allegations against officers, particularly of oppressive behaviour. Complaints related to interactions with the public also reduced and, although it did not reach statistical significance, the trend in overall complaints was consistent with these findings. - There was no overall impact of BWV on the number or type of stop and searches conducted. In addition, there were no differences in officers - self-reported behaviour relating to how they conducted stops. - No effect was found on the proportion of arrests for violent crime. When an arrest had occurred, there was a slightly lower proportion of charges by officers in a BWV team. - There was no evidence that BWV changed the way police officers dealt with victims or suspects. - The Public Attitude Survey found, in general, London residents are supportive of BWV, with their opinions of the technology positively associated with their views of how 'procedurally just' the police are, and their confidence in the MPS. - Officers reported a range of innovative uses of BWV, including professional development; use of intelligence; and sharing information with partners and the public. Details: London: College of Policing Limited and the Mayor's Office for Policing And Crime (MOPAC), 2015. 50p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 1, 2015 at: http://whatworks.college.police.uk/Research/Documents/Police_Camera_Evidence.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://whatworks.college.police.uk/Research/Documents/Police_Camera_Evidence.pdf Shelf Number: 137399 Keywords: Body-Worn Cameras (U.K.) Complaints Against Police Disorderly Conduct Police LegitimacyPolice Technology Public Opinion Surveillance Video Cameras |
Author: Katz, Walter W. Title: Body-Worn Cameras: Policy Recommendations and Review of LASD's Pilot Program Summary: Portable video recording technology has radically altered urban law enforcement in recent years. Unfortunately, cash-strapped police agencies have been slow to incorporate this technology fully and now face community pressure to do so rapidly. In the face of strong public concern over police use of force, the time has come to overcome technological, political, and budgetary hurdles and incorporate fixed video, car mounted video and body-worn cameras into all urban police departments. The use of these tools will enhance accountability, public confidence in police officers and public understanding of policing. This report provides information regarding the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's pilot program to test and evaluate body-worn camera systems and makes recommendations for the Department as it implements them. Regardless of policy decisions, video evidence is shaping law enforcement and police agencies must use it to full advantage to help provide the quality policing that the public deserves. In September 2014, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (hereinafter, LASD or the Department) initiated a volunteer pilot program to test body-worn camera systems (BWCS or body-camera) under patrol conditions at four stations across Los Angeles County. A body-worn camera is a small device that records video and sound. The camera is mounted on the officer's uniform and records deputy interactions with the public and can gather video evidence at crime scenes. The chief goals of the LASD's pilot program were "to accurately address allegations of misconduct and increase the public's trust." In addition, the LASD hoped that video and audio recordings would "prove beneficial in criminal proceedings, administrative investigations, service complaints and civil liability claims." The Department's pilot program ran from September 2014 through April 2015, tested four brands and five models of body-worn camera systems and deployed 96 cameras. In order to provide guidance for the volunteer deputies regarding when to employ the body cameras and on which subjects or events, the Department developed a set of guidelines covering camera activation and deactivation, expectations of privacy, operating procedures, when Department members are allowed to view recordings and retention of footage. Over the course of the program's eight-month run, the Department obtained detailed feedback from the participants, through both electronic questionnaires and focus groups that were held at each of the four stations and attended by OIG representatives. In addition to monitoring the pilot program, the OIG reviewed body-camera policies and reports from other jurisdictions as well as policy recommendations on the subject by nationally recognized law enforcement research organizations and leading advocacy organizations. The OIG then assimilated this information with trends that emerged from the LASD pilot program participants' feedback. Details: Los Angeles: Office of Inspector General, County of Los Angeles, 2015. 70p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 1, 2015 at: https://oig.lacounty.gov/Portals/OIG/Reports/Body-Worn%20Cameras_OIG%20Report.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: https://oig.lacounty.gov/Portals/OIG/Reports/Body-Worn%20Cameras_OIG%20Report.pdf Shelf Number: 137412 Keywords: Body-Worn Cameras Complaints Against Police Disorderly Conduct Police LegitimacyPolice Technology Public Opinion Surveillance Video Cameras |
Author: Police Executive Research Forum Title: Constitutional Policing as a Cornerstone of Community Policing Summary: The last year and a half have been the most challenging for policing in recent memory. The events in Ferguson, Missouri, sparked a wave of protests across the country, and subsequent uses of police force in other cities kept policing practices at the forefront of the national consciousness. This challenge has also been an opportunity for law enforcement - an opportunity to both effect positive change within the profession and find new ways to strengthen relationships between police departments and the communities that they serve. On December 11, 2014, the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office), convened a conference in Washington, D.C., entitled "Constitutional Policing as a Cornerstone of Community Policing." Police executives, federal officials, academics, and civil rights leaders came together at this one-day conference to develop strategies for promoting constitutional policing as part of the day-to-day work of policing. At its most fundamental, constitutional policing is legal policing - that is, policing that operates within the parameters set by the U.S. Constitution, state constitutions, the body of court decisions that have interpreted and spelled out in greater detail what the text of the Constitution means in terms of the everyday practices of policing. Which constitutional issues are most important for policing today? One way of answering that question is to identify the policies and practices that most frequently are called into question from a constitutional standpoint. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, 2015. 48p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 1, 2015 at: http://ric-zai-inc.com/Publications/cops-p324-pub.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://ric-zai-inc.com/Publications/cops-p324-pub.pdf Shelf Number: 137415 Keywords: Community PolicingPolice LegitimacyPolice Policies and PracticesPolice-Community Relations |
Author: Norton, Blake Title: An Assessment of the St. Louis County Police Department. Collaborative Reform Initiative Summary: The nation was jarred by events that occurred in 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri; Staten Island, New York; Cleveland, Ohio; and in 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. These events - which followed officer-involved incidents in these American cities and around the nation - exposed deep divides between communities and their police departments. As the discord reached a fever pitch, law enforcement agencies nationwide began the process of self-evaluation, reflecting on policies and practices and implementing innovative strategies to better engender community policing principles, build trust, and allay fear. The St. Louis County Police Department (SLCPD), with 8551 authorized sworn commissioned officer positions, is responsible for providing police services to an estimated population of approximately 407,000 county residents. The population served increases to approximately 1 million when accounting for the fact that the department also provides contracted law enforcement services to 66 municipalities, 12 school districts, and five other organizations within the county. The department provides both full service contracts - in which the SLCPD is the sole police agency for a municipality and provides all police services - and dedicated patrol contracts that require the SLCPD to provide requested police services. Approximately 60 departments in the St. Louis region serve 90 municipalities. These 60 departments possess widely differing resources, and they provide protection across significantly diverse geographic and demographic communities. This amalgam of departments also creates a web of overlapping jurisdictions, policies, and practices. In addition, the SLCPD operates the St. Louis County and Municipal Police Academy (CMPA), a regional police training facility that provides training to many law enforcement agencies in the area. Finally, mutual aid agreements in the region allow Missouri officers to respond to emergencies outside of their jurisdictions. This interdependent yet fragmented approach to policing in the area creates challenges for the SLCPD in building trusting relationships with the community. The relationship each independent municipal police department has with its community directly affects the relationship the SLCPD has with the community at large. In its civil rights investigation of the Ferguson Police Department (FPD),6 the U.S. Department of Justice found heavy police enforcement existed to generate revenue through fines and fees. This culture of heavy, sometime "aggressive," enforcement has led to strained community relations because of abusive policing and municipal court practices beyond just the FPD. The consequence for the SLCPD is a lack of trust by the community that exacerbated tensions during demonstrations following the shooting death of Michael Brown. For this reason, Chief Jon Belmar of the SLCPD requested the assistance of the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) in identifying ways that the SLCPD could improve its relationship with the St. Louis community. The COPS Office and the SLCPD established the following goals to assess and reform the policies, practices, and related processes in the SLCPD, taking into account national standards, best practices, current and emerging research, and community expectations: - Improve the recruitment, selection, and hiring processes to address minority underrepresentation in the department (chapter 4). - Enhance basic academy and supervisor in-service training with a specific focus on fair and impartial policing, community engagement, and partnership development (chapters 5-7). - Strengthen the policies, practices, training, and response for handling protests and mass demonstrations, including de-escalation training (chapter 8). - Improve the process quality for traffic stops and searches to prohibit racial profiling (chapter 9). - Reduce use of force and injuries to both officers and citizens (chapters 10-11). - Develop a comprehensive communication strategy for SLCPD personnel and community partners that will serve to increase transparency about SLCPD police practices (chapter 12). Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, 2015. 182p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 21, 2016 at: http://ric-zai-inc.com/Publications/cops-p316-pub.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://ric-zai-inc.com/Publications/cops-p316-pub.pdf Shelf Number: 137581 Keywords: Community-Oriented PolicingPolice AdministrationPolice LegitimacyPolice Policies and PracticesPolice ReformPolice-Community RelationsPolicing |
Author: New York (City). Department of Investigation Title: Police Use of Force in New York City: Findings and Recommendations on NYPD's Policies and Practices Summary: Use of force is a defining issue in modern policing. Police officers, by the very nature of their duties, are entrusted, empowered, and at times obligated by local governments to use force against citizens when appropriate. In exchange for this grant of power, communities and their police departments require that the use of force be governed by a set of standards. These standards stem from the premise that the force used must be reasonable, an idea rooted in the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. Reasonable use of force and constitutional policing require equal treatment of all individuals, proper application of force, and accountability for the conduct of police officers. Following the death of Eric Garner in Staten Island in 2014 and others across the nation, there has been a public call for greater accountability when police officers use force that appears neither reasonable nor proportional. Police departments and police accountability agencies across the country have taken up the issue of use of force in an effort to improve policing and ensure that all officers are worthy of the tremendous power and trust afforded them by their communities. In January 2015, the New York City Department of Investigation's Office of the Inspector General for the New York City Police Department (OIG-NYPD) released its first report, Observations on Accountability and Transparency in Ten NYPD Chokehold Cases (Chokehold Report). In that report, OIG-NYPD found that the New York City Police Department (NYPD) disciplinary system was complex, multi-tiered, and often delivered inconsistent results in cases involving chokeholds. OIG-NYPD promised to further investigate NYPD's use of force by reviewing a larger sample of force investigations. This Report, which is a larger and more sophisticated inquiry into use of force, fulfills that promise. Many of the issues addressed in the Chokehold Report surface again in this larger data set. This Report examines five aspects of use of force within NYPD: (1) trends; (2) reporting; (3) de-escalation; (4) training; and (5) discipline. The Report begins by highlighting data and trends from excessive or unnecessary force cases substantiated by the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB). CCRB substantiated 207 allegations of force in 179 cases between 2010 and 2014, a notably modest number, given the size of NYPD, and a positive indication of the NYPD's restraint. OIG-NYPD's review involved only non-deadly force cases investigated by CCRB, as no lethal force was used in the 179 substantiated cases. As discussed below, this investigation demonstrates several issues of real concern. Because accountability begins with access to reliable data, this Report describes how NYPD does and does not track use-of-force data, and how the usefulness of that information can be improved by adopting a more precise use-of-force policy coupled with standardized force reporting. This Report next presents the findings of an independent analysis of force cases where some officers not only missed the opportunity to de-escalate the incident, but took measures which affirmatively escalated the encounter. Given these findings, the Report examines policies of other law enforcement agencies regarding de-escalation tactics and reviews what NYPD is currently doing to address excessive force and de-escalation through training. The Report then suggests ways in which training and policy can be improved with respect to de-escalation tactics and other related skills. Lastly, this Report analyzes and evaluates NYPD's disciplinary system, including a close review of cases where OIG-NYPD, through independent review, determined that the use of force was not reasonable by any standard and not justified by any exigent circumstances or the need to protect an officer's or the public's safety. Historically, NYPD has frequently failed to discipline officers who use force without justification. This Report thus offers recommendations to improve the disciplinary process so that officers who use excessive force are properly held accountable. Details: New York: NYC Department of Investigation, 2015. 89p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 28, 2016 at: http://www.nyc.gov/html/oignypd/assets/downloads/pdf/oig_nypd_use_of_force_report_-_oct_1_2015.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://www.nyc.gov/html/oignypd/assets/downloads/pdf/oig_nypd_use_of_force_report_-_oct_1_2015.pdf Shelf Number: 137708 Keywords: Complaints Against PolicePolice AccountabilityPolice BrutalityPolice DiscretionPolice LegitimacyPolice MisconductPolice Policies and ProceduresPolice TrainingPolice Use of Force |
Author: New York City Department of Investigation Title: Observations on Accountability and Transparency in Ten NYPD Chokehold Cases Summary: Section 203-11 of the Patrol Guide, which governs "Use of Force," explicitly and unequivocally prohibits members of the New York City Police Department ("NYPD") from using "chokeholds" in their interactions with the public: Members of the New York City Police Department will NOT use chokeholds. A chokehold shall include, but is not limited to, any pressure to the throat or windpipe, which may prevent or hinder breathing or reduce intake of air. Patrol Guide 203-11 (emphasis in original). The death of a Staten Island man, Eric Garner, on July 17, 2014, after he was brought to the ground by an officer's arm around his neck in the course of an arrest, cast a spotlight on the use of chokeholds by NYPD officers and the enforcement of the chokehold prohibition under Section 203-11. Mr. Garner's death generated widespread public outcry, elevated chokeholds as a major concern within the rubric of the use of force, and prompted a flurry of videos purportedly showing NYPD officers using chokeholds in a variety of encounters with members of the public. The decision by a grand jury, on December 3, 2014, not to issue an indictment in the Garner case only increases the need for independent administrative review of these issues. In response to Mr. Garner's death, the Office of the Inspector General for the NYPD ("OIG-NYPD") conducted a focused review of the ten most recent cases where the Civilian Complaint Review Board ("CCRB") determined that NYPD officers used "chokeholds." What OIG-NYPD found raises questions not only about the way in which NYPD has enforced the chokehold ban in recent years, but also, far more importantly, about the disciplinary process in general and interactions between NYPD and CCRB. While no definitive conclusions regarding the use of chokeholds can or should be drawn from the finite universe of cases reviewed here, OIG-NYPD's study sheds light on areas where further careful analysis and study are warranted: how discipline is determined and imposed in use-of-force cases, gaps in inter- and intra-agency communication during the investigation of use-of-force cases, and officer training regarding communication skills, de-escalation strategies, and the use of force. This focused review, in effect, presents a road map of key policing issues with regard to the use of force that OIG-NYPD intends to explore and probe more deeply in the coming months. Details: New York NYC Department of Investigation, Office of the Inspector General for the NYPD, 2015. 45p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 26, 2016 at: http://www.nyc.gov/html/oignypd/assets/downloads/pdf/chokehold_report_1-2015.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://www.nyc.gov/html/oignypd/assets/downloads/pdf/chokehold_report_1-2015.pdf Shelf Number: 137709 Keywords: Complaints Against Police Police Accountability Police Brutality Police Discretion Police Legitimacy Police Misconduct Police Policies and Procedures Police TrainingPolice Use of Force |
Author: Cross, Charlotte Title: Community Policing through Local Collective Action in Tanzania: Sungusungu to Ulinzi Shirikishi Summary: Community policing (polisi jamii) was officially introduced in Tanzania in 2006 as part of an ongoing police reform programme. In addition to attempting to improve communication between police and the public, the police have promoted ulinzi shirikishi (participatory security), whereby citizens are encouraged to form neighbourhood policing institutions to prevent and detect crime. This thesis presents the findings of research conducted in the city of Mwanza that explored the extent to which community policing has improved residents' perceptions of local security and constitutes a form of policing which is responsive, accountable and sustainable. Whilst ulinzi shirikishi is widely credited with having improved local safety, it has proved difficult to sustain collective action through community policing and the costs and benefits of participation have been unequally distributed across 'communities'. These outcomes should be understood in terms of the context of how local development is organised and understood in Tanzania. Firstly, existing local governance institutions lack transparency and meaningful accountability mechanisms and are highly dependent upon personal preferences and capacity. Secondly, local development is politicised and liable to become subject to inter-party competition. Thirdly, historical understandings of 'participation' in Tanzania tend to emphasise obligation and material contributions rather than popular influence over initiatives, however this is increasingly being contested in today's multiparty context. The apparent shortcomings of community policing are not necessarily inconsistent with police objectives for the reform, which often prioritise cost-effective crime prevention rather than the reorientation and 'democratisation' of policing envisaged by advocates of community policing. Details: Brighton, UK: University of Sussex, 2013. 267p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed February 2, 2016 at: http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/47166/1/Cross._Charlotte.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Tanzania URL: http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/47166/1/Cross._Charlotte.pdf Shelf Number: 137737 Keywords: Community PolicingPolice LegitimacyPolice ReformPolice-Citizens Interactions |
Author: Malone, Mary Fran T. Title: Why Do the Children Flee? Public Security and Policing Practices in Central America Summary: In this brief, author Mary Fran Malone discusses the security crisis in Central America and successful policing strategies for confronting this crisis. She reports that Central Americans' experiences and perceptions of crime are linked to an increased likelihood of migration. In 2014, approximately 57,000 unaccompanied minors traveled from Central America to Mexico, continuing north to cross the U.S. border illegally. The large numbers of people fleeing Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras testify not only to the violence of illicit markets but also to the failure of these countries' governments to fulfill their most important task - protecting the lives of their citizens. Not all Central American countries have failed at this task, however. Nicaragua and Panama have successfully created civilian police forces that have contained the crime crisis while also respecting the rights of citizens. Trust in police is significantly higher in Nicaragua and Panama than other countries in Central America, and people have more trust that the justice system will convict perpetrators of crime. If the United States aims to reduce the number of people fleeing north, it must invest more seriously in policing and public security practices that have a track record of success. After almost two decades, it is clear that the militarized and repressive policing strategies of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras do not work. As the cases of Nicaragua and Panama demonstrate, community-oriented policing strategies are effective in building citizens' trust in their police and fostering a culture of respect for human rights. Details: Durham, NH: University of New Hampshire, Carsey School of Public Policy, 2015. 10p. Source: Internet Resource: National Issue Brief #95: Accessed February 8, 2016 at: http://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1259&context=carsey Year: 2015 Country: Central America URL: http://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1259&context=carsey Shelf Number: 137791 Keywords: Community-Oriented PolicingDrug TraffickingIllegal ImmigrationIllicit MarketsPolice LegitimacyUnaccompanied Children |
Author: Curtis, Irene Title: The use of targets in policing Summary: Policing needs to change to respond to the challenges of the future, including the changing nature of crime, the increasing range and complexity of demand, continued financial constraints and the rapid pace of technological change. As forces adapt to changing circumstances, performance frameworks will also need to adapt to help the police make decisions to meet these challenges - and to understand whether or not they are succeeding. Numeric targets have seen extensive use in policing for many years, as part of both local and national police performance frameworks. The Public Service Agreements (PSAs) of the 1990s in particular created a slew of national targets in policing and across the public sector more widely. Since then, problems associated with targets such as 'gaming' and 'perverse incentives' have been well documented and targets have gradually been dropped by many forces. The last of the national targets in policing (for increasing public confidence and targets for response times, included in the policing pledge) were removed by the Home Secretary in 2010. This review aims in the first instance to understand the extent to which targets - and their associated behaviours - persist and has involved desk research, interviews, force visits and a survey of police officers and staff. Over 6,000 people completed the survey and, while methodological limitations mean the results needs to be interpreted with caution, the fact that so many officers and staff took the time to respond is telling of how strongly many feel about this subject. Details: London: Home Office, 2015. 80p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 8, 2016 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/466058/Review_Targets_2015.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/466058/Review_Targets_2015.pdf Shelf Number: 137802 Keywords: Crime StatisticsDecision-MakingEvidence-Based PracticesPolice LegitimacyPolice PerformancePolice Problem-SolvingPolice ReformPolicing |
Author: Human Impact Partners Title: Stress on the Streets (SOS): Race, Policing, Health, and Increasing Trust not Trauma Summary: Violence in the urban core is a disease - a social disease - that is a top public health crisis of the 21st century. As a trauma physician, it is a disease that I treat daily; I have seen a 300% increase over a 10-year period in children coming into our Cincinnati Children's Hospital Trauma Center with gunshot wounds. But violence is not immutable; we can prevent it. Like other initiatives public health is credited with improving or eradicating - deaths from motor vehicle crashes, polio, and smallpox - inner city violence lends itself to a cure. However, this cure must not cause additional harms. That's why policing practices used to reduce violence and mitigate trauma can and should be more community-oriented. Michael Davis, Chief of the Brooklyn Park Police Department has said, "the future of community policing is community building." The affected community has a role in this cure, as do the police charged with the safety of the community. But with current practices under question for causing more violence, not less, we need communities and police to engage collaboratively, acknowledge complex key drivers of violence, and seek systems-based approaches to better partner in resolving it. This revealing report is a first step in that journey. It documents profound impacts of policing practices on the health of individuals and the community, describing impacts to physical, mental, and emotional health. Importantly, it describes how stress has major, short- and long-term health impacts not just for the public, but for police as well. In its recommendations, this report offers important concrete measures for how policing can rebuild community trust through problem-solving and community-oriented models. It highlights promising practices in four actions - civilian review boards; body-worn cameras; ongoing training of officers about issues like implicit bias and use of force as well as better supervision and evaluation of officers; and department-wide performance measures - that when fully implemented can lay the groundwork for police to be part of the community as opposed to policing the community. Just as health professionals and police have partnered together on past issues, together we can jointly address the root causes of violence in concentrated disadvantage. Policing practices that build trust - through transparency, community dialogue, and accountability - and solve community problems are a key component for keeping more children off my surgical table. Details: Oakland, CA: Human Impact Partners, 2015. 74p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 10, 2016 at: http://www.humanimpact.org/projects/past-projects/ Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://www.humanimpact.org/projects/past-projects/ Shelf Number: 137828 Keywords: Community PolicingPolice AccountabilityPolice LegitimacyPolice Problem-SolvingPolice StressPolice-Community Relations |
Author: Jannetta, Jesse Title: Policing 2016: To Deliver Safety, Police Need Legitimacy and Accountability Summary: Much of the national debate on policing in 2015 has rested on a false premise-that community demands for greater police accountability come at the expense of effectively addressing crime. In fact, police need accountability and legitimacy in the communities they serve if they are to deliver safety. While policing is a local governmental function, federal policymakers have an important role to play in helping policing practice reflect this truth. The next president will have a wide range of funding, agenda setting, and enforcement tools that can elevate and spread the best in policing and compel reform where necessary. Details: Washington, DC: Urban Institute, 2016. 22p. Source: Internet Resource: Framing Paper: Accessed March 28, 2016 at: http://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/alfresco/publication-pdfs/2000511-Policing-2016-To-Deliver-Safety-Police-Need-Legitimacy-and-Accountability.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/alfresco/publication-pdfs/2000511-Policing-2016-To-Deliver-Safety-Police-Need-Legitimacy-and-Accountability.pdf Shelf Number: 138450 Keywords: Police AccountabilityPolice LegitimacyPolice PerformancePolice-Community Relations |
