Evidence Based Policing and False Assumptions The term Evidence-Based Policing (EBP) as defined by Frank Schmalleger (2014) in the textbook Criminal Justice Today, is “the use of the best available research on the outcomes of police work to implement guidelines and evaluate agencies, units, and officers”. The evidence is based on the scientific research, and not on assumptions or perceptions made by people’s views on law enforcement agencies. However, there have been assumptions about police work that have been scientifically studied and brought into question. For instance, the approach to implement a preventative measure rather than a reactive approach on crime, and it is safer for two police officers to ride in one car. Evidence-Based Policing …show more content…
Parker they called for better training and increased professionalism of law enforcement personnel (Schmalleger, 2014). As a result, the National Institute of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice (NIJ) was introduced to train new recruits, and to ensure efficiency on local law enforcement practices. In a country with diverse cultures and communities, an effective policing procedure is incumbent for improvement of citizen and police relations. Without an EBP, local, state, and federal police are targeted for unfair criticism by the people without first knowing the facts. For instance, the assumptions of racial profiling by police officers, and the recent claims that a certain race is targeted by law …show more content…
Evidence Based Policing was established to improve law enforcement performance and procedures through scientific studies. EBP is the building block to new ways of creating a safer community, and to enforce laws more efficiently while keeping good customer satisfaction. Some programs and police tactics such as the D.A.R.E. program, and two officer assigned to one car were some of the early attempts to combat crime directly. However, through studies it has been proven that not all tactics achieve the desire results, in such cases it is beneficial to look at the tactics and reincorporate new ways and ideas. For that reason, there are new police tactics being developed frequently, to see what works best, and as the word implies it make it an Evidence Based
Throughout the risk assessment process, ideas for action were identified and documented. The documentation of these ideas led to the development of potential action item worksheets which were then selected, prioritized, and refined. Detailed risk assessment information for each hazard is included and located through this document.
Policing is a very difficult, complex and dynamic field of endeavor that is always evolves as hard lessons teach us what we need to know about what works and what don’t work. There are three different Era’s in America’s policing: The Political Era, The Reform Era, and The Community Problem Solving Era. A lot has changed in the way that policing works over the years in the United States.
According to Kelling, Pate, Dieckman, & Brown (1974), patrol is the “backbone” of police work. This belief is based around the premise that the mere presence of police officers on patrol prohibits criminal activity. Despite increasing budgets and the availability of more officers on the streets, crime rates still rose with the expanding metropolitan populations (Kelling et al., 1974). A one year experiment to determine the effectiveness of routine preventive patrol would be conducted, beginning on the first day of October 1972, and ending on the last day of September 1973.
Thesis Statement: The application of “Stop” and Frisk” as an evidence based practice will hinder trust of community policing among communities.
On Tuesday, September 23rd, I had the opportunity to do a ride along with the Takoma Park police department. My ride along was quite interesting. I rode with Officer Carl, a twenty-six-year-old officer who has been with the police department for six months. During the ride along we engaged in so many conversations concerning his work routine, and some the important things to be aware of as a police officer. Officer Carl and I were about the same age group so I felt much comfortable talking to him. Before I went for the ride along I had a different perspective about police work, I thought police work was much amusing and entertaining, but after the ride along with Officer Carl, I have realized that there is much more to police work and it often
Crime is a part of society encompases the news and the public. A variety of studies of media content have estimated that as much as 25 percent of the daily news is devoted to crime (Surette 1992) and that crime is the largest major category of stories in the print and electronic media (Chermak 1994, 103). (Lawrence 18). With crime at an all time high, police are constantly having to deal with more and more issues. This can lead to stressed out and fed up officers, which can lead to poor decisions by an officer. The use of force by police is a highly controversial topic as it raises questions about a government’s ability to use force against its citizens (Lawrence 19). Today’s society is caught up on the ideals of civility and equality before the law, making police use of force a touchy
It is a myth to believe that an officers job is spend fighting dangerous crimes, in reality officers spend more time handing smaller cases. For example, police officers spend a lot of time doing daily tasks such as giving speeding tickets and being mediators in disputes (Kappeler & Potter, 2005). Handing out speeding tickers and handling minor disputes are far from fighting crime. Police officers spend more time doing preventive measures (Kappeler & Potter, 2005). Preventive measures involve officers intervening to prevent further altercations. Victor Kappeler and Gary Potter discussed the myth of crime fighting as invalid and misleading notions of an officer’s employment.
A, Braga & D, Weisburd. 'Police Innovation and Crime Prevention: Lessons Learned from Police Research over the Past 20 Years'. Paper presented at the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Policing Research Workshop: Planning for the future, Washington, DC. 2006. p. 22.
Attention Getter: Are all the officers who are intended to "Protect and Serve" really following through with that?
Third, problem-oriented policing entails a greater and closer involvement by the public in police work. Communities must be consulted to ensure that police are addressing the...
By approaching these ideas with solid research goals and planning, researchers have come up with two basic crime fighting strategies that can increase police effectiveness. The first strategy Community Policing, which addresses immedia...
The author focuses on the U.S. Task Force on 21st Century Policing and Police Data Initiative or PDI to determine if it helps to restore trust and the broken relationship between and communities and police officers. The Task Force made by Barack Obama recommended the analysis of department policies, incidents of misconduct, recent stops and arrests, and demographics of the officers. The PDI has tasked 21 cities to comprehend the police behavior and find out what to do to change it. Also PDI was said to have data and information on vehicle stops and shootings by police officers. The use of statistics has a purpose to help rebuild trust and the relationship between and communities and police officers.
Many departments now meet regularly with neighborhood groups, allow citizens to participate in citizen police academies, and conduct forums to give citizens a better understanding of the duties of police officers and their actions. Some police departments require and encourage officers to get out of their patrol vehicle and initiate positive contact with the people on their beats (Shusta, Levine, Wong, Olson, & Harris, 2011). All of these efforts are important and relevant to community policing, which helps to remove and diminish negative images of police officers. Citizens are more willing to work hand in hand with police officers who are approachable, engaged, and take ownership of the neighborhoods they serve, which is what community policing is all about.
The Ted talk video called, “Policing in America needs to change. Trust me, I’m a cop: Renee Mitchell” is something that should be worth noticing. It is about a woman named Renee Mitchell giving her story on an incident she encountered on a patrol one night with her partner. She wants to change the way policing is and wants evidence to lead the way when it comes to these scenarios. Towards the end of her story, a man that was placed under arrest ended up committing suicide by hanging himself. Overall, the point that the speaker is trying to make is that police need to assess situations through evidence and not just assumptions. It is crucial to look at every step in the process and make the system more beneficial for everyone. Most importantly,
Police psychology is broadly defined as the application of psychological principles and methods to law enforcement. With the popularity of television shows like Criminal Minds and Law & Order: SVU, the job of a police psychologist has become more well known and even popular. As seen on these shows, a police psychologist can be helpful in profiling a criminal, but they also provide many other services to the members of a police department. Although the development of this field has a long history, police psychology as a separate entity is still relatively recent and growing. This intimate relationship between psychology and law enforcement can be traced back to almost a century ago.[1] It first developed out of a need for a variety of psychological services in the law enforcement field, including screening applicants and counseling during grief and stress situations. In the time that it has been around, it has proved to be a valuable resource for the law enforcement profession.