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1 – 10 of over 22000The purpose of this paper is to provide some initial reflections on the complexities and challenges faced when conducting observations with police officers working in response and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide some initial reflections on the complexities and challenges faced when conducting observations with police officers working in response and neighbourhood policing roles from the perspective of a young, female, researcher.
Design/methodology/approach
The research consisted of 200 hours spent with operational police officers in a medium sized UK police force, predominantly in 3 cities, to explore the realities of frontline policing and policy implementation. This paper offers a reflexive account of conducting the research, as opposed to a discussion of the findings which align to the original research aim.
Findings
Conducting this fieldwork highlighted a number of complexities arising as a result of conducting ethnographic research in policing. This paper is concerned with the constructing of a researcher identity and navigating moral dilemmas based on the culture and use of language observed.
Originality/value
Whilst this will be of interest to those engaged with similar policing research, such findings are also likely to apply to those conducting ethnography where there is conflict between their insider/outsider status, the potential for internalised moral debates and women conducting research in male-dominated settings.
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Tim Prenzler, Tyler Cawthray, Louise E. Porter and Geoffrey P. Alpert
From 2002 to 2014, the Portland Police Bureau reported large reductions in complaints against officers and use of force indicators. The purpose of this paper is to develop a case…
Abstract
Purpose
From 2002 to 2014, the Portland Police Bureau reported large reductions in complaints against officers and use of force indicators. The purpose of this paper is to develop a case study to document these changes and explore possible influences.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper maps the changes in conduct indicators against the developing relationship between the Bureau and the Portland Independent Police Review Division, and changes in policies and procedures.
Findings
Public complaints reduced by 54.4 per cent, while the rate of specific allegations per officer fell by 70.1 per cent. Quarterly use of force incident reports were reduced by 65.4 per cent between 2008 and 2014. Annual average shootings decreased from a high of nine per year across 1997-2002 to just below four per year in 2009-2014. Fatal shootings also trended downward but remained two per year in the last three years on record. Reforms instituted during this period that may have influenced these trends include a more rigorous complaints process, an early intervention system (EIS), enhanced external and internal review mechanisms, policy changes and training initiatives.
Research limitations/implications
The researchers were unable to control for a range of additional variables that may have influenced the findings, including police deployments and changes in officer demographics.
Practical implications
The study provides support for strategies to improve police conduct including external oversight, diagnostic research, training focussed on de-escalation and minimal force, and complaint profiling and EISs.
Originality/value
There are very few studies available showing large long-term reductions in adverse police conduct indicators.
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The study examined drivers’ perceptions of police officers enforcing traffic laws as well as emotions stimulated during apprehension. The subjects, 693 males in the army…
Abstract
The study examined drivers’ perceptions of police officers enforcing traffic laws as well as emotions stimulated during apprehension. The subjects, 693 males in the army, completed a questionnaire measuring perceived attributes of police officers, drivers’ evaluation of police officers’ conduct, emotions aroused during apprehension for a traffic offense, perceived importance of police enforcement of traffic laws, and the perceived deterring effect of the police. The results show that drivers attribute disagreeable traits to police officers, perceive the latter’s conduct unfavorably, and experience a high level of stress during apprehension. Young drivers perceive police officers more negatively than do older drivers and experience more anger and less shame and guilt during apprehension. Belief in the importance of police in enforcing traffic laws is predicted by a driver’s evaluation of police officers’ conduct and the perception of police officers’ traits. The deterring effect of the police force is predicted by emotions of stress experienced during apprehension, as well as by attitudes toward police officers. Results are discussed in relation to the effect of self‐serving biases on drivers’ perception of police officers.
The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors that impact assessment of police performance across the two types of policing methods, and explains the differing police public…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors that impact assessment of police performance across the two types of policing methods, and explains the differing police public dynamics at the field level.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper examines the varying police public dynamics in areas with and without community policing. For this purpose data were obtained from a survey conducted in the City of Calicut where the Janamaitri community policing program was implemented in some of the police stations. To obtain a contrasting perspective in areas without community policing, survey was also conducted in areas where community policing was not conducted. The method adopted in this study is to map people's perception of police performance and factors impacting it across the two areas and compare the same. The comparison is done by examining the OLS regression in the two areas with same independent and dependent variables, and explaining similarities and contrasts in trends.
Findings
It concludes that while community policing has great advantages over conventional policing, it has the challenge of increasing expectation among the public and diminishing impact of certain factors that are relevant in conventional police service delivery mechanisms.
Originality/value
There is one of the first studies comparing and analyzing the differing police public dynamics in areas with community policing and areas with conventional policing. It provides an insight into how public perception of police is formed in these differing environments.
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The exclusionary rule remains one of the most controversial doctrines in America’s constitutionalized criminal procedure. Jurists and commentators criticize the American…
Abstract
The exclusionary rule remains one of the most controversial doctrines in America’s constitutionalized criminal procedure. Jurists and commentators criticize the American exclusionary rule as a rule unique to American jurisprudence. Though American jurists and commentators’ criticism focuses on the Fourth Amendment exclusionary rule, the criticism of the American exclusionary rule with reference to practices in foreign countries serves to create and maintain the misconception that the United States is the only country that has the exclusionary rule. The belief that the exclusionary rule exists only in the United States is far from accurate. This article examines the historical development and the current status of exclusionary rules in the United States, England, France, Germany, and Italy. Attentions are especially devoted to analyzing the characteristics of the American exclusionary rule with reference to exclusionary rules in other countries.