Author: James, Nathan Title: Public Trust and Law Enforcement -- a Brief Discussion for Policymakers Summary: Recent events involving conflict between the police and citizens have generated interest in what role Congress could play in facilitating efforts to build trust between law enforcement and the people they serve while promoting effective crime reduction. This report provides a brief overview of police-community relations and how the federal government might be able to promote more accountability and better relationships between citizens and law enforcement. Gallup poll data show that, overall, Americans are confident in the police; but, confidence in the police varies according to race, place of residence, and other factors. In 2014, less than 50% of Americans favorably rated the honesty and ethics of police, the lowest percentage since 1998. If they conclude that low public ratings of the police are at least partially attributable to police policies, Congress may decide to address state and local law enforcement policies and practices they believe erode public trust in law enforcement. Federalism limits the amount of influence Congress can have over state and local law enforcement policy. Regardless, the federal government might choose to promote better law enforcement-community relations and accountability through (1) federal efforts to collect and disseminate data on the use of force by law enforcement, (2) statutes that allow the federal government to investigate instances of alleged police misconduct, and (3) the influence the Department of Justice (DOJ) has on state and local policing through its role as an enforcer, policy leader, convener, and funder of law enforcement. There are several options policy makers might examine should they choose to play a role in facilitating better police-community relations: - Congress could consider placing conditions on federal funding to encourage law enforcement to adopt policy changes to promote better community relations. - Policy makers could consider expanding efforts to collect more comprehensive data on the use of force by law enforcement officers. - Congress could consider providing grants to law enforcement agencies so they could purchase body-worn cameras for their officers. - Policy makers could take steps to facilitate investigations and prosecutions of excessive force by amending 18 U.S.C. S242 to reduce the mens rea standard in federal prosecutions, or place conditions on federal funds to promote the use of special prosecutors at the state level. - Congress could fund Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) hiring grants so law enforcement agencies could hire more officers to engage in community policing activities. - Policy makers might consider using the influence of congressional authority to affect the direction of national criminal justice policy. Details: Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, 2016. 27p. Source: Internet Resource: R43904: Accessed March 29, 2016 at: https://www.hsdl.org/?view&did=762775 Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://www.hsdl.org/?view&did=762775 Shelf Number: 138452 Keywords: Criminal Justice PolicePolice AccountabilityPolice BehaviorPolice LegitimacyPolice-Citizen InteractionsPolice-Community Relations |
Author: Calderon, Eduardo L. Title: Citizen Oversight Committees in Law Enforcement Summary: Law enforcement officers are charged with performing a variety of difficult tasks in the communities they serve. In order to carry out these tasks officers are vested with high levels of autonomy and authority. Although most law enforcement personnel throughout the United States perform honorable and conscientious police work, enormous amounts of damage can be done by a single reported incident of police misconduct or corruption. In response to allegations of wrongdoing and the use of excessive force by officers, some police agencies have solicited public opinion and involvement in an effort to build bridges of trust and promote transparency. This often includes discussions of establishing a citizen oversight committee. Citizen oversight committees are officially recognized groups composed of members of the community, often non-sworn civilians, who review complaints about police on behalf of the citizenry. Currently, there are more than 100 citizen oversight committees in the United States and approximately 18 percent of local law enforcement agencies in California have one. Each citizen oversight committee is a unique product of the environment that surrounds it. Citizen oversight committees generally fall into two categories or model types: they are either external or internal to the law enforcement agency. A current trend is to incorporate aspects of both external and internal models into a hybrid model. While there are no validated "best practices" in creating citizen oversight committees, successful committees can include benefits such as: empowering citizens, promoting change within law enforcement agencies, improving police-community relations, and increasing police transparency. Despite these benefits, committees face a number of structural and political obstacles that can hinder their ability to create lasting and permanent change in the police agencies they oversee. Many officers believe that citizen oversight and outside investigations are "unfair and biased against them" because their presence implies an inability of police agencies to monitor and investigate themselves. Recent changes in police oversight, however, have shifted away from the "us v. them" mentality. Similar to the theories guiding Community Oriented Policing, contemporary citizen oversight committees have embodied values that seek joint partnerships with stakeholders involved in the oversight process. Support from local politicians and police administrators as well as rank-and-file officers is crucial to the success of all citizen oversight committees. If city officials and the police department do not support the oversight body, it will have no access to the confidential documents and case evidence necessary to review incidents involving police misconduct. To be effective, citizen oversight committees must be skillful at getting policing issues on the city's agenda so that officials will address, rather than ignore, suppress, or minimize problems in the police agency. While there are many things to consider, some important questions to keep in mind when implementing a citizen oversight committee are: - Membership: Who will sit on the committee? Do committee members need to have any specialized skills or knowledge beyond an ability to be fair, open-minded, and conscientious? Will they be paid or volunteer positions? Will positions be appointed or by application/qualifications? How will appropriate- and fair-minded citizens be recruited? - Power and Responsibilities: Will the committee conduct investigations or just oversee the investigation process? Will the committee recommend or issue discipline? Will the committee have subpoena powers? - Governance: Who will oversee the committee - an elected body or police administrator(s)? How will a committee be established by charter or the electorate? - Funding: How will the committee be funded? What costs will be associated with the implementation and maintenance? - Goals: What is/are the goal(s) of the committee? The success of citizen oversight committees rests on their ability to establish joint partnerships with stakeholders involved in the oversight process. Often citizen oversight committees balance the needs of the public, police officers, and law enforcement agencies in an effort to establish their legitimacy. However, citizen oversight committees should continue to adapt to changes in political leadership and internal departmental transitions so that their membership and legitimacy will remain a fixture for years to follow. Details: Fullerton, CA: California State University - Fullerton, Center for Public Policy, 2013. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 6, 2016 at: http://cpp.fullerton.edu/pdf/cpp_policeoversight_report.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://cpp.fullerton.edu/pdf/cpp_policeoversight_report.pdf Shelf Number: 138586 Keywords: Citizen Oversight CommitteesPolice AccountabilityPolice LegitimacyPolice-Community Relations |
Author: Kochel, Tammy Rinehard Title: St Louis County Hot Spots in Residential Areas (SCHIRA) Final Report: Assessing the Effects of Hot Spots Policing Strategies on Police Legitimacy, Crime, and Collective Efficacy Summary: The St. Louis County Hot Spots in Residential Areas (SCHIRA) study was a joint project between Dr. Tammy Rinehart Kochel, Principal Investigator (PI), Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC), and St. Louis County Police Department, MO (SLCPD). The purpose of this project was to conduct an experiment to study how a collaborative problem solving approach (PS) versus directed patrol (DP) versus standard policing practices (SPP) (the control group) differently impact crime in hot spots, but more importantly how the varied strategies impact residents' opinions about police, their neighborhoods, and their willingness to exert collective efficacy. The expected effects are outlined in Figure 1. Changing the amount of visibility and the nature and quantity of police interaction and response were expected to impact crime and also residents' perceptions about police services and conduct, affecting police legitimacy, perceptions of safety and victimization, and residents' willingness to promote collective efficacy. Project milestones are depicted in the timeline, Figure 2 in the Appendix. Details: Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University, 2016. 36p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 13, 2016 at: http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1002&context=ccj_reports Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1002&context=ccj_reports Shelf Number: 138644 Keywords: Collective EfficacyHot Spots PolicingPolice EffectivenessPolice LegitimacyProblem Solving Policing |
Author: Bruce, David Title: Unfinished Business: The architecture of police accountability in South Africa Summary: The African National Congress that emerged in South Africa after its unbanning in February 1990, the return of its exiled members and 'surfacing' of those who had been operating underground, was a political party with little expertise in the field of policing. But the first formal positions on policing issues that emerged from its 1992 policy conference, articulated in the ANC policy document Ready to govern, gave substantial emphasis to police accountability. Not only did this say that the new police service would be 'accountable to society and the community it serves through its democratically elected institutions' but also that policing should be 'based on community support and participation' and that policing priorities would be 'determined in consultation with the communities they serve'. To some degree these ideas were carried forward. An elaborate architecture of oversight of police was established by means first of the 'interim' Constitution that came into effect on 27 April 1994, and then by the 1995 South African Police Service Act and the 1996 'final' Constitution. Police in South Africa are indeed by law accountable to democratically elected institutions. At first it may also have appeared that direct accountability to communities was to become a central building block of policing in South Africa. Major emphasis was given to the role of Community Police Forums (CPFs) in the 'interim' Constitution, their foremost function described as 'the promotion of accountability of the Service to local communities.' But there was one factor that trumped all others in shaping the structure of control of police that emerged in South Africa. The police had been principal instruments of maintaining apartheid and were seen as potentially a key threat to the transition, particularly if they remained in the hands of regionally powerful groups opposed to full democracy. Police reform, it was understood, needed to take place at a national level. Fearing that 'the devolution of powers to the regions would insulate lower levels from change' the ANC believed that the South African Police 'could only be reformed from the centre'. At a conference in 1992 for instance, one of the key architects of ANC policy on the police argued that a regionalised system of policing 'would lead to jurisdictional problems and inadequate civilian control' and that 'a more centralised force would also ensure that uniform standards could be applied to police conduct'. The ANC's position was thus that a regionalised system of policing 'would be dangerous as it would allow transformation to take place at different speeds across the country and would offer the opportunity for regionally-based political parties to use the police for their own ends'. It therefore resisted any model of government that conceded substantial levels of regional autonomy in relation to the police. This, it feared, would enable regions to resist its transformative agenda, at worst feeding into the danger of regional instability and secession. Ironically, despite the fact that their erstwhile political masters were in favour of a regional system9, senior South African Police (SAP) officials who were involved in discussions over the structure of policing in South Africa were inclined to align themselves with the ANC position, as regionalising the police would undermine their own 'ability to control change'. This paper raises questions about whether the strongly centralised system of governance of police that has emerged in South Africa as a result of decisive influence of these concerns continues to be functional to policing in South Africa. As a result of the process of en masse recruitment over recent years the SAPS now employs over 190 000 people, making it one of the biggest police services in the world. Centralised political control over such a large bureaucracy may have drawbacks such as limiting the potential for responsiveness, innovation or new ideas. In the US for example it is apparent that the highly decentralised system of policing has supported innovation and experimentation and the advancement of policing. This paper is not however concerned to advance the US or any other model of policing governance but to focus on the current architecture of control of policing in South Africa and examine questions about possibilities for strengthening this architecture in such a way as to support a greater degree of flexibility, innovation and responsiveness within the policing system. Details: Cape Town: African Policing Civilian Oversight Forum (APCOF), 2011. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Policy Paper no. 2: Accessed April 14, 2016 at: http://www.apcof.org/files/9437_Brief2Unifnished%20Business.pdf Year: 2011 Country: South Africa URL: http://www.apcof.org/files/9437_Brief2Unifnished%20Business.pdf Shelf Number: 138667 Keywords: Police AccountabilityPolice EffectivenessPolice LegitimacyPolice ReformPolicing |
Author: Police Accountability Task Force (Chicago) Title: Police Accountability Task Force. Recommendations for Reform: Restoring Trust between the Chicago Police and the Communities they Serve: Report Summary: The Police Accountability Task Force arose amidst a significant and historic public outcry. The outcry brought people into the streets, on social media and on other venues to say in a very clear voice that they had reached a breaking point with the entire local law enforcement infrastructure. People were and are demanding accountability and real and lasting change. The outcry was not localized in any particular neighborhood or demographic, although communities of color and those ravaged by crime added some of the most poignant commentary. The Task Force immediately understood that one of our most important responsibilities was to actively seek out, listen and respond to voices from all over Chicago who had much to say about their personal and often painful experiences with the Chicago Police Department ("CPD"), the Independent Police Review Authority ("IPRA") and other parts of the local policing infrastructure, as well as their frustrations and lack of confidence in political actors. What we have heard has been humbling. As we dug deeper into the complaints of so many about the callous and disrespectful way in which they had been treated by some officers, we also understood that we had an important duty to lay bare the systemic and sanctioned practices that led to the deaths of fellow citizens and the deprivation of the rights of so many others. We have borne witness to many hard truths which have profound and lasting impacts on the lives and hopes of individuals and communities. Our recommendations are intended to be responsive to the people, empower the people and to specifically identify a range of changes that are essential to building trust, accountability and lasting change. As part of our work, the Task Force heard from many current and former CPD officers who are dedicated public servants, committed to performing their duties lawfully and making Chicago a safer place for all of its residents. Serving as a police officer is a challenging and often dangerous job. The police face an increasingly daunting challenge in crime fighting. Illegal guns flood the streets of the same neighborhoods that are devastated by crime, poverty and unemployment. We as a society cannot expect the police to cure every ill in Chicago's neighborhoods. Yet we put significant pressure on them to solve and prevent crime, as well as to address the manifestations of a number of other daunting social and economic challenges beyond their charge and capacity to manage, let alone solve. Still, a keen appreciation of and sensitivity to these broader issues is critical to effective law enforcement and positive community-police relations. The findings and recommendations in this report are not meant to disregard or undervalue the efforts of the many dedicated CPD officers who show up to work every day to serve and protect the community. The challenge is creating a partnership between the police and the community that is premised upon respect and recognizes that our collective fates are very much intertwined. Simply put, a more professional, engaged and respectful police force benefits us all. We cannot and have not shied away from identifying systemic problems or challenges that undermine the efforts of those officers who are sincerely committed to doing their jobs the right way. To be sure, individual officers must own responsibility for not merely their actions each day, but also the reverberating and sometimes corrosive and lingering effect of those actions on citizens. And ultimately, the responsibility for setting the correct course lies with CPD leadership itself. The City and in particular CPD would do well to embrace the necessary changes to address the systemic problems in CPD and not simply hope that this storm will pass. It will not and ignoring this opportunity will exacerbate Details: Chicago: The Task Force, 2016. 190p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 28, 2016 at: https://chicagopatf.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/PATF_Final_Report_4_13_16-1.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://chicagopatf.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/PATF_Final_Report_4_13_16-1.pdf Shelf Number: 138830 Keywords: Police AccountabilityPolice IntegrityPolice LegitimacyPolice MisconductPolice PerformancePolice Reform |
Author: Police Executive Research Forum Title: Guiding Principles On Use of Force Summary: American policing is at a critical juncture. Across the country, community members have been distressed by images of police officers using deadly force in questionable circumstances. These incidents are an infinitesimal fraction of the millions of interactions that take place between the police and the public every week. Most police officers never fire their guns (except during training) throughout their entire careers, yet they face enormous challenges and risks to their own safety on a regular basis and they perform their jobs admirably. But police chiefs tell us that even one bad encounter can damage trust with the community that took years to build. Others tell us that there is an upheaval within the policing profession itself. Officers who in the past exuded great pride in wearing the badge now feel underappreciated by some members of the public, who seem to question their every move and motive. PERF members also tell us that there is a crisis of public safety and officer safety. Violent crime shot up in many U.S. cities last year-the result, some have said, of the so-called "You Tube effect," with some officers hesitant to police proactively for fear of becoming the subject of the next viral video, and residents who have grown reluctant to partner with the police in community policing efforts. At the same time, violence against police officers, including attacks on officers just for being police officers, seems to have become more brutal and senseless. As a research organization of law enforcement executives, PERF hears from police chiefs and other officials every day. And what we are hearing is that the policing profession must take the initiative and address the serious challenges confronting it today. That means rethinking some of the fundamentals of policies, training, tactics, and equipment regarding use of force. We need to challenge the conventional thinking on how the police approach some potential use-of-force situations, in particular those that involve people with mental illness who do not have a firearm. Many of the strategies recommended in this report, such as Crisis Intervention Team training and de-escalation, are already in place in many police agencies, and have been for years. Other strategies, such as the Critical Decision-Making Model, are just beginning to be adopted by leading police agencies. This report reflects the latest thinking on police use-of-force issues from the perspective of many of the nation's leading police executives. These leaders are quoted in this report and in four previous PERF reports on these issues, three of which were released within the last year. Details: Washington, DC: PERF, 2016. 136p. Source: Internet Resource: Critical Issues in Policing Series: Accessed May 23, 2016 at: http://www.policeforum.org/assets/30%20guiding%20principles.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://www.policeforum.org/assets/30%20guiding%20principles.pdf Shelf Number: 139122 Keywords: Assaults Against PoliceCrisis InterventionDeadly ForcePolice LegitimacyPolice Use of ForcePolice-Citizen InteractionsPolicing Training |
Author: Police Executive Research Forum Title: Advice from Police Chiefs and Community Leaders on Building Trust: Summary: The last 18 months have been traumatic for the policing profession and for communities across the nation, with issues of use of force being questioned. To address these issues, the Police Executive Research Forum has been working to devise new training programs for police officers, emphasizing concepts of de-escalation, crisis intervention, and "slowing situations down" in order to give officers more time to evaluate what's happening, consider their options, get additional resources to the scene, and devise effective responses that minimize use of force. The national upheaval in policing since Ferguson is not only about issues of policing and training regarding use of force. Equally important is the impact on the level of trust by community members in their police departments. So we invited police chiefs and community leaders to a national conference in Washington, and asked them to discuss what's going on in their cities, particularly with respect to issues of force and the level of trust in the police. We wanted to know how they see what's going on in their city, and how they feel about what's happening nationally. And to the extent that community leaders and police chiefs could tell us that they have solid relationships of trust, we wanted to ask them for their best advice about how they reached that point. To get this project under way, we contacted PERF's member chiefs, invited them to participate in a one-day meeting, and asked each participating chief to invite one community leader to the meeting. We wanted frank, candid discussions that would produce useful information and guidance, so we asked each chief to choose a community leader who is not necessarily your biggest fan, but who has credibility in the community. Details: Washington, DC; PERF, 2016. 88p. Source: Internet Resource: Critical Issues in Policing Series: Accessed May 24, 2016 at: http://www.policeforum.org/assets/policecommunitytrust.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://www.policeforum.org/assets/policecommunitytrust.pdf Shelf Number: 139149 Keywords: Police LegitimacyPolice ReformPolice-Citizen InteractionsPolice-Community RelationsPolicing |
Author: Sinclair, Georgina Title: Identifying the Challenges, Lessons Learned, and Good Practices for Effective Policing with Communities in Fragile and Conflict-Affected States Summary: This briefing paper summarises discussions and syndicate exercise presentation material developed by police practitioners during a five-day course entitled 'Policing with Communities in Fragile and Conflict Affected States' (FCAS), delivered by Strategic Expertise International (SEI) in association with SIPR, Police Scotland and the Stabilisation Unit in January 2016. This course formed part of a European Union Police Services Training (EUPST II) programme designed to support police officers working in EU and other international operations. The overall objective of the exercise was to increase practitioner knowledge of the connected issues, build their capabilities, understanding and skills as well as the development of key guiding principles for policing communities within FCAS as observed within this briefing paper. The outcomes were limited due to time constraints but provide initial considerations from which a framework of guiding principles could be envisaged. Details: Dundee, UK: Scottish Institute for Policing Research, 2016. 7p. Source: Internet Resource: SIPR Briefings, No. 17: Accessed June 28, 2016 at: http://www.sipr.ac.uk/downloads/Briefing17.pdf Year: 2016 Country: International URL: http://www.sipr.ac.uk/downloads/Briefing17.pdf Shelf Number: 139438 Keywords: Community PolicingPolice LegitimacyPolice-Community RelationsPolicing |
Author: Haberman, Cory P. Title: COPS on Dots Doing What? The Differential Effects of Police Enforcement Actions in Hot Spots Summary: Although hot spots policing has become one of the most promising policing strategies, the empirical evidence on the effectiveness of hot spots policing does not suggest what police should be doing in crime hot spots. To date - police enforcement actions, pedestrian investigations, traffic enforcement, and arrests - still dominate American policing. Yet empirical studies of these actions have not: focused on micro-geographic areas, employed multiple measures of police enforcement actions, or empirically compared the effectiveness of different enforcement actions. Given these gaps in the literature, a mixed-methods study sought to answer four research questions. (1) Do four police enforcement actions focused on offenders or potential offenders reduce violent crime in hot spots? The four police enforcement actions examined were pedestrian investigations, traffic enforcement events, quality of life arrests, and violent crime arrests. (2) Are any one of these four police enforcement actions more effective than the others? (3) When police commanders allocate resources to crime hot spots, what do police commanders think they are doing? (4) What are police commanders rationales for what they do in crime hot spots? The first two questions were answered using official data from the Philadelphia Police Department. A purposive sample of 169 high crime street blocks and intersections was drawn and longitudinal data analyses examined the effects of police enforcement actions on monthly violent crime counts from 2009 to 2013 (n = 10,140). Wald Tests were used to test for the differential effectiveness of the four enforcement actions. Qualitative methods answered the remaining two research questions. Field observations of crime strategy meetings (May, 2014 to August, 2014) and interviews with police commanders (November, 2014 to February, 2015) were conducted. The quantitative results found total enforcement and pedestrian stop levels in the previous or same month linked to higher expected monthly violent crime counts. The positive effect of pedestrian stops was significantly larger than the effects of traffic enforcement or quality of life arrests. Despite the positive relationship between police enforcement and violent crime, the qualitative results provided insight into what police commanders thought they were doing in crime hot spots. Three themes emerged from the qualitative data: (1) "locking down" crime hot spots, (2) disrupting high risk offenders, and (3) educating potential victims. Police commanders rationalized these beliefs with four explanations of their effectiveness: (1) making offenders "think twice", (2) denying potential offenders and victims certain places in order to reduce crime opportunities, (3) getting high risk offenders "off the street", and (4) target hardening. Drawing on theorizing for how police enforcement actions might actually link to higher levels of crime (Grabosky, 1996) and methodological concerns raised by Taylor (2015), five possible explanations for the observed positive relationships among police enforcement actions and violent crime are provided: (1) an anticipatory effect, (2) over-deterrence, (3) escalation, (4) unintended enticement and self-fulfilling prophecies, and (5) temporal scaling. The anticipatory effect explanation centers on the police correctly anticipating outbreaks of violent crime but violent crime still not being reduced due to (1) dosage, (2) the overuse of enforcement, (3) police legitimacy, (4) temporal displacement or two components the study's design (5) imprecise measurement and (6) lack of a proper counterfactual. Additionally, police enforcement actions may inadvertently reduce guardianship though overdeterrence, escalate competition among rival offenders, or inform potential offenders of crimes they could or "should" be committing. Finally, the study's temporal scale (i.e., months) may not be fine enough to capture the actual cycling of how increased enforcement actions produce lower violent crime levels. The qualitative data are drawn upon to possibly support these explanations. Additionally, the pros and cons of police commanders' perspectives on the use and effectiveness of enforcement actions are discussed in context of the criminological theory and crime control literatures. Finally, the results are discussed in terms of their implications for crime control theory and policy. Details: Philadelphia: Temple University, 2015. 310p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed June 28, 2016 at: http://digital.library.temple.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/338119 Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://digital.library.temple.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/338119 Shelf Number: 139506 Keywords: Crime AnalysisHot SpotsPolice LegitimacyPolice ResponsePolicing Hot SpotsTarget HardeningViolent Crime |
Author: Owens, Emily G. Title: Promoting Officer Integrity Through Early Engagement and Procedural Justice in the Seattle Police Department Summary: Project Description/Goals The procedural justice intervention experiment was designed to assess the impact of a procedural justice intervention on police citizen encounters. The intervention was based on supervisory modeling of LEED principles (listen and explain with equity and dignity) during a review of a routine encounter to determine whether this lost cost intervention would translate to more procedurally just encounters. Study Design & Methods Using a randomized design, this study relied on three innovations: 1) a new kind of Early Intervention System - the High Risk Circumstance (HRC) - model that identifies officers working in behavioral "hot spots:" 2) training sergeants on the concept of listening and explaining with equity and dignity (LEED), an approach to procedural justice, and asking them to meet with officers to discuss recent encounters in which they modeled this technique; and 3) providing experimental evidence on the impact of a feasible procedural justice training program that is based on two practical and quantifiable performance metrics: officer activity and incident outcomes. Officers were selected using the new HRC model, and then were randomly assigned to receive the procedural justice intervention or to the control in order to test for the impact of this low-cost intervention approach to institutionalizing procedural justice. Results The officers who participated in supervisory meetings appeared to engage in encounters with citizens with equal frequency as their colleagues. However, those who participated in the meetings were roughly 26% less likely to resolve an incident with an arrest one week after having a meeting when compared to their colleagues who did not participate. This effect is reasonably persistent, and the results suggest that officers who participated in the LEED debriefs were 12% less likely overall to resolve incidents via an arrest over the six-week period after the supervisory meetings. The results also suggest that in the longer run, officers who participated in the meetings were over 30% less likely to be involved in a use of force incident. Overall, we did not find evidence that officers who had additional non-disciplinary supervisory meetings were any more or less likely to respond to, initiate, or document CAD incidents relative to their peers who worked in similar situations. We also found no substantive change in the amount of time officers were officially on-scene in a given incident. Furthermore, we did not find evidence that officers who participated in the meetings were less likely to garner complaints from the public. We conclude that non-disciplinary LEED based supervisory meetings are a promising strategy for improving police legitimacy. Officers who had at least one meeting over a six month period in which they reviewed how they approached relatively standard citizen encounters appeared to be less likely to engage in behaviors that, while central to policing, have the potential to reduce legitimacy when abused (e.g. making arrests and use of force). Implications for Policy & Practice The findings from this study suggest that procedural justice can be implemented in law enforcement agencies rather simply and inexpensively while also potentially contributing to increased legitimacy. It is expected that agencies that want to institutionalize procedurally just approaches can do so by implementing supervisory training at a minimal level, and maximize returns on that investment be encouraging supervisors to model procedurally just behaviors. Details: Washington, DC: The Police Foundation, 2015. 149p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 28, 2016 at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/249881.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/249881.pdf Shelf Number: 139507 Keywords: Police IntegrityPolice LegitimacyPolice TrainingPolice-Citizen InteractionsProcedural Justice |
Author: Drover, Paul Title: Leading and Testing Body Worn Video in Wolverhampton Summary: Policing faces both a crisis in public confidence and the challenge of improving effectiveness in times of austerity. Body Worn Video (BWV) is seen internationally as having the potential to reduce public complaints, police use of force and potentially to improve criminal justice outcomes. However there are very few studies currently that explore the effects of BWV. Further replication of the BWV trial in Rialto, California (Farrar, 2013) is required to develop our understanding of the effects. This research shall document a Police Leaders' implementation of a randomised control trial into the effects of BWV. The main objectives are to identify the challenges to implementing a trial and identify how they were overcome. The solutions to these challenges shall provide key lessons for future police leaders as they undertake research and implement change. This study shall break down the sections of the implementation process. It shall explore each issue from gaining support to run a trial through to the challenge of maintaining it. The main challenges encountered from devising the trial in March 2014, through to three months into random allocation in August 2014 shall be detailed. Addressing police resistance, tracking performance, working with technology and maintaining officer compliance will feature as key issues. This study found that gaining the support of police practitioners and police leaders requires both negotiation and direction. Once overcome the ability to maintain compliance with the experimental protocols of random assignment was key. A combination of nudge theory and direct accountability is required. The study identifies planning and a skilled support team as being crucial to overcoming the issues of trial implementation and management. A leader with strong communication skills who can adapt to feedback is central to overcoming the many issues encountered in the trial. Details: Cambridge, UK: Wolfson College, 2014. 100p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed June 29, 2016 at: http://www.crim.cam.ac.uk/alumni/theses/Paul%20Drover.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.crim.cam.ac.uk/alumni/theses/Paul%20Drover.pdf Shelf Number: 139538 Keywords: Body-Worn CamerasPolice AccountabilityPolice LegitimacyPolice PerformancePolice TechnologySurveillance Video Cameras |
Author: Eberhardt, Jennifer L., ed. Title: Strategies for Change: Research Initiatives and Recommendations to Improve Police-Community Relations in Oakland, Calif. Summary: In May 2014, the City of Oakland contracted with our team of Stanford social psychologists to assist the Oakland Police Department (OPD) in collecting and analyzing data on officers' self-initiated stops. Our task was to analyze the reports that OPD officers completed after every stop they initiated between April 1, 2013 and April 30, 2014. These reports are called stop data. In Strategies for Change, we summarize the findings of this stop data analysis, discuss four other research initiatives, and list 50 recommendations for improving police-community relations.Across our research programs, we indeed uncovered evidence that OPD officers treat people of different races differently. At the same time, we found little evidence that disparate treatment arose from explicit racism or purposeful discrimination. Instead, our research suggests that many subtle and unexamined cultural norms, beliefs, and practices sustain disparate treatment. Our findings also suggest 50 evidence-based actions that agencies can take to change department cultures and strengthen police-community ties. Details: Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University, SPARQ: Social Psychological Answers to Real-world Questions, 2016. 58p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 21, 2016 at: https://stanford.app.box.com/v/Strategies-for-Change Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://stanford.app.box.com/v/Strategies-for-Change Shelf Number: 139752 Keywords: Police LegitimacyPolice-Citizen InteractionsPolice-Community RelationsStop and Search |
Author: Hetey, Rebecca C. Title: Data for Change: A Statistical Analysis of Police Stops, Searches, Handcuffings, and Arrests in Oakland, Calif., 2013-2014 Summary: Law enforcement agencies across the United States are facing claims that they discriminate against community members of color. Inquiries into these claims often involve analyzing data from police stops. These so-called stop data reports typically take one of two approaches: either attack the agency for intentional racism, or deny the presence of racial disparities altogether. Yet neither of these approaches has yielded adequate progress toward many agencies' mission of serving their communities with fairness and respect. Taking a different approach, the City of Oakland engaged our team of Stanford social psychologists to examine relations between the Oakland Police Department (OPD) and the Oakland community, and then to develop evidence-based remedies for any racial disparities we might find. Racial disparities in policing likely have many causes. To examine these causes, our team has undertaken five research initiatives. We describe our research methods, findings, and recommendations in Strategies for Change: Research Initiatives and Recommendations To Improve Police-Community Relations in Oakland, Calif. We provide a technical report of our main research initiative, a thorough analysis of OPD stop data, in Data for Change: A Statistical Analysis of Police Stops, Searches, Handcuffings, and Arrests in Oakland, Calif., 2013-2014. Across our research programs, we indeed uncovered evidence that OPD officers treat people of different races differently. At the same time, we found little evidence that these racial disparities arose from overt bias or purposeful discrimination. Instead, our research suggests that many subtle and unexamined cultural norms, beliefs, and practices sustain disparate outcomes. Our findings also suggest 50 evidence-based actions that agencies can take to change department cultures and strengthen police-community ties. Below, we highlight some of our research initiatives, findings, and recommendations for improving police-community relations in Oakland and other U.S. cities. Below, we highlight some of our research initiatives, findings, and recommendations for improving police-community relations in Oakland and other parts of the U.S. The 5 Research Initiatives - Statistical analyses of stop data from 28,119 forms that 510 OPD officers filed after stopping drivers and pedestrians in Oakland, Calif., between April 1, 2013 and April 30, 2014 (for a summary, see Chapter 1 of Strategies for Change; for the technical report, see Data for Change); - Development of computational tools to analyze linguistic data from body-worn cameras (BWCs) and, using these tools, analyses of some 157,000 words spoken by OPD officers during 380 stops in April of 2014 (see Chapter 2 of Strategies for Change); - Development of computational tools to analyze written narratives from police stop data forms, and, using these tools as well as human experts, analyses of some 1,000 OPD officer narratives from April of 2014 (see Chapter 3 of Strategies for Change); - Two surveys of 416 Oakland community members regarding their attitudes toward and experiences with OPD officers (see Chapter 4 of Strategies for Change); - Development and evaluation of implicit bias and procedural justice training modules with 675 OPD officers (see Chapter 5 of Strategies for Change). Key Findings - OPD officers stopped, searched, handcuffed, and arrested more African Americans than Whites, a finding that remained significant even after we controlled for neighborhood crime rates and demographics; officer race, gender, and experience; and other factors that shape police actions; - Some 60% of OPD stops were of African Americans, who make up 28% of Oakland's population; - Of OPD officers making at least one stop during the 13-month period of study: - Only 20% stopped a White person, while 96% stopped an African American person; - Only 26% handcuffed a White person, while 72% handcuffed an African American person (excluding arrests); - Only 23% conducted a discretionary search of a White person, while 65% conducted a discretionary search of an African American person; - When OPD officers could identify the community member's race before a stop, they were much more likely to stop an African American, as compared to when officers could not identify the community member's race; - With African Americans, OPD officers used more severe legal language (e.g., mentioned probation, parole, and arrest) and offered fewer explanations for the stop than with Whites; - In police-initiated interactions, African American and Hispanic Oakland residents felt more disrespected and misunderstood than did White and Asian Oakland residents. Select Recommendations - Our findings suggest the OPD has a culture where officers stop, search, handcuff, and arrest more African Americans than Whites. We suspect many other law enforcement agencies have similar cultures. In Strategies for Change, we thus recommend the OPD and other agencies regularly review their policies, practices, and procedures for evidence of disparate outcomes. - As our findings reveal that less-experienced officers show more racial disparities in their stops, better training of new officers could likely reduce the degree of these disparities. To this end, Strategies for Change presents several recommendations for how to improve officer training. - Although the OPD collects copious amounts of data, few measures track the OPD's relationship with the community. In Strategies for Change, we thus recommend several actions that the OPD and other law enforcement agencies can take to measure what matters most. - More broadly, we observe that many law enforcement agencies do not fully embrace data because they view it as evidence that could be used against them, rather than as feedback about what is or is not working, and why. In Strategies for Change, we recommend more than a dozen actions that the OPD and other law enforcement agencies can take to better leverage data. Details: Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University, SPARQ: Social Psychological Answers to Real-world Questions, 2016. 298p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 21, 2016 at: https://sparq.stanford.edu/data-for-change Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://sparq.stanford.edu/data-for-change Shelf Number: 139753 Keywords: Police LegitimacyPolice-Citizen InteractionsPolice-Community RelationsRacial Profiling in Law EnforcementStop and Search |
Author: San Francisco. Blue Ribbon Panel on Transparency, Accountability, and Fairness in Law Enforcement Title: Report of the Blue Ribbon Panel on Transparency, Accountability, and Fairness in Law Enforcement Summary: The Blue Ribbon Panel on Transparency, Accountability, and Fairness in Law Enforcement (the Panel) was established as an advisory body to the San Francisco District Attorney in May 2015 in the wake of revelations that 14 San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) officers had exchanged numerous racist and homophobic text messages. The text messages-milder examples of which included statements such as "Cross burning lowers blood pressure! I did the test myself!" and "I still hate black people" - expressed blatant hostility toward and mocked people of color - including SFPD officers - and insulted lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. The Panel was tasked with answering the critical and obvious question that the text-messaging scandal raised and - to the Panel's knowledge - no other city agency had investigated: Was the racial and homophobic bias so clearly demonstrated by the offensive texts a reflection of institutionalized bias within the SFPD and, if so, to what extent? Over a one-year period, the Panel examined a number of different aspects of the SFPD to try to develop a comprehensive understanding of the issue, interviewing more than 100 witnesses and reviewing thousands of public documents. The result is this report. Its findings and recommendations strive to give credit where credit is due, but point to several unmistakable conclusions: the SFPD is in need of greater transparency; lacks robust oversight; must rebuild trust with the communities it serves; and should pay greater attention to issues of bias against people of color, both officers and members of the public. In short, the Panel concludes that the SFPD is in urgent need of important reforms. Details: San Francisco: The Panel, 2016. 249p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 21, 2016 at: http://sfdistrictattorney.org/sites/default/files/Document/BRP_report.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://sfdistrictattorney.org/sites/default/files/Document/BRP_report.pdf Shelf Number: 139754 Keywords: Police AccountabilityPolice LegitimacyPolice-Citizen InteractionsPolice-Community RelationsRacial Profiling in law EnforcementStop and Search |
Author: Feeney, Matthew Title: Watching the Watchmen: Best Practices for Police Body Cameras Summary: Coverage of recent police killings has prompted a much-needed debate on law enforcement reform, and proposals for police body cameras have featured heavily in these discussions. Body cameras undoubtedly gather valuable evidence of police misconduct, and although research on the effects of body cameras is comparatively limited there are good reasons to believe that they can improve police behavior. However, without the right policies in place the use of police body cameras could result in citizens' privacy being needlessly violated. In addition, poorly considered police body camera policies governing the storage and release of footage might be too costly to implement. This paper examines the research on the costs and benefits of police body cameras, arguing that the devices can, if properly deployed and regulated, provide a valuable disincentive to police abuses as well as valuable evidence for punishing abuses when they occur. No one-size-fits-all set of body camera policies should be imposed on the thousands of police departments across the United States, which vary significantly in size as well as the crime rates they face. Nonetheless, the policies that municipal, state, and federal actors adopt will need to address transparency, accountability, and privacy in order to realize the potential benefits of wearable cameras. Toward that end, this paper outlines a number of best practices designed to help law enforcement agencies at all levels address the privacy and fiscal issues associated with body cameras. By themselves, body cameras are not a police misconduct panacea. Police misconduct can only be adequately addressed by implementing significant reforms to police practices and training. Still, body cameras can serve as an important component of police reform. Details: Washington, DC: Cato Institute, 2015. 24p. Source: Internet Resource: Policy Analysis no.782: Accessed July 21, 2016 at: http://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pubs/pdf/pa782.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pubs/pdf/pa782.pdf Shelf Number: 139757 Keywords: Body-Worn CamerasPolice AccountabilityPolice LegitimacyPolice MisconductPolice Use of Force |
Author: Fagan, Jeffrey Title: An Analysis of Race and Ethnicity Patterns in Boston Police Department Field Interrogation, Observation, Frisk, and/or Search Reports Summary: The research findings presented in this report represent an independent inquiry into possible racial disparities in Boston Police Department Field Interrogation, Observation, Frisk, and/or Search practices (informally known as FIO reports). This inquiry was conducted at the request of the Boston Police Department and the American Civilian Liberties Union of Massachusetts and spans the years 2007-10. This report summarizes the methods and research findings of the independent research enterprise. Key research findings include: - The yearly number of FIO reports made by the BPD has steadily decreased in recent years. Between 2008 and 2013, the number of FIO reports made by the BPD decreased by almost 42% (from 55,684 to 32,463). This study focused on N=204,739 FIOs made by BPD officers between 2007 and 2010. - Controlling for a variety of factors including race of residents, the logged number of crimes in Boston neighborhoods was the strongest predictor of the amount of FIO activity in Boston neighborhoods. However, the analyses revealed that the percentage of Black and Hispanic residents in Boston neighborhoods were also significant predictors of increased FIO activity after controlling for crime and other social factors. These racial disparities generate increased numbers of FIO reports in minority neighborhoods above the rate that would be predicted by crime alone. For instance, a neighborhood with 85 percent Black residents would experience approximately 53 additional FIO reports per month compared to an "average" Boston neighborhood. - FIO activity was concentrated on repeated interactions with a relatively small number of people. Roughly 5 percent of the N=72,619 unique individuals subjected to FIO encounters accounted for more than 40 percent of the total number of FIO reports made during the study time period. 67.5 percent of the FIO subjects only experienced one FIO and, as a group, accounted for 24.6 percent of the total number of FIO reports made by BPD officers during the study time period. - Gang membership and prior arrest histories were significant predictors of (a) repeated FIO reports of the same subject and (b) whether subjects were frisked / searched during an FIO encounter. These effects were present after controlling for age, sex, and race. In addition, Black subjects experienced 8 percent higher numbers of repeat FIOs and were roughly 12 percent more likely to be frisked / searched during an FIO encounter, controlling for prior criminal history, gang membership, and other factors. - FIO reports were also concentrated among a small number of very active BPD officers. Roughly 4 percent of N=2,349 BPD officers made over 43 percent of the FIOs during the study time period. Youth Violence Strike Force officers (informally known as the "gang unit") were associated with the highest numbers of FIO reports. During the study period, nearly 26 percent of BPD officers did not file a single FIO report. These officers were primarily assigned to administrative positions or were on leave for significant portions of the study time period. - White BPD officers made significantly higher numbers of FIO reports during the study time period relative to Black and Asian officers. White BPD officers also were more likely to frisk / search subjects during FIO encounters relative to minority officers. However, white officers did not seem to discriminate by subject race and ethnicity. Also, White officers made elevated numbers of FIO reports and were more likely to frisk and search during FIO encounters for subjects of all races and ethnicities. However, within suspect race categories, Black officers were less likely to FIO or frisk White or Black suspects than were White officers. - These analyses revealed racially disparate treatment of minority persons in BPD FIO activity. However, we cannot determine whether the identified patterns were generated by bias or other sources of racial discrimination in BPD FIO practices. Further research is necessary to understand the factors and processes that influence the observed disparities. Details: Boston: Boston Police Department, 2015. 32p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 21, 2016 at: https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.documentcloud.org/documents/2158964/full-boston-police-analysis-on-race-and-ethnicity.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.documentcloud.org/documents/2158964/full-boston-police-analysis-on-race-and-ethnicity.pdf Shelf Number: 139758 Keywords: Police LegitimacyRacial DisparitiesRacial Profiling in Law EnforcementStop and Search |
Author: Davies, Matthew Title: Driving Accountability from Within: Key lessons for newly elected Police and Crime Commissioners Summary: This first empirical study of Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) highlights a set of key findings and recommendations for newly elected PCCs to assist them in developing the internal capacity and key relationships that are essential to the challenging and expanding role. Details: London: Police Foundation, 2016. 32p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 21, 2016 at: http://www.police-foundation.org.uk/uploads/catalogerfiles/driving-accountability-from-within-key-lessons-for-newly-elected-pccs/driving_accountability_final.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.police-foundation.org.uk/uploads/catalogerfiles/driving-accountability-from-within-key-lessons-for-newly-elected-pccs/driving_accountability_final.pdf Shelf Number: 145629 Keywords: Police AccountabilityPolice AdministrationPolice Legitimacy |
Author: Morin, Rich Title: The Racial Confidence Gap in Police Performance: Blacks, whites also have dramatically different views on causes of fatal encounters between blacks and police Summary: The deep racial tensions seen in many areas of American life underlie how blacks and whites view police in their communities, as well as their reactions to the deadly encounters in recent years between blacks and law enforcement officers, according to a new survey by Pew Research Center. Only about a third of blacks but roughly three-quarters of whites say police in their communities do an excellent or good job in using the appropriate force on suspects, treating all racial and ethnic minorities equally and holding officers accountable when misconduct occurs. Roughly half of all blacks say local police do an excellent or good job combatting crime - a view held by about eight-inten whites. Blacks and whites also differ over the root causes of the fatal incidents between police and blacks in recent years. Even before the recent lethal encounters between police and black men in Tulsa and Charlotte, the survey found that blacks are 25 percentage points more likely than whites to say the deaths of blacks during encounters with police in recent years are signs of a broader societal problem and not merely isolated incidents. At the same time, whites and blacks both see the complexity of the situation. Majorities of each race say that both anti-police bias and a genuine desire to hold officers accountable for their actions play a part in fueling the protests that have often followed these fatal incidents, though whites are more skeptical than blacks about the demonstrators' motives. There is less agreement on which is the more important motivator: For whites, it is anti-police bias (85% vs. 63% who see a sincere desire to promote accountability); for blacks it's reversed (79% of blacks cite accountability, 56% opposition to the police). The survey, conducted Aug. 16-Sept. 12 online and by mail among 4,538 U.S. adults, also found that about eight-in-ten blacks and a larger share of whites favor the use of body cameras by police to record encounters with citizens. Majorities of both races also believe that the use of so-called body cams would prompt officers to act more appropriately when dealing with the public. The survey was completed before a recent deadly encounter in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that left a black man dead and the white officer who shot him charged with manslaughter, as well as a fatal shooting of a black man in Charlotte, North Carolina, that sparked two nights of unrest in that city. Details: Washington, DC: Pew Research Center, 2016. 13p. Source: Internet Resource: http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2016/09/29/the-racial-confidence-gap-in-police-performance/ Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2016/09/29/the-racial-confidence-gap-in-police-performance/ Shelf Number: 140528 Keywords: Police EffectivenessPolice LegitimacyPolice Use of ForcePolice-Community Relations |
Author: Finkenbinder, Karen Title: Fostering a Police Reform Paradigm Summary: Of all the myriad of lessons learned in recent conflicts, the importance of police forces, to counter insurgencies and maintain security, is well-recognized. The police may be civilian, military or combination of types of police. Numerous articles, studies, and books have been published about all aspects of police reform but this monograph takes a different approach. It combines the theoretical with the applied and provides practical and historical applications of police reform. The authors have diverse experiences - Ms. Finkenbinder, a career in municipal and state policing before moving into academia; Professor Millen, a retired Army officer and PKSOI Security Sector Reform analyst, and Colonel Lowe, a senior military police officer with 23 years of experience as a teacher, staff officer and commander. Combined, they have more than sixty years of experience teaching, mentoring and reforming police. Precisely, because of this, they understand that police reform is more than a checklist of outputs. It requires a paradigm shift from being focused on policing tasks to one that understands the rational and moral foundation of police forces and how they fit into society. Police reform needs to know the distinction between the Rule of Law and Rule by Law and how the latter can be used to perpetuate evil in the name of the state. Police reform needs a blueprint for building stabile police organizations and that blueprint is doctrine. But, none of it matters without the practical application involved in hiring the right people for the right tasks. The authors have tried to balance the philosophical, doctrinal and practical considerations to encourage a police reform paradigm - one that is based upon human rights, yet respectful of cultural differences. Details: Carlisle Barracks, PA: U.S. Army War College Press, 2013. 71p. Source: Internet Resource: PKSOI Papers, Accessed September 30, 2016 at: https://www.pksoi.org/document_repository/doc_lib/PKSOI_Paper_Fostering_a_Police_Reform_Paradigm_(18-Jun-13).pdf Year: 2013 Country: International URL: https://www.pksoi.org/document_repository/doc_lib/PKSOI_Paper_Fostering_a_Police_Reform_Paradigm_(18-Jun-13).pdf Shelf Number: 140533 Keywords: Police LegitimacyPolice PerformancePolice ReformPolicing |
Author: Felbab-Brown, Vanda Title: Human Security and Crime in Latin America: The Political Capital and Political Impact of Criminal Groups and Belligerents Involved in Illicit Economies Summary: Organized crime and illegal economies generate multiple threats to states and societies. But although the negative effects of high levels of pervasive street and organized crime on human security are clear, the relationships between human security, crime, illicit economies, and law enforcement are highly complex. By sponsoring illicit economies in areas of state weakness where legal economic opportunities and public goods are seriously lacking, both belligerent and criminal groups frequently enhance some elements of human security of the marginalized populations who depend on illicit economies for basic livelihoods. Even criminal groups without a political ideology often have an important political impact on the lives of communities and on their allegiance to the State. Criminal groups also have political agendas. Both belligerent and criminal groups can develop political capital through their sponsorship of illicit economies. The extent of their political capital is dependent on several factors. Efforts to defeat belligerent groups by decreasing their financial flows through the suppression of an illicit economy are rarely effective. Such measures, in turn, increase the political capital of anti-State groups. The effectiveness of anti-money laundering measures (AML) also remains low and is often highly contingent on specific vulnerabilities of the target. The design of AML measures has other effects, such as on the size of a country‟s informal economy. Multifaceted anti-crime strategies that combine law enforcement approaches with targeted socioeconomic policies and efforts to improve public goods provision, including access to justice, are likely to be more effective in suppressing crime than tough nailed-fist approaches. For anti-crime policies to be effective, they often require a substantial, but politically-difficult concentration of resources in target areas. In the absence of effective law enforcement capacity, legalization and decriminalization policies of illicit economies are unlikely on their own to substantially reduce levels of criminality or to eliminate organized crime. Effective police reform, for several decades largely elusive in Latin America, is one of the most urgently needed policy reforms in the region. Such efforts need to be coupled with fundamental judicial and correctional systems reforms. Yet, regional approaches cannot obliterate the so-called balloon effect. If demand persists, even under intense law enforcement pressures, illicit economies will relocate to areas of weakest law enforcement, but they will not be eliminated. Details: Miami: Florida International University, Western Hemisphere Security Analysis Center, 2011. 57p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 6, 2016 at: https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/09_latin_america_crime_felbab_brown.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Latin America URL: https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/09_latin_america_crime_felbab_brown.pdf Shelf Number: 147800 Keywords: Illicit EconomiesMoney LaunderingOrganized CrimePolice EffectivenessPolice Legitimacy |