The purpose of this study is to explore how Swedish police officers describe occupational knowledge. By learning more about how officers describe occupational knowledge, the study…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore how Swedish police officers describe occupational knowledge. By learning more about how officers describe occupational knowledge, the study gives more insight about the types of information that they may be more likely to adopt in their occupational tasks.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, the author conducted 27 semi-structured interviews with Swedish police officers. I asked officers several open-ended questions about their everyday work life and professional experience.
Findings
Swedish officers divide knowledge into two categories, which are theoretical knowledge and practical knowledge. Theoretical knowledge is learned in the academy and is described as “black and white,” meaning that it is considered static and not applicable to what happens out in patrol. Practical knowledge is learned in the field from colleagues.
Research limitations/implications
Police officers around the world have a wide range of requirements and training to become police officers. However, empirical studies have found that officers tend to use different types of information when performing policing tasks. Depending on how information is perceived and is taught, officers may respond differently to different types of knowledge, due to their evaluation of the validity of the knowledge.
Originality/value
The findings in this study support previous empirical studies on the area of policing and knowledge in two ways; first, this study argues that there is a categorization of knowledge among police officers. Second, this study suggests that officers view one occupational knowledge type as more theoretical and one as more practical.
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Jeffry R. Phillips and Allan Y. Jiao
The purpose of this paper is to determine the extent to which constructs of institutional isomorphism apply to Los Angeles Police Department’s (LAPD) performance measurements of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to determine the extent to which constructs of institutional isomorphism apply to Los Angeles Police Department’s (LAPD) performance measurements of the US Department of Justice’s federal consent decree.
Design/methodology/approach
A case-study approach was used to gather and analyze the data, including documentary research, personal interviews, and observations.
Findings
The findings demonstrate that isomorphic pressures existed in the LAPD’s Audit Division and influenced the development of performance measures for reforms although not in a straightforward or unidimensional manner.
Originality/value
Police auditing in the context of the federal consent decree is shown to be a viable approach for institutionalizing police reforms, but further research is necessary on specific performance measurements of police operations and relationship between these measures and police effectiveness.
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Ben Brown, Wm Reed Benedict and William V. Wilkinson
The purpose of this research was to assess public perceptions of the police in Mexico.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research was to assess public perceptions of the police in Mexico.
Design/methodology/approach
Surveys were administered to more than 300 law school students in Tampico, Tamaulipas.
Findings
Analyses of the data show that the majority of respondents view the municipal, state, and federal police forces negatively. The analyses also indicate that the federal police are viewed less negatively than the state police and the state police are viewed less negatively than the municipal police. Finally, the analyses show that there is a difference in diffuse and specific support for the police agencies, but there was not a consistent pattern of diffuse support being greater than specific support.
Research limitations/implications
Because the sample was composed of law school students, the results cannot be generalized to the Mexican populace. And the unusual findings pertaining to diffuse and specific support for the police indicate a need for additional research on this phenomenon.
Practical implications
The findings suggest that the recent police reforms in Mexico have failed to instill public confidence in the police and that the Mexican government needs to increase police reform efforts. In addition, because of the large influx of immigration from Mexico into the USA, police agencies in the USA will need to increase efforts to work with Hispanic communities in order to gain the confidence of the Mexican immigrants.
Originality/value
To date, this is the most comprehensive empirical examination of perceptions of the police forces in Mexico.
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The Chinese criminal justice system has undergone significant changes in the past 20 years. An important aspect of the changes is the promulgation of a series of laws that are…
Abstract
The Chinese criminal justice system has undergone significant changes in the past 20 years. An important aspect of the changes is the promulgation of a series of laws that are essential to the criminal justice operation. In 1996, the National People’s Congress promulgated the amended Criminal Procedure Law (CPL). The amended law in many aspects has expanded the rights of defendants and suspects. But the preliminary research on the implementation of the amended CPL indicates that due to the lack of a culture of respect for the law on the part of the police and the deficiencies contained in the amended CPL, the protections afforded to suspects are far from being properly implemented by the police. Introduces to readers the legislative progress made in the amended CPL, examines various problems that arise in the implementation of the amended CPL, and offers suggestions as to what needs to be done further to assure better protections of suspects’ rights at the police investigatory stage.
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James Turner, Colin Rogers and Ian Pepper
The research aimed to explore the perceptions of aspiring future police officers studying at a university in relation to the actions to be taken with regards to typical posts on…
Abstract
Purpose
The research aimed to explore the perceptions of aspiring future police officers studying at a university in relation to the actions to be taken with regards to typical posts on social media by a fictitious off and on-duty police officer. This in turn would inform future police workforce requirements.
Design/methodology/approach
Policing students who expressed their aspirations as future police officers were recruited. A total of 99 students studying the College of Policing licensed Professional Policing Degree at the University of South Wales, took part in Hydra Immersive Simulations to ascertain their perception of social media posts by a fictitious serving police officer. The students were asked to rate the appropriateness of the social media posts as groups, and as individuals.
Findings
The findings suggest that, whilst the majority of students identified misconduct issues in the social media posts, the response to how the fictitious police officer should be dealt with varied. In addition, it would appear that there may be a need for those involved in policing education to reinforce, in an ongoing basis, knowledge of the College of Policing Code of Ethics, misconduct rules, regulations and increase awareness of unacceptable social media posts.
Research limitations/implications
The research was conducted with professional policing degree (PPD) students from one university.
Practical implications
It is important to reinforce The College of Policing Code of Ethics, expected professional standards and an understanding of what constitutes unacceptable social media posts throughout the education of aspiring police officers. As this has the potential, if recruited, to impact on the service.
Originality/value
Limited research has been conducted in relation to the College of Policing licensed higher education programme, the PPD, equipping aspiring police officers to successfully join the service and influence the cultural change.
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