Author: Great Britain. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary Title: PEEL: Police legitimacy 2015: A National Overview Summary: As part of HMIC's annual inspections into police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy (PEEL), this programme assessed how legitimate the force is at keeping people safe and reducing crime. The inspection focused on whether forces are consistently behaving in a way that is fair, reasonable, effective and lawful, and if they have the consent of the public. HMIC has reported on legitimacy at a force level, as well as drawing out overarching themes which are set out in this national report. Details: London: HMIC, 2016. 67p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 12, 2016 at: https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmic/wp-content/uploads/peel-police-legitimacy-2015.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmic/wp-content/uploads/peel-police-legitimacy-2015.pdf Shelf Number: 145429 Keywords: Police AccountabilityPolice EffectivenessPolice Legitimacy |
Author: U.S. Office of Community Oriented Policing Services Title: An Assessment of the San Francisco Police Department. Collaborative Reform Initiative Summary: In response to requests from city officials who asked the U.S. Department of Justice to conduct an in-depth review of the policies and practices of the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD), the COPS Office launched the Collaborative Reform Initiative for Technical Assistance (CRI-TA) with the SFPD. The COPS Office supports law enforcement agencies by implementing and sustaining reforms that increase public trust through improvements in community policing practices, transparency, professionalism, and accountability while taking into account national standards, promising practices, current and emerging research, and community expectations. Although the COPS Office found a department that is committed to making changes and working with the community, it also found a department with outdated use of force policies that fail the officers and the community and inadequate data collection that prevents leadership from understanding officer activities and ensure organizational accountability. The department lacked accountability measures to ensure that the department is being open and transparent while holding officers accountable. Disparities were found in traffic stops, post-stop searches, and use of deadly force against minorities. Altogether, the COPS Office identified 94 findings and developed 272 associated recommendations. This report is a road map to reform policing in San Francisco to conform to community expectations and improve public safety. This report summarizes the full assessment including findings and recommendations that will help the department modernize its policing practices and enhance community trust Details: Washington, DC: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, 2016. 432p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 13, 2016 at: https://ric-zai-inc.com/Publications/cops-w0817-pub.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://ric-zai-inc.com/Publications/cops-w0817-pub.pdf Shelf Number: 145539 Keywords: Police AccountabilityPolice AdministrationPolice LegitimacyPolice PerformancePolice Policies and PracticesPolice ReformPolice Use of Force |
Author: Ohio Task Force on Community-Police Relations Title: Final Report Summary: The Ohio Task Force on Community-Police Relations was formed by Governor John Kasich on December 12, 2014, to address the fractured relationships that exist between some communities and the police dedicated to serving them. The Task Force was formed after the tragic deaths of Tamir Rice in Cleveland and John Crawford III in Beavercreek. The deaths of these two Ohioans along with a number of other events from across the country served as the impetus for the creation of the Task Force. These events collectively, and the protests and public reaction that followed, also serve as a reminder of the difficult past that many people, have experienced with law enforcement. While these events from across the country are not indicative of the overwhelming majority of outstanding law enforcement professionals, they demonstrate the need for all of us to work together in order to move forward. The charge of the Task Force was threefold: 1. To explore the cause of fractured relationships that exist between some law enforcement and the communities they serve; 2. To examine strategies to strengthen trust between communities and law enforcement in order to resolve the underlying causes of friction; 3. To provide the Governor with a report including recommendations about best practices available to communities. The overarching goal of the work of this Task Force is to ensure the safety and security of Ohio's citizens. This basic tenet applies equally to the dedicated men and women of law enforcement as well as every citizen of this state. Communities are best able to thrive when their residents feel safe. One of the most effective ways to ensure that communities are safe is for law enforcement and citizens to work together to solve and prevent problems. There are ample examples of this type of collaborative effort in many communities across this state. While the Task Force was formed in response to several tragic events in our state, it would be irresponsible to paint all law enforcement officers in a negative light. This state is overwhelmingly served by outstanding law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line every day to ensure our safety. They deal daily with difficult and dangerous situations and are in many instances the best part of a person's worst day. It takes a special person to be a good law enforcement officer. One goal of this report is to provide support to officers in order to enhance tools, training and the understanding they need and deserve to keep them and their fellow citizens safe, and to aid in enhancing their relationships with the communities they serve. At the end of each day, we want our law enforcement officers and the public to be able to go home to their families. It is also important to listen to the concerns of our citizens, and to be informed by their collective experiences. Input for the development of this report comes from Ohio citizens and experts in the field. The public was asked to provide input in a variety of ways. A listening tour consisting of four public forums was held at the following venues: Cleveland State University; Central State University; University of Toledo and the University of Cincinnati. A public website was created to allow citizens to provide comments. Additionally, the hashtag #beheardohio was created in order to allow the public to participate through social media. Details: Columbus: Ohio State Department of Public Safety, 2015. 629p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 20, 2016 at: http://publicsafety.ohio.gov/otfcpr/links/ohtfcpr_final_report.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://publicsafety.ohio.gov/otfcpr/links/ohtfcpr_final_report.pdf Shelf Number: 140815 Keywords: Police LegitimacyPolice-Community Relations |
Author: Krzalic, Armin Title: The Citizens' Opinion of the Police Force: The Results of Public Opinion Survey Conducted in Bosnia and Herzegovina Summary: The police happens to be most trusted part of the system of Bosnia and Herzegovina -- more than half of the population has confidence in this institution. However, the image of the police among the population of Bosnia and Herzegovina is divided -- while the opinion of some is quite positive, others list corruption, lack of politeness and discomfort as things that first come to mind at the mention of police officers. In the opinion of the population, one of the biggest problems with the police is the excessive influence of politicians on their work. The police officers are, thus, perceived as protectors of the interests of political parties instead of those who are there to serve the citizens. Citizens believe that corruption in the police force is widespread, but when we look at individual parts of the institution we see that this assessment varies and pertains mostly to traffic police, border police (especially the customs officers) and the closest associates of ministers of interior affairs. Citizens say that the process of employment in the police also happens to be problematic, i.e. that employment is gained through friends, family members, political connections and bribery. The number of those who say that they would report cases of corruption in the police, if they had the opportunity, is quite small. Such an attitude best illustrates the image of the police in public, that is, its disappointment with their work and lack of interest in their affairs. Details: Sarajevo: Centre for Security Studies, 2016. 24p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 28, 2016 at: http://css.ba/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Bosnia-and-Herzegovina-The-Citizens-Opinion-of-Police-Force-2016.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Bosnia and Herzegovina URL: http://css.ba/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Bosnia-and-Herzegovina-The-Citizens-Opinion-of-Police-Force-2016.pdf Shelf Number: 144835 Keywords: Police CorruptionPolice EffectivenessPolice LegitimacyPolicingPublic Opinion |
Author: Goff, Phillip Atiba Title: The Science of Policing Equity: Measuring Fairness in the Austin Police Department Summary: This report represents a partnership between Urban and the Center for Policing Equity's National Justice Database, in collaboration with the White House's Police Data Initiative. The report analyzes publicly available data in 2015 vehicle stops and 2014 use of force incidents on the part of the Austin Police Department. Findings indicate that even when controlling for neighborhood levels of crime, education, home-ownership, income, youth, and unemployment, racial disparities still exist in both use and severity of force. We also document that APD has a high level of transparency, and the analysis demonstrates the value of that democratization of police department data in examining whether community-level explanations are sufficient to explain observed racial disparities. Details: Washington, DC: Urban Institute, 2016. 18p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 8, 2016 at: http://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/85096/the-science-of-policing-equity_2.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/85096/the-science-of-policing-equity_2.pdf Shelf Number: 141035 Keywords: Police BehaviorPolice EffectivenessPolice IntegrityPolice LegitimacyRacial DisparitiesRacial Profiling in Law EnforcementStop and Search |
Author: Lum, Cynthia Title: An Evidence-Assessment of the Recommendations of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing — Implementation and Research Priorities. Summary: The Final Report of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing is one of the most significant documents for law enforcement in modern history. The Task Force was charged by President Obama in 20142 to "examine ways of fostering strong, collaborative relationships between local law enforcement and the communities they protect and to make recommendations to the President on the ways policing practices can promote effective crime reduction while building public trust". Within six pillars—building trust and legitimacy, policy and oversight, technology and social media, community policing and crime reduction, training and education, and officer wellness and safety—the Task Force presented 156 recommendations and action items to law enforcement agencies and the federal government with the goal of strengthening democratic policing in a complex and diverse society. Of these 156 recommendations, approximately 63 were directed toward federal agency implementation, while 87 were relevant for state and local law enforcement agencies. Another six recommendations and action items were relevant to both the federal government and to state and local agencies. Where should law enforcement agencies begin in implementing these recommendations? Which recommendations should be prioritized for action, for policy implementation, or for more research? With a grant from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, the Institute for Community-Police Relations of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP)3 has collaborated with researchers from George Mason University’s (GMU) Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy4 to create an evidence-based Blueprint for 21st Century Policing. The research team was charged with reviewing existing research knowledge about those Task Force recommendations relevant to state and local law enforcement, highlighting promising efforts based on research knowledge, and identifying issues that need more research and testing. Including research in the conversation about law enforcement policy and practice—an idea known as evidence-based policing—has become an important value of law enforcement. Evidence-based policing is based on the idea that research knowledge is an essential part of police decision-making and can provide expertise and an objective perspective for a complex profession. Toward those ends, the goal of this assessment of the research knowledge behind the Task Force recommendations is to provide information about what we know from research about those recommendations and what more needs to be learned through police-research partnerships to advance them. Details: Fairfax, VA: Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy, George Mason University. Alexandria, VA: International Association of Chiefs of Police, 2016. 65p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 10, 2016 at: http://cebcp.org/wp-content/evidence-based-policing/IACP-GMU-Evidence-Assessment-Task-Force-FINAL.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://cebcp.org/wp-content/evidence-based-policing/IACP-GMU-Evidence-Assessment-Task-Force-FINAL.pdf Shelf Number: 141088 Keywords: Evidence-Based PracticesPolice Legitimacy Police Reform Police-Citizen Interactions Police-Community RelationsPolicing |
Author: Langton, Lynn Title: Police Behavior during Traffic and Street Stops, 2011 Summary: Examines the characteristics and experiences of persons age 16 or older who were stopped by police during traffic and street stops, and their perceptions of police behavior and response during these encounters. It describes the outcomes of traffic and street stops by the reason for the stop; demographic characteristics of the persons stopped; race or Hispanic origin of the officers; and whether a ticket was issued, a search was conducted, or force was used. It also describes variations in perceptions of the police across characteristics and outcomes of traffic and street stops. Data are from the 2011 Police-Public Contact Survey, a supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey, which collects information from a nationally representative sample of persons in U.S. households on contact with police during a 12-month period. Highlights: Relatively more black drivers (13%) than white (10%) and Hispanic (10%) drivers were pulled over in a traffic stop during their most recent contact with police. There were no statistical differences in the race or Hispanic origin of persons involved in street stops. Drivers pulled over by an officer of the same race or ethnicity were more likely (83%) than drivers pulled over by an officer of a different race or ethnicity (74%) to believe that the reason for the traffic stop was legitimate. White drivers were both ticketed and searched at lower rates than black and Hispanic drivers. About 1% of drivers pulled over in traffic stops had physical force used against them by police. Of these drivers, 55% believed the police behaved properly during the stop. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2013 (revised 2016). 22p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 12, 2016 at: https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/pbtss11.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/pbtss11.pdf Shelf Number: 130125 Keywords: Police Behavior Police LegitimacyRacial Profiling in Law Enforcement Stop and Search Traffic Enforcement |
Author: Renauer, Brian Title: Public Contact with and Perceptions Regarding Police in Portland, Oregon Summary: On September 12, 2012 the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a complaint in the Federal District Court for Oregon asserting that the City of Portland has engaged in a pattern and practice of unnecessary or excessive force against persons experiencing a mental health crisis. This survey is the result of a settlement agreement between Portland's City Council and the DOJ which specified the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) develop a means of assessing public perceptions. The first report generated by the research team examined general attitudes of residents. This second report focuses on an area pertinent to the DOJ settlement - police contact experiences. The purpose of this second report is to: 1) examine whether persons who report voluntary (e.g. asking police for help) or involuntary (e.g. being stopped by the police) police contacts in the past year felt they were treated "fairly" or "unfairly", and 2) examine whether perceptions of treatment relate to attitudes about the Bureau. Data for the report were obtained from a postal survey sent in July of 2013 to a random sample of Portland addresses, including an oversampling of Census tracks with higher percentages of African American, Hispanic/Latino, and younger residents. Details: Portland, OR: Portland State University, Criminal Justice Policy Research Institute, 2013. 49p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 13, 2016 at: http://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=cjpri_briefs Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=cjpri_briefs Shelf Number: 146047 Keywords: Police LegitimacyPolice Use of ForcePolice-Citizen InteractionsPolice-Community Relations |
Author: Renauer, Brian Title: Public Perceptions Regarding the Police Bureau and Crime in Portland, Oregon Summary: The "Portland Public Safety Survey" was implemented in the summer of 2013 to fulfill research needs and begin baseline data collection necessitated by the settlement agreement approved by Portland City Council with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on November 14, 2012. Here are some examples from the settlement agreement that specify the need for a general population survey and the focus of measures. Page 3 of the settlement agreement notes a need for measures that, "will assist the Parties and the community in determining whether, (2) community trust in PPB has increased; and (3) the improvements will be sustainable." Page 52 of the settlement agreement authorizes the City to conduct a representative survey of the Portland community, "regarding their experiences with and perceptions of PPB's prior community outreach efforts and accountability efforts and where those efforts could be improved, to inform the development and implementation of the CEO Plan." The bulk of the settlement agreement focuses on reforming use of force policy and training with a particular focus on mental health crisis management. Dr. Brian Renauer of Portland State University and his research team entered into a contract with the Portland Police Bureau (PPB), with the approval of City Council, to address the above needs stipulated in the settlement agreement. This is the first of three reports required in the contract. The methodology and content of the general population survey was informed by the language of the settlement agreement, meetings with PPB and City representatives, and resource constraints. The focus of the general population survey is on five content areas: Section 1. Legitimacy and Trust Section 2. Evaluation of PPB’s Performance Over the Past Year Section 3. Perceptions of Use of Force Section 4. Perceptions of Safety Section 5. Police Contact Experiences Sections 1 through 4 are reviewed in this report and section 5 will be the focus of a separate report. It is important to point out this report represents “baseline” data. In other words, it is the first year of data collection and there are as yet no appropriate comparison data that would allow us to assess changes over time. Nor are there nationally established policing standards that could be used in comparing Portland to other regions. For these reasons the report does not make value judgments regarding the findings. Instead, the report is designed to help the City understand existing public perceptions, identify potential factors that may be influencing perceptions, and to generate a list of strategies that could help to sustain and improve public opinion of local law enforcement. Details: Portland, OR: Portland State University, Criminal Justice Policy Research Institute, 2013. 51p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 13, 2016 at: http://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=cjpri_briefs Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=cjpri_briefs Shelf Number: 146048 Keywords: Police AccountabilityPolice LegitimacyPolice Use of ForcePolice-Citizen InteractionsPolice-Community RelationsPublic Opinion |
Author: Police Executive Research Forum Title: Legitimacy and Procedural Justice: A New Element of Police Leadership Summary: The job of leading a local law enforcement agency has always been a complex one, requiring skills in mastering complex policy issues, developing organizational structures and systems, managing employees, and addressing the various and sometimes conflicting expectations of the community, political leaders, agency employees, and the news media. Many experienced police chiefs are saying that the 21st Century has brought a trend toward even greater complexity in their jobs. New types of technology are revolutionizing how police departments operate, and often the challenge is to make sound decisions about how to integrate multiple forms of technology. The widespread adoption of community policing has resulted in community members having higher expectations of accountability and efficiency in their police departments. National and international economic conditions have strained local police budgets. The workforce is changing in ways that affect police recruiting and retention. These are just a few of the challenges that must be understood and constructively managed by today’s chief executives in policing. In fact, perhaps the greatest job qualification for today’s police executives is the ability to recognize and respond to the swiftly changing issues and opportunities facing them. Police chiefs often speak of their role as being “agents of change.” Never before has managing change been a larger element of their jobs. Today’s police departments appear to be succeeding, at least by the measure of crime rates. Violent crime rates nationwide are half what they were two decades ago, and many jurisdictions are experiencing record low crime rates not seen since the 1960s. In addition, there are indications that a variety of types of wrongful police behaviors, ranging from corruption to unlawful shootings, are at lower levels today than in the past. As today’s police executives strive to maintain the progress in reducing crime while serving as effective agents of change, many are taking on a new challenge: applying the concepts of “legitimacy” and “procedural justice” as they apply to policing. These concepts are defined in detail later in this report (see page 9). In essence, legitimacy and procedural justice are measurements of the extent to which members of the public trust and have confidence in the police, believe that the police are honest and competent, think that the police treat people fairly and with respect, and are willing to defer to the law and to police authority. Because the effectiveness of police operations often depends at least in part on the public’s willingness to provide information to and otherwise help the police, police leaders increasingly are seeing legitimacy and procedural justice as necessary conditions of success, and as worthy goals in themselves. This paper discusses the concepts of legitimacy and procedural justice in the context of police leadership. In any given community, residents will have opinions about whether their local police act “legitimately.” These opinions may be based on a particular encounter a resident had with the police, such as a traffic stop, or on larger policy issues. And these opinions often vary from one subgroup of the community to another. For a police leader, the key challenge is to think about the ways in which the public’s perceptions of legitimacy and procedural justice can affect a police agency's efforts to achieve its goals. For example, the goals of building community cohesion and trust in the police clearly depend on the extent to which the public believes that police actions are legitimate and procedurally just. And other goals—such as high success rates for investigating crimes and preventing crime—depend on the willingness of the public to cooperate with police, to provide information to the police, and to willingly obey the law, all of which can be affected by the department’s reputation for legitimacy. Details: Washington, DC: PERF, 2014. 37p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 21, 2016 at: http://www.policeforum.org/assets/docs/Free_Online_Documents/Leadership/legitimacy%20and%20procedural%20justice%20-%20a%20new%20element%20of%20police%20leadership.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.policeforum.org/assets/docs/Free_Online_Documents/Leadership/legitimacy%20and%20procedural%20justice%20-%20a%20new%20element%20of%20police%20leadership.pdf Shelf Number: 147766 Keywords: Community PolicingPolice AccountabilityPolice AdministrationPolice LegitimacyPolice ReformPolice-Community RelationsProcedural Justice |
Author: Police Executive Research Forum Title: Recommendations on Advancing Community Policing in the Pasco Police Department Summary: Faced with a recent officer-involved shooting and wanting to rebuild trust with the community, the Pasco Police Department (PPD) reached out to the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) for help through its Critical Response Technical Assistance program. The COPS Office led this effort and commissioned the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) to facilitate training and technical assistance for the PPD. This report summarizes those efforts and provides guidance to the PPD regarding community policing initiatives, officer training, and other approaches needed to rebuild trust with the community. Findings and recommendations are presented in five key areas: community policing, cultural awareness, diversity, training (especially related to use of force), and outreach (with a particular focus on Pasco's large and growing Hispanic community). The report also presents a social media strategy designed to help the PPD advance its efforts to engage with residents online. The report will help the PPD advance community policing, enhance police-community relations, and improve public safety. Details: Washington, DC: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, 2016. 83p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 21, 2016 at: https://ric-zai-inc.com/Publications/cops-w0809-pub.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://ric-zai-inc.com/Publications/cops-w0809-pub.pdf Shelf Number: 147776 Keywords: Community PolicingPolice Education and TrainingPolice LegitimacyPolice-Community Relations |
Author: Sierra-Arevalo, Michael Title: Legal cynicism and protective gun ownership among active offenders in Chicago Summary: Most American gun owners report having their firearms for protection. However, these national estimates are likely to under-sample residents of marginalized urban communities where rates of violent victimization, and presumably the need for personal protection, are more pronounced. Further, this under-sampling limits our understanding of motivations for gun ownership within the "hidden" group of active criminal offenders that are more likely to be both victims and offenders of street crime. Drawing on past work linking neighborhood violence to legal cynicism, and using data gathered by the Chicago Gun Project (CGP), I employ measures of police legitimacy to explore the effect of distrust of legal agents on protective gun ownership among active offenders in Chicago. These data confirm that lower levels of police legitimacy are significantly related to a higher probability of acquiring a firearm for protection. I consider the ways that gang membership, legal changes in Chicago, and gun behaviors are related to protective gun ownership, as well as how community policing and procedural justice can improve perceptions of police and enhance their legitimacy, potentially reducing the incentives to engage in violent, extralegal "self-help" with a firearm. Details: New Haven, CT: Yale University, Institution for Social and Policy Studies, 2016. 21p. Source: Internet Resource: Cogent Social Sciences 2: 1227293: Accessed December 23, 2016 at: http://isps.yale.edu/sites/default/files/publication/2016/09/cogentsocialsciences_2016_sierra-arevalo_legal_cynicism_and_protective_gun_ownership_among_active_offenders_in_chicago.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://isps.yale.edu/sites/default/files/publication/2016/09/cogentsocialsciences_2016_sierra-arevalo_legal_cynicism_and_protective_gun_ownership_among_active_offenders_in_chicago.pdf Shelf Number: 146155 Keywords: Gun OwnershipGun-Related ViolencePolice LegitimacyUrban Areas and CrimeViolent Crime |
Author: De Angelis, Joseph Title: Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement: Assessing the Evidence Summary: Over the last several decades, issues of trust and accountability have moved to the forefront of community-police relations and a great deal of scholarship has been devoted to enhancing police performance through the strengthening of law enforcement oversight functions. During this same period, highly publicized officer-involved encounters have led to the proliferation of organizational mechanisms for reviewing and improving officer conduct (Walker 2001; Alpert et al. 2016). One such mechanism is the development of civilian oversight of law enforcement. Sometimes referred to as citizen oversight, civilian review, external review and citizen review boards (Walker 2001; Alpert et al. 2016), this form of police accountability is often focused on allowing non-police actors to provide input into the police department’s operations, often with a focus on the citizen complaint process. In some jurisdictions, this is sometimes accomplished by allowing oversight practitioners (both paid and volunteer) to review, audit or monitor complaint investigations that were conducted by police internal affairs investigators. In other jurisdictions, it is done by allowing civilians to conduct independent investigations of allegations of misconduct lodged against sworn law enforcement officers. It can also be accomplished through the creation of mechanisms that are authorized to review and comment on police policies, practices, training and systemic conduct. Some oversight mechanisms involve a combination of systemic analysis and complaint handling or review . The goal of this publication is to offer a broad examination of the key issues facing civilian oversight of law enforcement in the U.S. Drawing from a review of the available research, as well as organizational data collected from 97 police oversight executives, this report is designed to help local policy-makers, police executives and members of the local community explore the key issues that can accompany the implementation and sustainability of civilian oversight of police mechanisms at the municipal and county levels. More specifically, this report addresses a number of key areas in relation to police oversight, including: 1 . A comprehensive review of the key resources and research relating to civilian oversight of police; 2. A brief review of the historical evolution of oversight in the U.S.; 3 . A detailed examination of three different models of oversight: investigation-focused, review-focused and auditor/monitor-focused; 4. An assessment of the key factors that promote organizational effectiveness in civilian oversight; and, 5 . An exploration of trending issues in relation to oversight, particularly the debate over how to measure performance of police oversight agencies, the potential value of problem-solving methodologies and the increasing emphasis on the value of alternative dispute resolution techniques for resolving complaints against police officers. This report concludes by identifying issues that jurisdictions may want to consider if they are evaluating whether to implement oversight or revise their current oversight framework. This report also identifies critical areas in need of further research. Details: Washington, DC: Booz Allen Hamilton, 2016. 76p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 25, 2017 at: https://www.ojpdiagnosticcenter.org/sites/default/files/NACOLE_AccessingtheEvidence_Final.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://www.ojpdiagnosticcenter.org/sites/default/files/NACOLE_AccessingtheEvidence_Final.pdf Shelf Number: 147798 Keywords: Civilian Review BoardsComplaints Against PolicePolice AccountabilityPolice IntegrityPolice LegitimacyPolice-Community InteractionsPolice-Community Relations |
Author: Tyler, Tom R. Title: The Consequence of Being a Target of Suspicion: Potential Pitfalls of Proactive Policing Summary: During the latter half of the 20th century a new model of policing developed in the United States which continues to dominate American policing today. It has two key features. First, it proactively attempts to prevent crime through the widespread use of police stops and arrests for minor crimes. Second, it imposes policing policies and practices upon communities instrumentally via the threat or use of various legal sanctions. Data from a national survey indicate that this approach to policing does not lower fear of crime; increase the perceived risk of punishment for rule breaking; or strongly impact perceptions of disorder. On the other hand, it has damaged the social bonds between the police and the community; undermined police legitimacy and led to declines in public willingness to cooperate with the police. This paper examines how such policies developed, why they are problematic, and how a focus on building popular legitimacy would be more desirable. Details: Unpublished paper, 2014. 66p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 21, 2017 at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers2.cfm?abstract_id=2468779 Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers2.cfm?abstract_id=2468779 Shelf Number: 147375 Keywords: Broken Windows TheoryPolice LegitimacyProactive PolicingStop and FriskZero Tolerance Policing |
Author: La Vigne, Nancy Title: How Do People in High-Crime, Low-Income Communities View the Police? Summary: In certain American communities, public trust in law enforcement, a critical ingredient in public safety, is tenuous at best. Residents of these high-crime, heavily disadvantaged communities witness and experience intensive police presence, high rates of incarceration and community supervision, and concentrated violence and question the intent, effectiveness, and equity of the criminal justice system. Indeed, police may carry out aggressive strategies that target quality-of-life infractions and drug-, gun-, and gang-related violence in ways that undermine public confidence. Perhaps not surprisingly, areas with high levels of mistrust tend to be those that are heavily policed, where police use tactics such as pretextual stops that damage their relationship with the people they are charged to protect. The results can be far-reaching: a distrust of the criminal justice system, an unwillingness to cooperate with the police, and a cynical view of the law that can perpetuate crime and victimization. The people most likely to experience high rates of violence and heavy police presence in their communities have limited resources, social capital, and political voice. Yet their voices, when amplified, can be a powerful tool that communities can leverage to hold law enforcement accountable. Integrating the authentic experiences and perceptions of community members into public safety decision-making processes is critical in efforts to promote public safety. Quite simply, reductions in violent crime are not possible without meaningful representation of—and engagement with—the residents most affected by it. This research brief aims to elevate the experiences, views, and attitudes of residents often underrepresented in research on perceptions of law enforcement—people living in high-crime neighborhoods with concentrated disadvantage. Using a unique purposive sampling methodology to represent residents in communities with the most tenuous relationships with law enforcement, we conducted in-person surveys in partnership with local organizations in six cities: Birmingham, Alabama; Fort Worth, Texas; Gary, Indiana; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Stockton, California. The purpose of these surveys was to collect baseline data on residents' views of police as part of an Urban Institute (Urban) evaluation of the National Initiative on Building Community Trust and Justice (National Initiative). But our findings serve more than an evaluation function, offering insights into the nature of community-police relations in high-crime, high-poverty neighborhoods and highlight opportunities for improvement. Our research shows that although variations exist across the six cities, respondents’ perceptions of police across measures of legitimacy, procedural justice, racial bias, relatability to police, and applied principles of community policing, on average, are extremely negative. However, residents also expressed a firm belief in and support for the law and a willingness to partner with police in public safety efforts. The variation in responses by city suggests that each city’s local context, including departmental policies and policing approaches, likely influence perceptions. This brief is organized in four sections. We first review the literature on past efforts to measure and assess community perceptions of the police; next we describe our study's methodology. We then summarize findings across the six cities in accordance with the literature, grouped by category: procedural justice, police department legitimacy, police bias, community policing, perceptions of the law, relatability to the police, and willingness to partner with police in public safety efforts. We conclude by discussing the variation in perceptions across cities and the implications for policy and practice. Details: Washington, DC: Urban Institute, 2017. 20p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 24, 2017 at: http://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/88476/how_do_people_in_high-crime_view_the_police.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: http://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/88476/how_do_people_in_high-crime_view_the_police.pdf Shelf Number: 141213 Keywords: Disadvantaged CommunitiesHigh-Crime AreasPolice LegitimacyPolice-Citizen InteractionsPolice-Community RelationsPublic OpinionTrust |
Author: Mastrigt, Jody van Title: CCTV Beyond Surveillance: Implications Towards Police Legitimacy of the UPP in the favela Rocinha Summary: This thesis aims to show the impact of the CCTV cameras installed by the Pacification Project on the police legitimacy of the UPP in Rio de Janeiro’s favela, Rocinha. By conducting fieldwork in Rocinha and using the theoretical framework of modern police legitimacy theory, this paper examined the performances of the cameras as perceived by the residents to understand its impact on the UPP police legitimacy. This thesis argued that CCTV as a technological tool used by the police has had a negative impact on the police legitimacy in Rocinha. In addition, the thesis also examined the use of smart phones to monitor the police by the residents in Rocinha. To further interpret its impact on the favela, the analytical concept sousveillance has been used to examine the empirical data. The engagement of the residents monitoring the police has also shown to have a negative impact on the legitimacy of the police in Rocinha. Details: Utrecht, NL: Utrecht University, 2016. 37p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed February 28, 2017 at: https://dspace.library.uu.nl/handle/1874/338218 Year: 2016 Country: Brazil URL: https://dspace.library.uu.nl/handle/1874/338218 Shelf Number: 141230 Keywords: CCTVFavelaPolice LegitimacyPolice SurveillancePolice-Citizen InteractionsSlums |
Author: Dan, Aurelija Title: The Citizen’s Opinion of Police Force in Serbia: The Results of a Public Opinion Survey Conducted in Serbia Summary: he report examines five groups of questions: (1) the level of citizens' trust and confidence in institutions; (2) the perception of the police as an institution, but also of policemen and policewomen as individuals; (3) the perception of corruption in the society and the police force; (4) opinions of citizens regarding the fight against corruption; (5) opinions of citizens on the work of civil society organisations. Citizens are still divided over how much they trust the police. It is true that the level of trust has grown by 2% in 2016 in comparison to 2015: slightly more than half the population (54%) stated that they trust the police, while 44% do not have confidence in this institution. The problem however - just like last year - is in the fact that there is still a high percentage of those who believe that there is corruption in the police force. The percentage of those who believe that the police is corrupt has increased by 2% in comparison with the previous year, so now a total of 72% of citizens believe that corruption in the police is widespread. Citizens perceive the police in different ways, depending on their gender: they see policewomen are pretty and policemen as corrupt.The results of this survey show that citizens believe that the impact of politics on operational police work is high and that employment in the police force is usually gained through friends and relatives. Citizens still insufficiently perceive the police as a service to citizens, but it is good that more than a third of them (37%) do - which is increase from 27% as measured last year. It has already become a rule for Serbian citizens to think that corruption is most widespread among the representatives of the police force they most frequently come in contact with. This year too, they believe that corruption is most widespread in the traffic and border police. Citizens are not yet ready to report corruption in the police. It is notable that men (37%) are more willing to do so than women (31%) when required to disclose their personal information. The Anti-Corruption Agency still remains the first choice for reporting corruption. Compared to the previous year, a larger percentage of the population believes that sanctioning the perpetrators should be one of the main measures to combat corruption in the police. The number of people who believe that the political will of the Minister and officials is necessary to solve the problem of corruption in the police has decreased. One quarter of the citizens believe that the internal police control should be the main body to fight corruption in the police (24%). A quarter of the respondents see the role of civil society in the direct fight against corruption, as well as in their cooperation with the state. The research in Serbia was conducted in April 2016 by IPSOS Strategic Marketing on are presentative sample of 1,000 adult citizens. A questionnaire created by the POINTPULSE network was used as a research instrument and interviews were conducted using the “face to face” technique, which involves direct contact with respondents. Details: Belgrade, Serbia: Belgrade Centre for Security Studies, 2016. 29p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 10, 2017 at: http://www.bezbednost.org/upload/document/the_citizens_opinion_of_the_police_force.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Serbia and Montenegro URL: http://www.bezbednost.org/upload/document/the_citizens_opinion_of_the_police_force.pdf Shelf Number: 144450 Keywords: Police Corruption Police LegitimacyPublic Opinion |
Author: Subramanian, Ram Title: To Protect and Serve: New Trends in State-Level Policing Reform, 2015-2016 Summary: In 2015 and 2016, 34 states and the District of Columbia passed at least 79 bills, executive orders, or resolutions to change some aspect of policing policy or practice. This is significant, since policing reform is largely the province of local jurisdictions or specific police departments. In contrast, in the three years prior to the study period-between 2012 and 2014-there were few pieces of state legislation that dealt with policing. In reviewing legislative activity over the last two years, the Vera Institute of Justice found that states focused reform efforts in the following three areas: > improving policing practices around use of force, racial profiling, and vulnerable populations; > documenting police operations through the increased use of body-worn cameras, enhanced protections for public recordings of police, and new requirements for maintaining and reporting data on police operations; and > improving accountability in instances of police use of force and misconduct cases, especially those incidents that result in death. By providing concise summaries of representative legislation in each area, this report aims to inform policymakers and members of the public who are looking to understand state-level changes in policing policy and practice. Details: New York: Vera Institute of Justice, 2017. 56p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 8, 2017 at: https://www.vera.org/publications/protect-and-serve-policing-trends-2015-2016 Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://www.vera.org/publications/protect-and-serve-policing-trends-2015-2016 Shelf Number: 144751 Keywords: Deadly ForcePolice AccountabilityPolice AdministrationPolice EffectivenessPolice LegitimacyPolice ReformPolice Use of ForcePolicing |
Author: Zimmerman, Benjamin L. Title: Educational Level of Law Enforcement Officers and Frequency of Citizen Complaints: A Systematic Review Summary: The belief that a law enforcement officer who holds a college degree will be a better officer has been the foundation for many policies in support of higher education for officers. However, there is a lack of overwhelming empirical evidence to support such a claim. Past literature has examined police performance in general as it relates to a number of different background characteristics, which include educational level. Citizen complaints are one type of measurement tool that arguably addresses the sensitive relationship between a law enforcement organisation and the community it serves. This systematic review identified 14 studies meeting inclusion and exclusion criteria, resulting in a total of 5359 subjects. By using meta-analytic procedures, this review attempted to identify and quantify the relationship between higher education and citizen complaints. The results provided a comprehensive picture of the overall relationship between education and citizen complaints, which produced a small statistically significant effect size. The effect was negative, indicating that education was predictive of fewer citizen complaints. Additional analyses were conducted to examine differences between large organisations and small to medium organisations as well as published studies compared to unpublished studies. Meta-analysis of the studies using large organisations and published studies revealed even greater effect sizes than the overall results while meta-analysis of small to medium sized organisations and unpublished works resulted in statistically insignificant smaller effect sizes. Police implications and suggestions for future research are discussed. Details: Cambridge, UK: Wolfson College , 2011. 84p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed April 10, 2017 at: http://www.crim.cam.ac.uk/alumni/theses/Zimmerman,%20B.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://www.crim.cam.ac.uk/alumni/theses/Zimmerman,%20B.pdf Shelf Number: 144770 Keywords: Citizen ComplaintsPolice BehaviorPolice Education and TrainingPolice LegitimacyPolice-Citizen Interactions |
Author: Tyler, Tom R. Title: Street Stops and Police Legitimacy: Teachable Moments in Young Urban Men's Legal Socialization Summary: Legal scholars recognize the centrality of the issue of legal culture (i.e., the "network of values and attitudes relating to law") (Friedman 1975:34) to the functioning of legal authorities. In particular, they have been concerned about how Americans acquire views about the legitimacy of law and legal authority (Sarat 1977). People do so through a process that includes childhood socialization (Tapp & Levine 1977) and later personal and peer experiences with legal authorities. In particular, the period of adolescence and young adulthood is often viewed as key since young men have their most frequent experiences with legal authorities, as do their peers, during this period (Brunson & Weitzer 2011; Fagan & Tyler 2005). The most frequent legal authority young people encounter is a police officer (Tyler & Huo 2002). The goal of this study is to explore the impact on legitimacy of a particularly salient type of young adult experience with the police-the car or street stop-during a particularly central developmental period-young adulthood. Details: Unpublished paper, 2014. 36p. Source: Internet Resource: Faculty Scholarship Series. 4988: Accessed April 13, 2017 at: http://digitalcommons.law.yale.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5987&context=fss_papers Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://digitalcommons.law.yale.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5987&context=fss_papers Shelf Number: 144897 Keywords: Police AccountabilityPolice LegitimacyStop and Search |
Author: Alvarado, Elliott Jude Title: Racial Profiling and Traffic Search: A Meta-Analysis Summary: The use of racial profiling in law enforcement has been an ongoing issue that has plagued American society. Studies have shown that profiling leads to conflict between the public and law enforcement with the public perceiving police officers as racist, intentionally targeting racial minorities, and thereby creating distrust and raising questions of police legitimacy within these communities. In addition, racial minorities, particularly Blacks and Hispanics, do not trust law enforcement. The ongoing controversy of racial profiling has only reinforced the consensus among racial minority groups in society that their mistrust of law enforcement and questioning of police legitimacy is warranted. . Through the use of a robust meta-analytic technique this study analyzed a total of 38 articles and reports focusing on traffic stops and post-stop outcomes, specifically search. After running the analysis the findings indicate that when it comes to the use of search post traffic stop, Black drivers are searched at greater rates compared to White motorists. However, there is no difference in searches for Hispanics indicating that race but not ethnicity are significant in the effect that a search will occur post traffic stop. Limitations and Policy Implications are stated. Details: San Diego: San Diego State University, 2016. 68p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed May 2, 2017 at: http://search.proquest.com/docview/1830448273?pq-origsite=gscholar Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://search.proquest.com/docview/1830448273?pq-origsite=gscholar Shelf Number: 145241 Keywords: Police LegitimacyRacial Profiling in Law Enforcement Stop and Search Traffic Stops |
Author: Minton, Kenneth Wayne Title: The Impact of College Education on Law Enforcement Deputy Sheriffs as it relates to complaints, significant misbehavior, and excessive use of force Summary: Law enforcement officers have the legal authority to temporarily, or permanently, deprive us of our lives, liberty, and property. Law enforcement officers often work unsupervised and with great discretion. Most departments do not require recruits to have college educations. This study sought to determine if there is an inverse correlation between higher education and bad behavior. A quantitative study compared the education levels of 313 law enforcement deputy sheriffs with the number of public complaints of misconduct and with incidents of significant misbehavior (excessive force or complaints resulting in a dismissal or resignation). The Spearman rho results showed no significant relationship between higher education and adverse behavior and no overall impact by gender or ethnicity, other than one statistical anomaly pertaining to Hispanic deputies. Details: Tampa, FL: Argosy University, 2011. 95p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed June 12, 2017 at: http://gradworks.umi.com/34/67/3467316.html Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://gradworks.umi.com/34/67/3467316.html Shelf Number: 146063 Keywords: Police Behavior Police Education and Training Police LegitimacyPolice Performance Sheriffs |
Author: Police Executive Research Forum Title: Winslow, AZ Police Department Review and Assessment: Final Report Summary: In July 2016, the City of Winslow, Arizona commissioned the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) to conduct an organizational review of the Winslow Police Department (WPD). PERF's review was broad in scope and examined WPD's policies and practices across a variety of areas, including officer training, resource deployment, internal leadership and communication, agency transparency and accountability, use-of-force tactics and training, and engagement with the community. Although the request for this review was made in the wake of a March 2016 shooting incident involving a WPD officer, the purpose of this study was not to investigate that or any other specific incident. Instead, PERF was asked to perform a broad assessment of WPD's overall policies, practices, and organizational structure, with the goal of assisting the department as it strives to improve the delivery of police services and meet the needs of the community. WPD's desire to improve these areas is in line with recommendation 1.3 of the President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing, which states that law enforcement agencies should establish a culture of transparency and accountability in order to build public trust and legitimacy. WPD has already taken several important steps towards making positive changes within the department. For example, in 2016 Winslow City Manager Stephen Pauken brought in Chris Vasquez, a retired police chief and sheriff, to serve as WPD's Interim Police Director. Under Mr. Vasquez's leadership, WPD has begun implementing an array of reforms to its policies and practices. Throughout the duration of this project, PERF found that WPD personnel, Winslow city officials, and community members were supportive and dedicated to working together as they move forward. Overall, the members of the WPD demonstrated a strong commitment to their work, and the recommendations in this report aim to ensure that WPD personnel will have the support, guidance, and tools they need to better serve the City of Winslow. Details: Washington, DC; PERF, 2017. 79p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 20, 2017 at: http://www.winslowaz.gov/city-documents/4578464666 Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: http://www.winslowaz.gov/city-documents/4578464666 Shelf Number: 146312 Keywords: Police AccountabilityPolice DepartmentsPolice Education and TrainingPolice LegitimacyPolice Policies |
Author: Great Britain. House of Commons. Home Affairs Committee Title: New Landscape of Policing Summary: Key points Key points made by the committee include: It is unacceptable that, more than a year after the Government announced it was phasing out the National Policing Improvement Agency, it still has not announced any definite decisions about the future of the vast majority of the functions currently performed by the Agency. Spring 2012, when the Agency is due to be phased out, is little more than six months away. The committee is not persuaded that the Government can meet this timetable and recommends that it delay the phasing out of the Agency until the end of 2012. After the Olympics, the Home Office should consider making counter-terrorism a separate command of the New National Crime Agency. Counter-terrorism is currently the responsibility of the Metropolitan Police. The Government must urgently appoint a head of the new National Crime Agency. A Professional Body for policing, as proposed by Peter Neyroud, could ultimately become a useful part of the policing landscape, but the Government will need to win the hearts and minds of police officers and staff to convey coherently the nature and role of the new body. The proposed new Professional Body must be inclusive from the outset and not just involve officers of ACPO ranks. Individual police officers and staff need to believe that this is their body. Collaboration between police forces offers clear financial and operational benefits. The Home Office should be more active in encouraging and supporting forces to collaborate with one another. IT across the police service as a whole is not fit for purpose, to the detriment of the police's ability to fulfil their basic mission of preventing crime and disorder. The Home Office must make revolutionising police IT a top priority. The committee states that Tom Winsor's review of pay and conditions is having an inevitable impact on morale in the police service, but believes it is possible to do more to mitigate this. The committee commends the work of Jan Berry, the former Reducing Bureaucracy in Policing Advocate, in emphasising that reducing bureaucracy in the police service is not simply about reducing paperwork but addressing the causes of that paperwork and bringing about a change in culture in the police service. The committee urges the Home Secretary to meet Jan Berry to discuss how to take her work forward. Details: London: The Stationery Office, 2011. 2 vol. Source: Internet Resource: Fourteenth Report of Session 2010-12 Accessed July 1, 2017 at: http://www.parliament.uk/policing-priorities Year: 2011 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.parliament.uk/policing-priorities Shelf Number: 146492 Keywords: Police AdministrationPolice LegitimacyPolice PerformancePolice ReformPolicing |
Author: Barrow Cadbury Trust Title: Race and the Criminal Justice System: hearing from Young Adults Summary: A Voice for Young Adults on Criminal Justice In 2016, Leaders Unlocked established the T2A (Transition to Adulthood) Young Adult Advisory Group in collaboration with the Barrow Cadbury Trust. The purpose of the Advisory Group is to enable young adults with personal experience of the Criminal Justice System to have a national voice on policy. This includes a personal or family experience of the criminal justice system, such as engagement with the police, being convicted of a crime, or being a victim of a crime. The T2A Young Adult Advisory Group goes beyond traditional models of consultation; it is driven by young adults and allows them to put forward solutions to the problems they identify in their own peer groups. The aims of the Advisory Group are to: - Gather and represent the views of young adults on the Criminal Justice System (CJS). - Act as a sounding board to inform the T2A Alliance. - Produce reports outlining the views of young adults on different criminal justice themes. - Present insights and recommendations to policy-makers working on criminal justice reform. Through this project, a diverse group of 10 young adults aged 18-25 years from across the country have worked in partnership with the T2A Alliance to identify and address priority issues for young adults in the Criminal Justice System. Hearing from Young Adults on Race and Criminal Justice In the summer of 2016, the T2A Young Adult Advisory Group selected Race and the Criminal Justice System as their first priority. This Group chose this priority because they felt passionate about this issue and because it tied in to a number of current national developments, such as the Lammy Review and the Young Review. The Group's aims were to: - Gather personal testimonies from BAME (Black Asian and Minority Ethnic) young adults of their experiences of policing and criminal justice. - Understand whether, and how, participants feel their racial, ethnic and religious identity affected these experiences. - Explore participants' views on trust in the CJS. - Involve participants in the development of solutions for policy makers. This report is based on 90 in-depth conversations with young adults around the country, gathered using a range of methods including: focus groups, surveys, and semi-structured interviews. The report is structured into 4 key sections that outline what we have found about the experiences and treatment of young adults at different stages of the Criminal Justice System: 1. Policing and Arrest 2. Courts and Sentencing 3. Youth Offending and Probation Services 4. Custody The final section, Section 5, looks at the question of Trust in the Criminal Justice System, exploring the overarching findings from our participants around trust. Each section features verbatim quotes from young adults and outlines the main ideas they have put forward for change. The pictures featured throughout the report are images of the work created by young adults participating in our focus groups. This report is intended to act as an unmediated, reflective record of what young adults have told us through this peer-to-peer listening process. It is also intended to be the starting point for further thought and action on the part of policy makers and practitioners. Details: London: Barrow Cadbury Trust, 2017. 30p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 7, 2017 at: https://www.barrowcadbury.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Race_criminalJusticeReport_v6-1.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.barrowcadbury.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Race_criminalJusticeReport_v6-1.pdf Shelf Number: 146767 Keywords: Police LegitimacyYoung AdultsYouthful Offenders |
Author: Mell, Shana M. Title: The Role of Procedural Justice within Police-Citizen Contacts in Explaining Citizen Behaviors and Other Outcomes Summary: American policing is shaped by an array of challenges. Police are expected to address crime and engage the community, yet police are held to higher expectations of accountability, effectiveness, and efficiency than ever before. Police legitimacy is the ability of the police to exercise their authority in the course of maintaining order, resolving conflicts, and solving problems (PERF, 2014). The procedural justice and police legitimacy literature suggest that by exhibiting procedurally just behaviors within police-citizen encounters, officers are considered legitimate by the public (PERF, 2014; Tyler, 2004, Tyler & Jackson, 2012). This study examines procedural justice through systematic observations of police-citizen encounters recorded by body worn cameras in one mid-Atlantic police agency. The four elements of procedural justice (participation, neutrality, dignity and respect, and trustworthiness) are assessed to examine police behavior and its outcomes. The research questions concern how police acting in procedurally just ways may influence citizen behaviors. Descriptive statistics indicate high levels of procedural justice. Regression analyses suggest that procedural justice may predict positive citizen behaviors within police-citizen encounters. This study highlights the significance of procedural justice as an antecedent to police legitimacy and offers a new mode of observation: body worn camera footage. Details: Richmond, VA: Virginia Commonwealth University, 2016. 159p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed September 16, 2017 at: http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/4603/ Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/4603/ Shelf Number: 147364 Keywords: Body-Worn Cameras Police Accountability Police LegitimacyPolice Surveillance Police-citizen Interactions Procedural Justice |
Author: Yukon Government Title: Sharing Common Ground. Review of Yukon's Police Force : Year One Progress Report Summary: Over the past year, Yukoners from many different backgrounds and perspectives have come together in a dedicated and forward-looking effort to respond to the needs and concerns of our communities. Individuals and organizations, First Nations, police, advocacy groups, academics and government have all made vital contributions to moving forward with a new vision for policing in Yukon. Following eight months of dialogue with citizens, and with the advice of an Advisory Committee and a team of First Nation representatives, the co-chairs of the Review of Yukon's Police Force, submitted a final report entitled Sharing Common Ground to the Minister of Justice in January 2011. This progress report outlines the achievements of the many people and organizations who have contributed to the implementation of these recommendations over the first year of Sharing Common Ground. The co-chairs, representing Government of Yukon, First Nations and "M" Division RCMP, put forward 33 recommendations that provided a blueprint for establishing a new relationship between Yukon citizens and their police. The changes they called for were intended not only to fill gaps that citizens identified, but also to build on the many existing strengths that were acknowledged during the Review. Relationships are recognized as a cornerstone of trust. As relationships form and grow, those involved gain a greater understanding and appreciation for each other and come to understand how the others think and react and why they behave as they do. As relationships are strengthened, each party learns about motivations and limitations the other party faces, and most importantly, what goals, objectives and needs they have in common. The recommendations in Sharing Common Ground all add value in themselves by addressing specific needs and concerns raised by our communities. But perhaps even more importantly, as individuals and groups share these concerns and identify issues of common concern, solutions are developed and implemented in collaboration, and opportunities for these relationships to form and for understanding and trust to grow are created. A key and recurring theme during the Review was that follow-up was necessary in order to inform citizens and governments on implementation progress. This progress report outlines the achievements of the many people and organizations who have contributed to the implementation of these recommendations over the first year of Sharing Common Ground. Details: Whitehorse: Yukon Government, 2012. 38p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 25, 2017 at: http://www.policereview2010.gov.yk.ca/pdf/Sharing_Common_Ground_Implementation_One_Year_Update-_May_2012.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Canada URL: http://www.policereview2010.gov.yk.ca/pdf/Sharing_Common_Ground_Implementation_One_Year_Update-_May_2012.pdf Shelf Number: 147446 Keywords: Police AdministrationPolice DepartmentsPolice LegitimacyPolice ReformPolice-Citizen InteractionsPolice-Community Relations |
Author: Yukon Government Title: Sharing Common Ground. Review of Yukon's Police Force : Final Report on Implementation Summary: The public expects that police officers will act with integrity and that their conduct will be above reproach at all times. From time to time, police services fall short of this expectation. This can be due to the result of a single act by a police officer that offends public sensibility or through a more general decline in the quality of service over time. When either or both occurs, it erodes the public's trust in its policing service. In these situations, there must be independent, transparent and accessible processes that hold individual members and the organization accountable. During this Review, the Co-Chairs and members of the Advisory Committee heard that some Yukon citizens do not have trust and confidence in "M" Division. This is particularly the case in First Nation communities, and with vulnerable citizens and individuals leading high-risk lifestyles. High profile incidents at the Vancouver International Airport and in other communities in British Columbia, and incidents that took place in Yukon, have shaken the public's confidence in the RCMP. In Yukon, two incidents have focussed public attention on the RCMP: a situation where two off-duty RCMP members were charged and later found not guilty of sexual assault; and the circumstances experienced by Raymond Silverfox in the holding cells at the Whitehorse detachment in the hours prior to his death. While these high-profile incidents have caused many citizens to question how the RCMP operates in the territory, Yukon First Nations citizens in particular have concerns rooted in their relationship with the RCMP and based on personal experience or hearsay. These concerns did not arise or develop recently, but they have been heightened by recent events. We have heard many accounts of policing excellence, including stories of RCMP members going above and beyond their normal duties. The purpose of the Review is to improve the quality of policing services for all citizens in the territory. First Nations and non-First Nations citizens raised concerns that some members of the community have been subject to discrimination and cultural insensitivity. Citizens, particularly those who work directly with women in crisis, raised concerns about the RCMP's response to calls for assistance in situations involving domestic violence and sexualized assault. Citizens brought forward concerns about being treated with indifference or disrespect when interacting with the RCMP. This was particularly evident in submissions from individuals in vulnerable situations - acutely intoxicated persons and offenders with mental health and cognitive disorders such as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). A number of citizens also noted their frustrations, suspicions and lack of knowledge about the process for making a complaint against the RCMP. Even some individuals who work in the justice system were unaware of the complaint process Terms of Reference and process It was within this context that the Yukon Minister of Justice established the Review of Yukon's Police Force. The Review was Co-Chaired by a representative of the Council of Yukon First Nations; the Commanding Officer of RCMP "M" Division; and the Deputy Minister, Department of Justice, Government of Yukon. With the assistance of members of an Advisory Committee, the Co-Chairs spoke directly with over one thousand citizens of the territory to gain a better appreciation of their concerns with the RCMP and to build a process for restoring and maintaining public confidence in Yukon's police force. Terms of Reference - Terms of Reference 1: Consider measures and make recommendations to better ensure that Yukon's police force is responsive and accountable to the needs of Yukon citizens; - Terms of Reference 2: Review how public complaints relating to the RCMP in Yukon are currently dealt with and to make recommendations on any required improvements; - Terms of Reference 3: Determine the skills that Yukon officers require in order to provide policing services in Yukon communities and make recommendations to enhance training, including the potential for Yukon-based training; - Terms of Reference 4: Review the services provided by the RCMP to citizens who are in vulnerable positions, including victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, as well as individuals who are arrested and detained in custody; - Terms of Reference 5: Identify and build upon successes and best practices in the delivery of policing services to Yukon; and - Terms of Reference 6: Review and make recommendations on how best to implement in Yukon the existing RCMP policy on external investigations and reviews. The Co-Chairs and Advisory Committee members participated in public meetings across the territory. Meetings were also held with justice workers and social service providers who have regular contact with the RCMP. A special effort was made to engage First Nation citizens in the Review process. We recognized that many individuals might be reluctant to speak openly in a public forum about their experiences so we relied on third parties to arrange meetings and provide comments to us in writing. We also reached out to RCMP members, staff and volunteers, as well as former RCMP members living in the territory, to ensure that they had the opportunity to provide their perspectives on the challenges and opportunities of living and working in the north and their recommendations for moving forward. Details: Whitehorse: Yukon Government, 2014. 124p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 25, 2017 at: http://www.policereview2010.gov.yk.ca/pdf/Sharing_Common_Ground_Final_Report.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Canada URL: http://www.policereview2010.gov.yk.ca/pdf/Sharing_Common_Ground_Final_Report.pdf Shelf Number: 147447 Keywords: Police Administration Police DepartmentsPolice LegitimacyPolice ReformPolice-Citizen Interactions Police-Community Relations |
Author: Shanahan, Marian Title: Australian police diversion for cannabis offences: Assessing program outcomes and cost-effectiveness Summary: Police diversion is one of Australia's most utilised interventions for minor cannabis offenses. This study assessed the effectiveness and cost effectives of three different approaches to cannabis diversion (cautions, expiations and warnings) compared to the traditional criminal justice system response. A purpose built on-line survey was completed by a self-selected sample of 998 people across Australia who reported having a recent encounter with police for cannabis use or possession. In addition to details on their encounter with police, data was collected on outcome measures such as cannabis use, recidivism, employment, perceived legitimacy of police, health status and costs. The sample was comprised of 195 people who were charged, 614 who received a caution, 69 who received an expiation and 120 who received a warning. 50 percent of each group consumed cannabis at least daily pre-intervention. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups in terms of cannabis dependence, with the majority (72.6%) of respondents classified as having nil or negligible dependence. Overall, 16.9 percent were categorised as mildly dependent and 10.8 percent as moderately to severely dependent. Post-intervention, the number of days in which cannabis was used decreased in three of the four groups; there was no change in the expiation group. However, there was no statistically significant difference across groups. The economic costs of the charge group were six to 15 times higher than the diversion groups. Police diversion appears to be associated with a range of positive social outcomes across multiple domains including less disruptive relationships, fewer employment problems and more positive perceptions of police legitimacy. Details: Canberra: National Drug Law Enforcement Research Fund (NDLERF), 2017. 78p. Source: Internet Resource: Monograph Series No. 66: Accessed September 29, 2017 at: http://www.ndlerf.gov.au/sites/default/files/publication-documents/monographs/monograph-66.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Australia URL: http://www.ndlerf.gov.au/sites/default/files/publication-documents/monographs/monograph-66.pdf Shelf Number: 147492 Keywords: Cannabis Cost Analysis Diversion Drug Enforcement Drug Offenders Marijuana Police Discretion Police Diversion Police Legitimacy |
Author: Hallenberg, Katja M. Title: Scholarly Detectives: Police Professionalisation via Academic Education Summary: The thesis explores the role of academic education in police professionalisation. Due to its high complexity, specialisation and status, detective work is well-suited for illustrating these developments and the practical and symbolic benefits they can bring to the police and policing as a whole. The overall approach of thesis is iterative. Literature from police studies and sociology of professions provides the conceptual and theoretical framework for the empirical data of 24 semi-structured interviews conducted with 14 police national training coordinators and local police trainers. The increasing academisation of police training and the formalisation of the police-academia relationships suggest police professionalisation has reached a tipping point. This is seen in the current investigative skills training in England and Wales, which is characterised by growing centralisation, standardisation, and emphasis on formalising the professional knowledgebase of investigations and policing - a trend which the Professionalising Investigation Programme exemplifies. While the police (including the investigative specialism) can be shown to display many of the qualities of professions, it has lacked the level of instructional abstraction characterising other professions, typically provided by higher education and, crucially, leading to externally recognised qualifications. Developing academic police education is not without its challenges, chief among them the perceived epistemological and cultural divide between the 'two worlds' of police and academia. A successful transformation requires careful consideration of the content and format of the arrangements, investment, support, acceptance and engagement from police, academia and government, and a simultaneous change to cultural dispositions (habitus) and internal and external structures (field). This is worth the effort as a number of practical and symbolic benefits of police academic education can be identified. It has the potential to improve the quality of service by deepening police knowledge and understanding and facilitating community-oriented approaches. More importantly, academic education bestows a rich cultural capital, strengthens and legitimises police expertise, market monopoly, and status in the eyes of the public, other professions and the government. It enables the survival of the profession, giving it the tools to prevail in conflicts over competence and the right to define and interpret policing and its social context. In summary, police professionalisation via academic education can be explained in terms of agency and structure both; as a deliberate occupational upgrading spurred by social and economic aspirations and aimed to reconceptualise and relegitimise policing; and as an inevitable reaction to wider changes and a deeper ontological shift taking place in the society. Details: Manchester, UK: Manchester University, School of Law, 2012. 265p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed October 5, 2017 at: https://www.escholar.manchester.ac.uk/uk-ac-man-scw:161328 Year: 2012 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.escholar.manchester.ac.uk/uk-ac-man-scw:161328 Shelf Number: 147587 Keywords: Criminal Investigation Police Education Police Legitimacy |
Author: Fontaine, Jocelyn Title: Mistrust and Ambivalence between Residents and the Police: Evidence from Four Chicago Neighborhoods Summary: Violence in Chicago has been national news as shootings and homicides have increased over the past year. Total homicides in 2016 reached levels the city has not experienced since the late 1990s (University of Chicago Crime Lab 2017); meanwhile, homicides in other large US cities have been declining or remaining steady (Freidman, Grawet, and Cullen 2016). Chicago residents have been demanding reforms to the ways police treat and interact with the public; this issue, which has been a persistent one particularly for residents of high-crime neighborhoods with heavy police presence, has been given renewed visibility after the release of video showing the killing of Laquan McDonald by a Chicago police officer. A subsequent US Department of Justice investigation of the Chicago Police Department revealed the department has problems with use of force and accountability that contribute to a lack of community trust in the department (US Department of Justice and US Attorney"s Office 2017). These issues are no doubt related: community trust in the police is an important contributor to effective crime control. While this brief is not intended to weigh in on what caused the most recent crime spike in Chicago, it does present findings that show the fractured relationship between residents of high-crime neighborhoods and the police that serve those communities. The data are based on surveys collected before the recent crime spike from residents and officers living or working in four Chicago neighborhoods that have had consistently high crime rates relative to other parts in the city. Because of the sampling methodology used for this study, our findings provide new insights on a topic that has received much empirical scrutiny: the criticality of police-citizen relationships. This brief discusses the level of mutual mistrust between residents (including those recently involved with the criminal justice system) and police officers in Chicago's 5th, 10th, 15th, and 25th police districts. Drawn from surveys of both officers and residents, the data demonstrate ambivalence between the police and the residents they serve. While the results are generally sobering, we find some potential for repairing the mistrust and pathways for building stronger police-community relationships. This brief proceeds in four sections. First, we discuss the importance of strong police-resident relationships; then, we outline the study methodology and the demographic characteristics of the sampled groups. Next, we present key findings on residents' perceptions of procedural fairness of police and support for officer behavior and actions, residents' perceptions of unreasonable stops, residents' willingness to participate in crime control, and police officers' perceptions of community cooperation and community trust. A final section summarizes the key findings and discusses the implications of our findings for police-community relationships and crime control, which are most relevant for the people living in the neighborhoods we studied and executive staff and patrol officers in the Chicago Police Department. Details: Washington, DC: Urban Institute, 2017. 22p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 6, 2017 at: https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/92316/2017.07.31_legitimacy_brief_finalized_0.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/92316/2017.07.31_legitimacy_brief_finalized_0.pdf Shelf Number: 148042 Keywords: HomicidesNeighborhoods and CrimePolice LegitimacyPolice-Citizen InteractionsPolice-Community RelationsViolent Crime |
Author: Kringen, Anne Li Title: Outside the Academy: Learning Community Policing through Community Engagement Summary: Recent events highlight the need for many law enforcement agencies to focus on transparency, re-establish legitimacy, and continue to improve strained community relations. Community policing, long lauded as a potential solution to improve community-police relations, may be an important component. The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) conceptually defines community policing as a "philosophy that promotes organizational strategies that support the systematic use of partnerships and problemsolving techniques to proactively address the immediate conditions that give rise to public safety issues such as crime, social disorder, and fear of crime." The organizational components of community policing include: (1) agency management, (2) organizational structure, (3) personnel, and (4) information systems. Together, these components are envisioned as aligning to support community partnerships, proactive problem solving, and better relationships between the community and the police. Despite the conceptual definition, confusion over the practical meaning of community policing has long impacted implementation. Departments identify themselves as engaged in community policing when implementing activities such as foot patrol, opening neighborhood offices, soliciting community feedback, and reporting efforts to the community . Similarly, other specific projects, programs, and tactics such as agency-community plans, bicycle patrol, geographic assignment, citizen input and feedback, and community outreach have, at times, been classified as community policing (see e.g., Hickman & Reaves, 2001). However, community policing is better understood as an organizational strategy emphasizing citizen involvement, problem solving, and decentralization. While each of the four components forming the conceptual definition of community policing (i.e., agency management, organizational structure, personnel, and information systems) play important roles related to citizen involvement, problem solving, and decentralization, the personnel component resides at the core. Details: Washington, DC: Police Foundation, 2017. 12p. Source: Internet Resource: Ideas in American Policing, no. 20: Accessed November 20, 2017 at: https://www.policefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/IAP_Outside-the-Academy-Learning-Community-Policing-through-Community-Engagement.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://www.policefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/IAP_Outside-the-Academy-Learning-Community-Policing-through-Community-Engagement.pdf Shelf Number: 148277 Keywords: Community PolicingPolice Education and TrainingPolice LegitimacyPolice-Community InteractionsPolice-Community Relations |
Author: Charman, Sarah Title: From crime fighting to public protection - the shaping of police officers' sense of role Summary: From a straightforward legal and organisational perspective, the police are tasked with the maintenance of law and order, the protection of the public and their property and in the detection, investigation and prevention of crime. But we also know that the realities of policing involve a much less clearly defined role, indeed a very much less crime focused role which concentrates upon broader dispute management, order maintenance and welfare concerns. Bittner's classic account of what the police do is as relevant today as when it was first written. Police officers' work involves a reactive response to events and represents "somethingthat-ought-not-be-to-happening-and-about-whichsomone-had-better-do-something-now". Recent public sector cuts in the fields of health and social care and mental health services (not to mention policing itself) have brought into sharp focus the enormous range of non-crime related activity which the police are associated with. The College of Policing estimates that non-crime related incidents account for 83 per cent of all 'command and control' calls that come into call centre staff. In this respect, Brodeur has distinguished between two policing tasks - 'high policing' and 'low policing'. 'High policing' involves intelligence-related policing activities which utilise both human and technological intelligence apparatus. This is the type of activity perhaps more readily associated with the fictional representations of the role of the police. 'Low policing' refers to the more mundane day-to-day reality of much of the policing role which focuses upon responding to criminal or potentially criminal incidents, order maintenance, reassurance and community engagement. Millie has conceptualised this further by dividing 'low policing' into 'wide policing' and 'narrow policing'4. He argues that historically but most notably since the early 1990s, the role of the police has become significantly wider and encompasses the diverse and multi-faceted demands of anti-terrorism, reassurance, fear of crime, catching criminals, crime prevention and crime reduction. Although there are a myriad of voices and opinions on the thorny question of what is, and perhaps also what should be, the role of the police, little is heard from one particular quarter - frontline police officers themselves. New research conducted by this author5 has followed a sample of new recruits to the police service through the first four years of their careers and considered how and in what ways, they adapt to their new identity as a police officer. Police officers were interviewed after the first five weeks in the job (TIME A), after six months (TIME B), after one year (TIME C) and after four years (TIME D)6. This rich source of data has revealed significant change over time in the new recruits' attitudes and beliefs. A central focus of the research was on officers' changing attitudes during the early years of their careers and the key influences upon the formation and development of those attitudes. Part of that analysis was a consideration of what the new recruits saw as their role as a police officer. Details: London: Police Foundation, 2018. 8p. Source: Internet Resource: Perspectives on Policing: Paper 3: Accessed February 2, 2018 at: http://www.police-foundation.org.uk/2017/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/perspectives_on_policing_officers_sense_of_role-FINAL.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.police-foundation.org.uk/2017/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/perspectives_on_policing_officers_sense_of_role-FINAL.pdf Shelf Number: 148981 Keywords: Police LegitimacyPolice Performance |
Author: Bradford, Ben Title: Identity, Legitimacy and 'Making Sense' of Police Violence Summary: This paper examines the extent to which police legitimacy and social identity predict public acceptance of police use of force. The study draws upon cross-sectional data from a 2015 survey of a representative sample of adults in England & Wales. Structural equation modeling is used to model conditional correlations between latent constructs. There are two main results. First, identifying more strongly with a social group that the police plausibly represent to people was consistently associated with greater acceptance of police use of force, whether or not that force seemed to be legally justified. Second, beliefs about the legitimacy of the police were associated with acceptance, but primarily in relation only to the use of force in situations where it appeared prima facie justifiable. Results suggest one possible set of reasons explaining why police retain public support in the face of scandals concerning excessive use of force. In terms of originality, this is one of only a very few investigations into (a) the association between legitimacy and public acceptance of apparently illegal or unethical police action and (b) the extent to which identification with a particular social group predicts judgments of police behavior. It is also one of the few papers that has explored the possibility of perverse outcomes arising from procedurally just policing. Details: Oxford, UK: University of Oxford - Centre for Criminology, 2016. 14p. Source: Internet Resource: Oxford Legal Studies Research Paper No. 41/2016: Accessed February 8, 2018 at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2793818 Year: 2016 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2793818 Shelf Number: 149076 Keywords: Deadly Force Police LegitimacyPolice Misconduct Police Use of Force |
Author: Trinkner, Rick Title: Expanding 'Appropriate' Police Behavior Beyond Procedural Justice: Bounded Authority &and Legal Legitimation Summary: This paper expands previous conceptualizations of appropriate police behavior beyond procedural justice. The focus of the current study is on the notion of bounded authority - i.e. respecting the limits of one's power. Work on legal socialization shows how citizens come to acquire three dimensions of values that determine how authorities ought to behave: (a) neutral, consistent and transparent decision-making; (b) interpersonal treatment that conveys respect, dignity and concern; and (c) respect for the limits of rightful authority. Using survey data from a nationally representative sample of US adults, we show that concerns over bounded authority, respectful treatment, and neutral decision-making combine to form a strong predictor of police and legal legitimacy. Legal legitimacy is also associated with greater compliance behavior, controlling for personal morality and perceived likelihood of sanctions. Our conclusions address some future directions of research, particularly in the extension of procedural justice theory. Details: Unpublished Paper, 2016. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 22, 2018 at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2846659 Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2846659 Shelf Number: 149226 Keywords: Legal SocializationPolice BehaviorPolice LegitimacyPolice-Citizen InteractionsProcedural Justice |
Author: Sacca, Giacomo Title: Not just another piece of equipment: an analysis for police body-worn camera policy decisions Summary: In the United States, law enforcement agencies are rapidly deploying body-worn cameras (BWCs) to increase organizational transparency and foster positive community relations. Proponents of the technology see BWCs as a tool to ensure police legitimacy and eliminate abusive conduct. Preliminary evidence identifies several benefits of using BWCs, such as: reduced citizen complaints, increased cooperation, and lower civil liability. However, emerging evidence suggests that the devices may be achieving the intended goals but with unintended consequences. BWC use may inadvertently increase use of force incidents and reduce the time that the police spend on de-escalating a situation. This thesis employs qualitative research methodology to examine how BWCs affect the ambiguous nature of police decision-making, as well as the effects of BWC use on the public, thereby investigating solutions for the frayed police-public relationship. By analyzing current data available on BWCs, examining information on human decision-making including heuristics, and completing a comparative analysis of a similar police technology-the vehicle dashboard camera-the thesis finds that BWC use can have different and changing impacts on police behavior, suggesting that variables related to human factors alter the dynamics of BWC use. The thesis provides recommendations that cover independent agency BWC evaluations, organizational training, limits on discretionary officer recording, and the practical application of automated camera systems. Details: Monterey, California: Naval Postgraduate School, 2017. 148p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed February 23, 2018 at: https://calhoun.nps.edu/bitstream/handle/10945/56797/17Dec_Sacca_Giacomo.pdf?sequence=1 Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://calhoun.nps.edu/bitstream/handle/10945/56797/17Dec_Sacca_Giacomo.pdf?sequence=1 Shelf Number: 149231 Keywords: Body-Worn CamerasCamerasPolice AccountabilityPolice BehaviorPolice Decision-MakingPolice LegitimacyPolice TechnologyPolice-Community Relations |
Author: Watts, Brad Title: Evaluability Assessment of the NAFI Youth and Police Initiative Training, Final Report Summary: This report details the results of an Evaluability Assessment of the Youth-Police Initiative (YPI) training program conducted by the Center for Human Services Research with support from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The purpose of this evaluability assessment (EA) was to gauge the YPI program's readiness for evaluation and provide recommendations and technical assistance to prepare for an outcomes-based evaluation. - A five-task EA model originally developed for criminal justice programs guided the project's research methodology. The five tasks are 1) study the program history, design, and operation; 2) watch the program in action; 3) determine the capacity for data collection; 4) assess the likelihood that the program will reach its goals and objectives; and 5) show why an evaluation will or will not help the program and its stakeholders. - The YPI program model brings together youth and police to provide training on how to interact with each other and resolve conflicts. The approach has much in common with literature on attitude toward police and police legitimacy and has some roots in conflict resolution theory. - The YPI program has evolved during a decade of operation from a police-training model to a youth-oriented approach. Program design and approach quickly evolved from a police-oriented training for recent academy graduates (after the first two rounds of implementation) to a youth-oriented program within a community-based setting. There has been some ongoing variation in the details of implementation, which could challenge efforts to evaluate the program. - The YPI program has demonstrated capacity to collect data directly from participants. Pre- and post-training surveys have been collected from youth and police participants, and the YPI program has engaged in a pilot of longer-term follow-up surveys during this study. - Past data collection has not always been consistent. The program has used varying data collection forms. As part of the study, new data collection forms utilizing fieldtested measures of attitude change have been created and implemented. - The original stated goals of the YPI program are broad and ambitious, but may be difficult to achieve. Research on similar programs suggests that it is possible to change the attitudes and behaviors of individuals, but difficult to alter community-level impacts such as outcomes related to community violence or overall rates of conflict between youth and police. - Observation of YPI program training sessions revealed that implementation mostly matches the program model. The sessions were small (14 youth, 9 officers), focused on developing youth presentation and leadership skills, and used hands-on scenarios and interactions to build relationships between police and youth over a short period of time. - YPI program data suggests that improvement in attitude has occurred amongst participating youth. Data from existing surveys was analyzed to determine if changes occurred in the desired or expected ways over time. The change in youth ratings suggests that it should be possible to measure attitude-based outcomes in a future evaluation. - Analysis of past data found no change in police attitudes. However, it should be noted that police officers generally gave the program good ratings for helping to build trust, developing positive relationships, and helping them to see youth in a more positive light. Evidence on attitude change amongst police officers participating in the YPI program was limited by the small number of surveys available. - YPI program staff and other stakeholders are interested in evaluation. The benefits of a future evaluation include continuous program improvement, the ability to provide robust evidence to interested communities and police departments, and the possibility of developing into an "evidence-based" program model. Major Recommendations - The program goals and logic model should be revised to reflect a focused set of attainable outcome goals. Many of the YPI program's original goals are ambitious but may be difficult to achieve. Suggested goals that are more tightly aligned with program activities include changing participants' attitudes, improving ability of participants to handle youth-police interactions, creating a positive training experience, reducing negative youth-police interactions, and reducing criminal involvement among youth participants. - New data collection forms and protocol should be implemented. During the study new forms were created and piloted with measures related to the suggested goals and outcomes. It is also recommended that the YPI program create and maintain a consistent database of all survey responses that will help support future evaluation efforts. - Outcomes should be measured over a longer period of time. In addition to new forms for pre/post training data collection, new draft follow-up questionnaires were also created to capture medium-to-long-term outcomes. It is recommended that these follow-up surveys be conducted with both youth and police participants approximately threemonths after the training sessions are completed. Additionally, future evaluation efforts could be aided by the collection of crime data reports on youth participants for a period of several months after program participation. Details: Albany, NY: CENTER FOR HUMAN SERVICES RESEARCH UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK. 2017. 74p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 15, 2018 at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/grants/251113.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/grants/251113.pdf Shelf Number: 149478 Keywords: Juvenile MentoringPolice LegitimacyPolice-Citizen InteractionsPolice-Community RelationsPolice-Juvenile RelationsYouth Programs |
Author: Henning, Kris Title: Community Attitudes Regarding Public Safety in Portland's Parkrose Neighborhood Summary: The Portland Police Bureau (PPB) is partnering with Portland State University (PSU) and neighborhood groups to develop new strategies for improving public safety and police-community relations. The current initiative seeks to provide residents with greater voice in where police work in their neighborhood, what problems they address, and how they intervene. We also hope to provide residents, businesses, and community organizations with data they can use to leverage additional resources for improving public safety in their neighborhood. This report focuses on the Parkrose neighborhood. Parkrose is located in the Northeast section of Portland (i.e. North of Burnside Ave. and East of the Willamette River). PSU's Population Research Center estimates that there were 6,363 residents living in the neighborhood in 2010, a 5.5% increase from 2000. For additional information on the neighborhood, contact the Parkrose Neighborhood Association. In July 2016 all households in the Parkrose neighborhood were mailed a letter inviting the adult occupants to participate in an online survey. Additional invitations were delivered in-person by PPB officers and the link to the online survey was in several newsletters and community-oriented websites. The questionnaire asked residents to identify their primary public safety concerns, whether they supported or opposed various actions the city might take in responding to these problems, and for ideas on improving police-community relationships. Three hundred and forty-nine surveys were submitted and analyzed for this report. Key Findings - Social disorder (e.g., noise, squatters, trespassing, panhandlers, and prostitution) property crime, and drugs/alcohol were the top public safety concerns identified by Parkrose residents completing the online survey. - Respondents to the survey demonstrated a high degree of agreement regarding the areas within their neighborhood that have public safety concerns. This includes the corridors running east to west surrounding NE Sandy Blvd and NE Prescott St. - People from Parkrose who completed the survey feel considerably less safe walking alone in their neighborhood than the average city resident. Moreover, the majority of survey respondents reported that public safety in Parkrose had declined over the past 12 months. - The majority of respondents expressed confidence with the Portland Police and felt the Portland Police treat people in the neighborhood with respect. People felt this could continue to be strengthened through non-investigatory foot patrols, community meetings, and expanded police participation in community events. Details: Portland, OR: Portland State University, 2017. 17p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 16, 2018 at: https://www.pdx.edu/criminology-criminal-justice/sites/www.pdx.edu.criminology-criminal-justice/files/PDF-Files/Research/PPB_PSU%20Public%20Safety%20Survey_Parkrose%202016_Final%20Report.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://www.pdx.edu/criminology-criminal-justice/sites/www.pdx.edu.criminology-criminal-justice/files/PDF-Files/Research/PPB_PSU%20Public%20Safety%20Survey_Parkrose%202016_Final%20Report.pdf Shelf Number: 149503 Keywords: Neighborhoods and CrimePolice LegitimacyPolice-Community RelationsPublic AttitudesPublic Safety |
Author: Stewart, Greg Title: Community Attitudes Regarding Public Safety in Bend, Oregon Summary: Bend, Oregon is the largest city in Deschutes County and the seventh largest city in Oregon. Portland State University's Population Research Center estimates that Bend had a population of 83,500 residents in 2016. Both the city and county as a whole have seen considerable growth over the past 10 years. The city's residential population rose 8.8% from 2010 while the county increased by 12.0%. The Bend Police Department (BPD) provides the city with 24/7/365 police services. In May of 2017 the BPD employed 94 sworn officers and 28 civilian staff distributed across three major divisions: Patrol, Investigations, and Support. BPD's Five-Year-Strategic Plan (2015 to 2020) calls for the agency to address two specific goals with regard to the community: 1) building trust and confidence in the BPD, and 2) increasing engagement with Bend's businesses, organizations, and residents. These goals are core principles of community policing, an organizational philosophy that seeks to proactively address conditions that give rise to crime, disorder, and fear by building problem-solving partnerships with community members. In early 2017, Chief Jim Porter and the BPD partnered with Portland State University's Criminology & Criminal Justice Department to conduct a survey of Bend residents. The purpose of the survey was to provide feedback on the agency's recent performance in achieving the community oriented goals of the strategic plan and to provide direction for the coming years. Key Findings - Most respondents to this survey reported feeling safe in their neighborhood, in the nearest park and in Downtown Bend during the daytime. Perceptions of safety were considerably lower at night for Downtown Bend and for the nearest park. - BPD received high performance ratings for being available when needed, dealing with problems that concern the community, and for reducing crime. Lower ratings were given for reducing traffic crashes. - Respondents reported a high level of confidence and trust in the BPD and the vast majority said they are willingness to work with the BPD to address public safety problems. - Nearly all of the respondents contacted by the BPD (i.e. given a traffic ticket or warning, interviewed regarding a crime, etc.) reported that they had been treated with respect, that the officer(s) involved listened to them, showed concern, and explained his/her actions. - Traffic offenses, harassment, and trespassing were the most frequently cited public safety issues for the past 12 months. Looking forward, however, residents cited violent crime, property crime, and traffic offenses as the top priorities for the coming year. - The majority of respondents support additional police patrols for evening hours and CCTV cameras to address problems downtown Bend. Details: Portland, OR: Portland State University, 2017. 39p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 19, 2018 at: https://www.pdx.edu/criminology-criminal-justice/sites/www.pdx.edu.criminology-criminal-justice/files/PDF-Files/Research/PSU%20Public%20Safety%20Survey_Bend_2017_FINAL.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://www.pdx.edu/criminology-criminal-justice/sites/www.pdx.edu.criminology-criminal-justice/files/PDF-Files/Research/PSU%20Public%20Safety%20Survey_Bend_2017_FINAL.pdf Shelf Number: 149505 Keywords: Police LegitimacyPolice-Community RelationsPublic AttitudesPublic Safety |
Author: Celestin, Bradley D. Title: Lay evaluations of police and civilian use of force Summary: The current study derived psychological scale values of specific police and civilian forceful actions in a dyadic context. Participants were presented with vignettes describing actions committed by a police officer and civilian, and were asked to rate their morality and forcefulness. We used Bayesian analysis to model these ratings as functions of estimated scale values of the actions and individual participant characteristics, such as beliefs about police legitimacy. Results revealed a large separation between the scale values of non-physical, less-lethal, and lethal actions that differs from the standard, rank-ordered categories that are commonly used by law enforcement agencies. The severity of non-physical and lethal actions was differentiated, both individually and categorically, but perceived severity of actions across all three canonical less-lethal categories clustered tightly together. The perceived morality of officer force depended on the level of force used by the civilian, and vice versa, and interacted with participant attitudes toward police, revealing a contrast between participants with low relative to high legitimacy beliefs. Use of lethal force by an officer was rated as excessive, even when the civilian also used lethal force, by all participants except those with the strongest police legitimacy beliefs. Less normative lethal officer actions were perceived as more morally than forcefully severe, and this pattern was reversed for more normative less-lethal actions. These findings reveal a disconnect between lay force evaluations and formal law enforcement policies, and have implications for understanding and ameliorating conflict between police and citizens that arises when evaluating police and civilian use-of-force. Details: Bloomington, IN: Indiana University, 2017. 52p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 27, 2018 at: https://osf.io/ym5au Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://osf.io/ym5au Shelf Number: 149591 Keywords: Deadly Force Police LegitimacyPolice-citizen Interactions Use of Force |
Author: Police Executive Research Forum Title: Operational Strategies to Build Police-Community Trust and Reduce Crime in Minority Communities: The Minneapolis Cedar-Riverside Exploratory Policing Study Summary: The Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), and the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) designed, implemented, and evaluated a three-anda-half-year project that took place in the Cedar-Riverside area of Minneapolis that explored a new approach to policing in minority communities. The project's approach is built on the foundational concepts of procedural justice and legitimacy. The Cedar-Riverside neighborhood provided a unique laboratory for testing the approach in a challenging, real-world setting. Cedar-Riverside has the largest population of East African (primarily Somali) immigrants in the United States, largely resulting from the influx of refugees entering the U.S. in the 1990s. Many residents still speak their native language and follow traditional culture and customs from their homeland. Furthermore, residents' perceptions of government and particularly the police have been tainted by the corruption and abuse these refugees witnessed or experienced in their native Somalia and other countries. Fear and misunderstanding between East African residents and the criminal justice system in Minneapolis (especially the police) have been and continue to be major challenges. The objective of this project was to test the idea that crime prevention and enforcement efforts of police departments are strengthened when the police actively strive to improve their relationship with the community by using every interaction as an opportunity to demonstrate civil, unbiased, fair, and respectful policing. Given the diversity and unique challenges of Cedar-Riverside, it is believed that if the concepts of procedural justice and legitimacy can be successfully implemented there, they can be applied in a broad range of other communities throughout the United States. Initially conceived as a police-community project only, it became apparent early on that to fully implement and test the principles of procedural justice and legitimacy, other elements of the Minneapolis justice system would need to be included as well. MPD's partners in this effort included not only the Cedar-Riverside community, but also the Minneapolis City Attorney's Office, Hennepin County Attorney's Office, and Hennepin County Department of Community Corrections and Rehabilitation (probation). In addition, BJA and PERF brought in two nationally-recognized consultants to advise on the project: Dr. George Kelling, co-author of the "Broken Windows" model and renowned police researcher, and Dr. Tom Tyler, Professor of Law and Psychology at Yale Law School and a leading advocate for applying the principles of procedural justice to policing. This collaborative team designed, implemented, and evaluated evidence-based crime reduction tactics in the Cedar-Riverside area, resulting in a system-wide prototype that we believe can be replicated in other areas Details: Washington, DC; PERF, 2017. 96p. Source: Internet Resource: Critical Issues in Policing Series: Accessed April 12, 2018 at: http://www.policeforum.org/assets/MinneapolisCedarRiverside.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: http://www.policeforum.org/assets/MinneapolisCedarRiverside.pdf Shelf Number: 149790 Keywords: Evidence-Based PolicingImmigrant CommunitiesPolice LegitimacyPolice-Citizen InteractionsPolice-Community RelationsPolice-Minority Relations |
Author: Hart, Bill Title: Confidence and Caution: Arizonans' Trust in the Police Summary: National surveys, as well as an Arizona poll commissioned for this report, indicate that most Americans do trust police. But a closer examination of the relationship between police and public finds it to be remarkably complex, resting as it does on a fundamental ambivalence that both sides bring to it. Police, on one hand, are sworn to "serve and protect" the public, but in doing so regularly must discipline and compel some of them. The public, on the other hand, must obey officers and rely on them; but many also acknowledge that they sometimes resent and even fear the police. This report addresses the issue of trust in police in three ways: reviewing national and Arizona-focused research literature; analyzing the results of 10 focus groups across the state; and providing the findings of a random-sample opinion poll of all Arizona adults. Details: Phoenix: Morrison Institute for Public Policy, School of Public Affairs, College of Public Programs, Arizona State University, 2007. 48p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 18, 2018 at: https://morrisoninstitute.asu.edu/sites/default/files/content/products/ConfAndCaution-AzTrustInPolice.pdf Year: 2007 Country: United States URL: https://morrisoninstitute.asu.edu/sites/default/files/content/products/ConfAndCaution-AzTrustInPolice.pdf Shelf Number: 117091 Keywords: Police LegitimacyPolice-Citizen InteractionsPolice-Community Relations |
Author: Lancia, Amanda Title: Policing and the Dirty Underbelly: Understanding Narratives of Police Deviance on Social Media Platforms Summary: Policing organizations have been quick to adopt the use of social media as a community policing and investigative tool. However, the user-generated content on social media platforms can pose a risk to police legitimacy, police accountability, and their role as the 'authorized knowers'. This thesis explores how social media problematizes the social problems game and how social media challenges the police as the 'authorized knowers'. Through the analysis of two case studies - #myNYPD campaign and the Walter Scott shooting - it was found that social media users can use social media platforms to construct claims against and challenge police in the social problems game through the circulation of user-generated content. It was discovered that images and videos play a significant role in the social problems game, and the challenging of the police. The authority that the police have with traditional media differs from the relationship they have with social media. This is because social media becomes much more difficult to control, especially with the interpretive flexibility of images and video. It was found that police still engage in counter-claims making activities through traditional media outlets to counteract claims made online, but that social media also provides a new platform for counter-claims making activities. Details: Waterloo, ON: Wilfrid Laurier University, 2016. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed April 18, 2018 at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2987&context=etd Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://scholars.wlu.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2987&context=etd Shelf Number: 149848 Keywords: Police AccountabilityPolice InvestigationsPolice LegitimacyPolice MisconductSocial Media |
Author: Schwartz, David Title: Harnessing Power: Exploring Citizen's Use of Networked Technologies to Promote Police Accountability Summary: In this examination of citizen surveillance, I engage with Foucaultian and Deleuzian conceptualizations of surveillance, power, resistance, control, and desire, to explore the motivation(s) of community members who film and disseminate footage of the police. Methodologically, I conducted semi-structured interviews with community stakeholders to study the latent thematic ideas embedded in their responses. These themes represent the underlying motivational factors a citizen surveiller may have when filming the police. In my analysis of these themes, I explore: citizen surveillers' logic for resisting power; citizen surveillers' understandings of power; and, citizen surveillers' reported approaches to both passive and active forms of resistance. Subsequently, there appears to be an underlying desire for power and a resistance to power when filming the police. However, given the exploratory nature of this study, there is a need to continue investigating the theoretical and under substantiated claims about citizen surveillance and its association with race, gender and socio-economic status. Details: Ottawa: University of Ottawa, 2016. 146p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed April 19, 2018 at: https://ruor.uottawa.ca/bitstream/10393/35338/1/Schwartz_David_2016_thesis.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Canada URL: https://ruor.uottawa.ca/bitstream/10393/35338/1/Schwartz_David_2016_thesis.pdf Shelf Number: 149852 Keywords: Police AccountabilityPolice LegitimacyPolice TechnologyPrivacyVideo Surveillance |
Author: Cox, Stacie Leigh Title: Law Enforcement Attitudes of Current Public and Departmental Surveillance Technologies: A Qualitative Case Study of the Toronto Police Service Summary: This thesis explores the perceptions of front-line police officers surrounding synoptic and panoptic surveillance and the implications of police body-worn cameras on community relations, citizen's recording devices and police practice. The study involves a qualitative approach that utilized one-on-one, semi-structured interviews, in which participants were those members of the Toronto Police Service who wore body-worn cameras during an earlier pilot study of the device conducted by the Toronto Police Service. Police as a sampling group are very exclusive and hard to gain access to, as such this study relied on a snowball sampling strategy which resulted in a sample size of 7. While sample size is a major limitation of this study, these 7 interviews provided rich data that were able to provide a valuable and humanizing dialogue of police officers. Transcriptions of interviews were collected and thematically analyzed, resulting in commonalities among participant responses. These commonalities suggest that officers involved in the piloting project that were interviewed share similar perceptions and concerns of this new technology, whether it be positive or negative. Themes that were established include: Context; Synoptic Surveillance; Accountability; Police and Community Relationship and Trust; Impact on Officer's Job, Career and Routine; Officer Repercussions & Protection from Accusations; Officer Change in Behaviour Due to Surveillance Devices; Officer Physical Safety; Citizens Behavioural Changes and Reactions Body-Worn Cameras; Social Media; Privacy Concerns; Officers Favourability toward Wearing Body-Worn Cameras; and the Overall Impact Body-Worn Cameras have on Policing. Participants reported while this surveillance tool is beneficial in theory, in practice the implications of this device are increasingly negative on police practice and community relations. Study results are framed using contemporary theories of surveillance and concepts central to police legitimacy, and for the purpose of this research the culmination of these notions has been termed the Surveillance Accountability Framework. The concerns surrounding police body-worn cameras raised by this research should be considered for further research and improvement, particularly due to the increasing amount of police services planning on adopting this new technology. Details: Kingston, ONT: Queen's University, 2017. 124p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed April 26, 2018 at: https://qspace.library.queensu.ca/bitstream/handle/1974/22788/Cox_Stacie_L_201709_MA.pdf?sequence=2 Year: 2017 Country: Canada URL: https://qspace.library.queensu.ca/bitstream/handle/1974/22788/Cox_Stacie_L_201709_MA.pdf?sequence=2 Shelf Number: 149919 Keywords: Body-Worn CamerasPolice AccountabilityPolice LegitimacyPolice SurveillancePolice TechnologySurveillance |
Author: Murray, Kath Title: Police reform and public confidence in Scottish policing: 2012 ti 2015. An analysis of Scottish Social Attitudes survey data Summary: This report examines public confidence in Scottish policing, and public awareness of police reform between 2012 and 2015. Capturing public attitudes immediately prior to and following the amalgamation of Scotland's eight police forces in April 2013, the report provides original insights into how public attitudes towards Scottish policing changed during the early years of police reform. Note that the findings cannot be generalised beyond the four-year survey period (2012 to 2015). The analysis is based on Scottish Social Attitudes (SSA) data collated by ScotCen Social Research as part of the annual SSA survey series. This is a nationally representative, face-to-face survey of adults living in Scotland. For the purposes of this report, the sample is aged eighteen years or over. The survey module on police reform and public confidence was sponsored by the Scottish Institute for Policing Research (SIPR), Police Scotland, the Scottish Police Authority and ScotCen Social Research. The analysis shows that public confidence in policing - as measured by whether respondents thought that the local police did a good job or bad job - remained relatively stable between 2012 and 2014. Public confidence ratings then fell significantly between 2014 and 2015. The timing of this downturn, around two years after police reform, indicates that the shift was not influenced by the idea of a single force per se. Instead, the analysis suggests that the results may reflect perceived changes to on the ground police practice, including a perceived reduction in local police presence. There is also evidence of regional convergence in public confidence ratings, with initially higher confidence ratings in the East and North in 2012 converging with lower ratings in the West (which remained broadly unchanged) across the four-year period. These findings might cautiously be read as evidence of a West/Strathclyde policing model taking hold in the early reform years. Looking at the relationship between police contact and public confidence in local policing, the analysis suggests that police-initiated encounters (for example, being questioned on the street or searched) may be associated with lower ratings of local policing. While no data are available on the quality of these interactions, the findings nonetheless underscore the importance of fair and proportionate policing. While the results suggest that a visible police presence is broadly welcome, by the same token it is also clear that the type of interaction matters. Analysis of the relationship between socio-demographic factors and confidence in local policing show that for the most part, the associations are relatively weak or not statistically significant, with few clear trends. Details: Edinburgh: University of Edinburgh, 2018. 32p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 18, 2018 at: http://www.sipr.ac.uk/downloads/SSA%20_2012_2015_Public_confidence_and%20police%20reform.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.sipr.ac.uk/downloads/SSA%20_2012_2015_Public_confidence_and%20police%20reform.pdf Shelf Number: 150261 Keywords: Police LegitimacyPolice ReformPolice-Community InteractionsPolice-Community RelationsPublic Opinion |
Author: U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. New York Advisory Committee Title: The Civil Rights Implications of "Broken Windows" Policing in NYC and General NYPD Accountability to the Public Summary: The New York Advisory Committee (Committee) submits this report, "The Civil Rights Implications of "Broken Windows" Policing in NYC and General NYPD Accountability to the Public," as part of its responsibility to advise the Commission on Civil Rights issues within New York State. Beginning in Fall 2016, the Committee set out to review the effects of New York Police Department (the "NYPD") low level offense enforcement practices on individuals of color, with a particular emphasis on youth, as well as the accountability structures and oversight mechanisms governing the NYPD. The Committee held two days of public briefings on these issues in New York City on March 20 and March 21, 2017. Testimony was provided to the Committee by 27 persons on 11 panels. The presenters were academics, government officials and advocates with particular expertise on the matters covered by this report. The Committee also held interviews with senior leadership of the NYPD on February 13, February 15 and December 19, 2017 to garner the NYPD's perspective. This report summarizes important information from the presenters' testimony, written submissions, publicly available information, and interviews with senior leadership of the NYPD. The report provides recommendations based on the information received. The Advisory Committee trusts the Commission and the public will find the material in this report informative. Details: Washington, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 2018. 173p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 1, 2018 at: http://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/03-22-NYSAC.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United States URL: http://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/03-22-NYSAC.pdf Shelf Number: 150428 Keywords: Broken Windows PolicingCivil Rights AbusesPolice AccountabilityPolice LegitimacyPolice-Citizen InteractionsRacial Disparities |
Author: Higgins, Andy Title: The Future of Neighbourhood Policing Summary: Neighbourhood policing is widely regarded as the 'bedrock' of British policing. However, as forces have adapted their operating models to new funding and demand challenges, the form in which it is delivered has diversified, and in some places diminished. Concerns have been raised that the ability of the police to prevent crime may be undermined if neighbourhood teams are eroded. 'Hybrid' roles (for example, combining neighbourhood functions with response or investigation work) have been introduced and some officers are no longer attached to specific localities. The meaning of neighbourhood policing is becoming more ambiguous and agreement on what it is and how it should function risks breaking down. At the same time, many neighbourhoods are themselves changing, becoming more diverse and dissimilar. Arguably, their policing needs are becoming more difficult to identify and understand. The focus of policing has also changed, with new emphases on 'hidden' harm and vulnerability. These have been added to or superseded previous local policing objectives such as promoting public confidence, providing visible reassurance and tackling crime and antisocial behaviour in public spaces. Details: London: Police Foundation, 2018. 90p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 1, 2018 at: http://www.police-foundation.org.uk/2017/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/TPFJ6112-Neighbourhood-Policing-Report-WEB.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.police-foundation.org.uk/2017/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/TPFJ6112-Neighbourhood-Policing-Report-WEB.pdf Shelf Number: 150430 Keywords: Community PolicingNeighborhood PolicingPolice AccountabilityPolice LegitimacyPolice ReformPolice-Community Relations |
Author: Alderden, Megan A. Title: The Diversification of Police Departments Summary: In the last few decades there has been a particular emphasis on diversifying the police workforce. Much of these efforts have resulted in a significant increase in proportion of police officers that are female or racial and ethnic minorities. In 1987, females accounted for almost 8 percent of police officers while racial and ethnic minorities accounted for nearly 15 percent of police officers. By 2003, these figures had increased to 11 percent and 24 percent, respectively. Large agencies in particular have been successful in recruiting both female and racial and ethnic minorities; police agencies that serve one million or more residents reported in 2003 that 17 percent of their workforce was female and almost 40 percent were racial or ethnic minorities (Hickman & Reaves, 2006). Although these data clearly indicate an increase in both female and racial and ethnic minority officers, little attention has been paid to understanding how diversification impacts the police agency workplace. The justification for increasing diversity in personnel has focused on both workplace performance as well as the workplace atmosphere. Higher levels of workplace performance and satisfaction within organizations arise when diversification is sought as a way to truly incorporate different employee viewpoints, experiences, and cultures. Using Ely and Thomas's (2001) theoretical constructs on diversification perspectives, we developed several survey questions to assess officer perceptions of their workplace. Ely and Thomas found that an agencys diversification perspective - that is, why they sought to diversify their workforce - influenced workplace performance and satisfaction among employees. Specifically, the discrimination and fairness perspective, which entails agency administrators diversifying their workforce to make things equal and to make up for past discrimination, was associated with more negative workplace experiences and workgroup performance. The access and legitimacy perspective, which entails agencies diversifying as a way to enter new communities or to legitimize their work with the existing communities they serve, was associated with both negative and positive workplace experiences and performance. The integration and learning perspective, which involves agencies diversifying because administrators believe it is needed to change organizations and their external relationships, encourage agency innovation, and facilitate organizational learning, was associated with positive workplace performance and employee satisfaction. Details: Washington, DC: National Police Research Platform, National Institute of Justice, 2011. 8p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 2, 2018 at: https://www.nationallawenforcementplatform.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/TheDiversificationofPoliceDepartmentsFINAL2.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: https://www.nationallawenforcementplatform.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/TheDiversificationofPoliceDepartmentsFINAL2.pdf Shelf Number: 150446 Keywords: DiversityMinorities in PolicingPolice Job SatisfactionPolice LegitimacyPolice PerformancePolice Recruitment Hiring |
Author: Yesberg, Julia Title: Affect and Trust as Predictors of Public Support for Armed Police: Evidence from London Summary: Police in England, Scotland and Wales operate largely unarmed, and have done since the formation of the London Metropolitan Police in 1829. However, recent terror attacks and concern over serious violent crime have prompted increased funding for armed officers and even calls for routine arming of police. In this paper we present results from the first in-depth study of public attitudes toward the arming of more police. Starting from the assumption that most people have little concrete knowledge of the potential benefits and risks of doing so, we show that trust, and particularly affective responses to the idea of armed police, are central in shaping support for the routine arming of more officers. A range of other sociological and psychological variables are also important, but only in as much as they are correlated with trust and, again, particularly affect. Our findings have implications not only for this specific policy development, but also wider consideration of lay reactions to changes in police policy and technology. Details: London: University College London - Jill Dando Institute of Security and Crime Science, 2018. 40p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 27, 2018 at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3191056 Year: 2018 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3191056 Shelf Number: 150712 Keywords: Armed PolicePolice LegitimacyPolice Use of ForcePolicing |
Author: Swaner, Rachel Title: What Do Defendants Really Think? Procedural Justice and Legitimacy in the Criminal Justice System Summary: In the last decade, reformers have sought to strengthen the legitimacy of the United States criminal justice system by embracing the concept of procedural justice. They key elements of procedural justice include: - Respect Relevant agency actors (e.g., police officers, judges, attorneys, corrections officers, etc.) treat those with whom they interact with respect and dignity. - Neutrality Criminal justice decision-making processes are unbiased. - Understanding People understand the process, their rights, case outcomes, what is required to comply with any order or sentence, and the rules governing appropriate behavior when interacting with justice agencies. - Voice People have an opportunity to voice their questions and concerns and tell their side of the story. - Helpfulness Criminal justice actors have an interest in the needs and personal situation of those they interact with. This study examines how those who go through multiple components of the justice system (e.g., arrest, adjudication, incarceration) perceive procedural justice across sectors. With funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance at the U.S. Department of Justice, the Center for Court Innovation conducted a mixed-method study to provide a research-informed foundation for interventions and policies to increase perceptions of procedural justice and overall fairness across the criminal justice system. Details: New York: Center for Court Innovation, 2018. 115p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 10, 2018 at: https://www.courtinnovation.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/2018-09/what_do_defendants_really_think.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United States URL: https://www.courtinnovation.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/2018-09/what_do_defendants_really_think.pdf Shelf Number: 152895 Keywords: Criminal Defendants Defendants Police LegitimacyProcedural Justice |
Author: Newman, Gareth Title: Protector or predator? Tackling police corruption in South Africa Summary: Corruption remains a serious challenge to the effectiveness and legitimacy of the South African Police Service (SAPS). This monograph explores corruption in the SAPS prior to and after democratisation in 1994, contextualising the discussion with reference to international and domestic literature on the subject. It explores the causes of police corruption in the South African context and assesses the efforts taken by the SAPS in response to this challenge. Practical recommendations are made as to how the SAPS can significantly reduce incidents of police corruption by enhancing internal accountability, promoting a culture of organisational integrity and mobilising community support. Consolidating decades of research on the subject, this monograph represents the most comprehensive analysis of police corruption in South Africa to date. It also offers an approach that could assist in transforming the SAPS into a police agency that all South Africans want, one that is widely respected for its integrity and professionalism. Details: Pretoria: Institute for Security Studies, 2011. 74p. Source: Internet Resource: ISS Monograph no. 182: Accessed November 13, 2018 at: https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Mono182.pdf Year: 2011 Country: South Africa URL: https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Mono182.pdf Shelf Number: 152922 Keywords: Police Corruption Police Integrity Police LegitimacyPolice Misconduct |
Author: Hadjipavlou, Savas Title: Rethinking Police Demand: A review of drivers, capability and capacity in partnership with the Dawes Trust Summary: Are the police doing what we, as a society, need and want them to do? The pressures and demands facing modern policing are changing in ways which have profound implications for future policing policy, not least with respect to how the police are funded. There are two major reasons for this. Firstly, the fall in overall volume crime, as estimated by the Crime Survey for England and Wales, has masked important changes in the pattern of modern crime. There has been a growth in 'high-harm' offences, such as violence and sexual offences, and more crime has shifted from the public into the private sphere, including online. These offences tend to be more complex to investigate and thus costly to deal with. As a result, the police service have been unable to 'cash the gains' of falling volume crime. Secondly, the demands facing policing are broader. There is clear evidence that 'non-crime demand' is sucking up more resources than was the case a decade ago; the police are increasingly being forced to pick up the pieces arising from various manifestations of social dysfunction, from mental illness to missing children. As the country's 24/7 emergency service, policing has arguably also been a victim of its capacity and preparedness to respond to those demands, which has in turn stimulated public expectations in ways not previously envisaged. Conclusions -- There are two possible conclusions one can draw from the trends we outline in our report. That policing has suffered from a form of 'mission-creep' - and that what is required is for policing to shed responsibility for things falling outside of its 'core' role of cutting crime. We categorically reject this idea. In our view, it is essential to recognise that cases involving public safety, welfare and the protection of the vulnerable represent a legitimate and worthy use of police time'. Indeed it can be argued that these categories of 'non-crime' demand are absolutely central to the policing mission, as the only 24-hour public service able to respond to emergencies, with the capacity to deploy coercive force. The public poll we have carried out for this report suggests the public agrees: Do you think that the police should be dealing with any of the following issues? 2. That the police need to improve their ability to tackle the causes of demand (rather than managing the symptoms), which in turn requires the police to work more effectively as part of a wider system of public services. To tackle complex local problems, such as a growth in the numbers of missing children, the police need to work across organisational borders, collaborating with care homes, health professionals, social workers and community organisations. Many forces already do this - but it is not yet systematic. The current situation - with the police facing rising demand alongside shrinking budgets - risks creating a crisis of legitimacy for policing. For example, it is inevitable that Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners will need to make tough choices about how to allocate scarce resources. Some of these choices are bound to be controversial and unpopular. Yet currently, the basis for these choices remains unclear and under-discussed. All the public see is a service that appears to be shrinking. This urgently needs to be addressed, with the issues in this report exposed to public debate. Our report starts that process, setting out a series of practical policy options for enabling the police to manage demand in a more strategic way. Recommendations -- Our key recommendations are as follows: A high-level political statement, including also from the police leadership, affirming a scope and role of the police that extends beyond a pure 'crime' focus, to include public safety, welfare and the protection of the vulnerable. The evidence base for the external demand on the police needs to be improved with systematic cross-cutting studies being commissioned. Encourage the police, local authorities, health and social services to establish multi-agency crisis teams to tackle complex cases that cut across service boundaries. This should be facilitated by pooled budgets and informed by the development of technological solutions which allow for much better analysis of data from statutory and non-statutory partners. PCCs should use their democratic authority and mandate to open up discussion with other agencies, to establish local service agreements. The forthcoming spending review should empower the police and local partners to find effective operating models, facilitating the creation of pooled budgets where such an approach would help. Better information for the public about accessing emergency services provided by other organisations as well as the police. The aim would be to inform and encourage the public to contact the right service rather than default to routing cases to the police. Details: London: Crest Advisory, 2018. 96p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 15, 2018 at: http://crestadvisory.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Crest-Rethinking-Police-Demand-1.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://crestadvisory.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Crest-Rethinking-Police-Demand-1.pdf Shelf Number: 153471 Keywords: Police Administration Police Effectiveness Police LegitimacyPolicing |
Author: Brickley, Taylor Title: Perception of Police in Public Housing Communities Summary: Research on the relationship between police and citizens consistently finds that attitudes toward police (ATP) are least positive among black citizens in areas of concentrated disadvantage. While much of the research in this area focuses specifically on ATP among young black males in low-income communities because they have the most contact with police, there has been relatively little research that has included older and/or female residents. Additionally, research has yet to examine ATP in racial and economic enclaves that may have different social and environmental characteristics than the surrounding community. This study utilizes in-depth interviews with 60 residents of two public housing communities in Columbia, South Carolina to examine ATP and, once formed, how ATP is further shaped and maintained in these communities. The findings are consistent with the procedural justice model in that the police-citizen interaction process is an important factor in shaping citizens' ATP and perceptions of police legitimacy. However, unlike the procedural justice model of police-citizen interaction, residents' global perceptions of policing played a significant role in their interactions with individual officers. Residents also distinguished between two different types of police legitimacy. The broader definition relates to whether police are perceived as a legitimate law enforcement entity, while the more narrow definition of legitimacy relates to whether police are perceived as a viable means of dealing with problems in the community. Residents' age, whether they were involved in criminal activity, and relationship with others in the community were also found to influence the ATP development process. These findings suggest that community context and differences among residents are important factors regarding how ATP is developed and should be considered by law enforcement officers when interacting with the public. Details: Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, 2014. 211p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed November 15, 2018 at: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4057&context=etd Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4057&context=etd Shelf Number: 153485 Keywords: Neighborhoods and Crime Police LegitimacyPolice-Citizen Interactions Police-Community Relations Public Housing |
Author: BMG Research Title: Public Perceptions of Policing in England and Wales 2018. Prepared for: Her Majestys Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services Summary: HMICFRS commissioned BMG Research to undertake a large-scale survey of the public to assess current perceptions of the police. The study consisted of 17,043 surveys with members of the public. The majority were conducted via online panels, with a small number conducted-face-to-face. This report sets out the results of the fourth survey into public views of policing in England and Wales. This year we asked about: Overall satisfaction with local police force; Police visibility; Crime; Public confidence in police; Police conduct; Top types of crime respondents think police should prioritise. Details: Birmingham, UK: BMG Research, 2018. 64p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 15, 2019 at: https://www.bmgresearch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/1578-HMICFRS-Public-Perceptions-of-Policing-2018_FINAL.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.bmgresearch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/1578-HMICFRS-Public-Perceptions-of-Policing-2018_FINAL.pdf Shelf Number: 154625 Keywords: Police Behavior Police LegitimacyPolice-Citizen Communications Police-Citizen Interactions Public Opinion |
Author: New York University School of Law, Policing Project Title: Report to the Los Angeles Police Commission Summarizing Public Feedback on LAPD Video Release Policies Summary: The Los Angeles Police Commission ("Commission" or "Police Commission") serves as the "board of directors" for the Los Angeles Police Department ("LAPD" or "Department"), with the authority to establish polices for the LAPD and oversee its operations. The Commission is reviewing the LAPD's policy on releasing video footage of "critical incidents," including any incident in which an officer fires his or her gun or a person dies in police custody. As part of that process, the Commission asked the Policing Project at New York University School of Law ("Policing Project") to help gather feedback on whether, when, and how, video footage of critical incidents should be made publicly available. This report summarizes the feedback received. Members of the general public and LAPD personnel were invited to provide feedback in several ways: by completing a brief questionnaire, submitting more detailed written comments, attending community forums, and participating in officer focus groups. The questionnaire, and other materials, including a video release policy FAQ, were available in English and Spanish at www.LAPDVideo.org. The questionnaire and comment period ran for 46 days, from March 23 through May 7. The questionnaire asked demographic questions including the respondents' race, age, and income, as well as whether the respondent was a member of law enforcement. There were not sharp divergences among respondents along demographic lines. The one exception-evident both in the questionnaire responses and in other sources of input - was that significant disagreement emerged in general between law enforcement and members of the general public. We note these differences where pertinent. The Policing Project ultimately received 3,199 questionnaire responses from individuals who lived, worked, or attended school in Los Angeles, including 532 responses from individuals self-identifying as law enforcement officers. The Policing Project also received 20 sets of written comments from individuals and organizations, representing the views of 27 organizations in total. Additional feedback was provided at 5 community forums and 8 officer focus groups. The ACLU of Southern California submitted a petition on the subject with the signatures of 1,773 individuals. Some key themes emerged from the process, which we elaborate upon briefly below and in great detail in the report that follows. In general, both officers and members of the public agreed that video should be released to the public, for reasons of transparency, accountability, and trust. However, the public favored releasing video within a relatively shorter release time (30-60 days), and generally preferred that release be automatic as opposed to decided on a case-by-case basis. It is not that members of the public failed to appreciate that various factors might mitigate for or against a decision to release video in a particular case. Rather, the public evinced a lack of confidence or trust in existing public institutions to make the correct decision on a case-by-case approach. (In addition, some members of the public expressed the view that many of the factors that were identified as counseling against release could be addressed by speeding up the pace of investigations or taking other ameliorative measures.) LAPD officers and officials, for their part, tended to have somewhat more faith in public institutions, and to believe that release should not occur until the LA Police Commission reaches a decision as to the propriety of the officer's conduct (often up to a year at present), or the District Attorney decides whether any criminal charges will be filed (in some instances as long as two years after the incident). Still, LAPD officers joined the public in expressing concern about "politics" affecting the decision whether to release video coverage. Details: New York: Author, 2017. 39p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 12, 2019 at: http://assets.lapdonline.org/assets/pdf/public%20feedback%20project%20lapd%20video%20release.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: http://assets.lapdonline.org/assets/pdf/public%20feedback%20project%20lapd%20video%20release.pdf Shelf Number: 155377 Keywords: Criminal EvidencePolice AccountabilityPolice EvidencePolice LegitimacyPolice Policies and ProceduresPolice SurveillancePolice VideosPolice-Community Relations |
Author: Cleveland Police Monitoring Team Title: Community and Problem-Oriented Policing: Summary of community feedback and recommendations Summary: OVERVIEW The Policing Project has been retained by the Cleveland Police Monitoring Team to assist with implementing the federally mandated reforms of the Cleveland Division of Police. In the first half of 2017, the Monitoring Team and city stakeholders embarked on a collaborative process to solicit public feedback on what community policing should look like in Cleveland. This report summarizes the feedback received through this engagement process. KEY FINDINGS 1). Community members do not feel as though CDP officers know or respect them or their communities. A substantial majority of community members believe officers are often not familiar with local residents and their problems. 2). Community members would like to see more ways for officers to get to know them and more ways to promote more positive interactions between officers and the public. 3). While there are existing formal structures in Cleveland for community members to discuss policing concerns, few people are aware of them or comfortable with them. Details: New York: Policing Project, NYU School of Law, 2017. 42p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 15, 2019 at: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58a33e881b631bc60d4f8b31/t/5abd1fe0758d463f2371a90f/1522343912464/Cleveland+CPOP+Report+Final+2017_07_24.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58a33e881b631bc60d4f8b31/t/5abd1fe0758d463f2371a90f/1522343912464/Cleveland+CPOP+Report+Final+2017_07_24.pdf Shelf Number: 155402 Keywords: Community Policing Police LegitimacyPolice-Citizen Interactions Police-Community Relations Problem-Oriented Policing |
Author: Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights Title: New Era of Public Safety: A Guide to Fair, Safe, and Effective Community Policing Summary: The Leadership Conference Education Fund today launched a new campaign, "New Era of Public Safety" featuring groundbreaking tools to increase trust, fairness, justice, and mutual respect between police departments and the communities they serve. The campaign guidebook and toolkit offer community-centered policy solutions to equip U.S. communities and police departments with best practices and recommendations for adopting 21st century policing models, including tools for advocacy. The campaign launch will include a Washington, D.C. kickoff event, featuring leading voices in activism, law enforcement, and journalism. "Repeated instances of police brutality and misconduct have shaken our nation," said Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Education Fund. "These incidents have deepened our distrust in law enforcement and reinforced the belief that all people are not policed equally. With this comprehensive guide and toolkit, we hope to renew trust in our nation's law enforcement by providing tools to put communities first as they work to keep everyone safe." True public safety requires that communities and police departments work together, and solutions should be driven by each community, working with the departments that serve them. The Education Fund's "New Era of Public Safety" campaign, report, and toolkit provide more than 100 recommendations to reform policing. These recommendations outline a road map for 21st century policing that equips law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve with the knowledge and tools they need to keep communities safe. Report recommendations include: End "broken windows policing" and other models that emphasize quantity over quality. Maintain and optimize a range of community partnerships. Tailor policing strategies to meet the needs of specific neighborhoods. Encourage communities to participate in the development and delivery of community policing training. Ensure officers inform community members of their rights to refuse or revoke consent and to document it. Develop stand-alone policies for fair and objective interactions with specific groups. Collect, analyze, and publicly report data relating to bias-based policing. The Education Fund also named Dallas, Texas and Minneapolis, Minnesota as inaugural jurisdictions to implement "New Era" recommendations. These pilot projects will provide local advocacy and strategic partnerships for organizations and activists to implement best policing practices through issue-centered campaigns. The Education Fund will launch the campaign at an event on March 28 at 5:00 p.m. ET at the Eaton Hotel in Washington, D.C. The event will feature remarks from Education Fund President & CEO Vanita Gupta, and a panel discussion moderated by the Washington Post's Wesley Lowery, and featuring Camden County Police Chief Scott Thomson; Center for Policing Equity Co-Founder and President Phillip Atiba Goff; and Judith Browne Dianis, executive director of Advancement Project. The event will be live-streamed here, with a chance for online viewers to submit their questions. A collaborative assembly of community advocates and law enforcement served as contributing authors throughout the process. They include: Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP; the Policing Project at NYU School of Law; Ron Davis, partner, 21CP Solutions, LLC, and former director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ); Scott Thomson, chief of the Camden County Police Department, and president of the Police Executive Research Forum; and Sue Rahr, executive director, Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission. These experts provided key insights into the development of the report. Andrea Ritchie and Wesley Ware contributed to the concept and content for the toolkit. Julio A. Thompson also provided significant and invaluable contributions to the report. Details: Washington, DC: Author, 2019. 416p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 16, 2019 at: https://policing.civilrights.org/ Year: 2019 Country: United States URL: https://policing.civilrights.org/ Shelf Number: 155431 Keywords: Civil RightsCommunity PolicingPolice LegitimacyPolice ReformPolice-Citizen InteractionsPolice-Community RelationsPublic Safety |