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
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is an effective tool to improve basic recruit training and guidelines based on research, and precedent cases. Despite the improvements made on EBP, there have been issues brought into question, and assumptions made of police practice. Evidence-Based Policing was introduced by August Vollmer in the late 1920s who served as a chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, along with William H.
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…
enforcement. Racial profiling assumptions The notion that racial profiling has swept police departments across America, has presented the assumption that community relations with police officers has been harmed beyond repair. According to a journal by James Kowalski (2013), “the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has argued that such discrimination alienates communities from law enforcement, and causes police officers to lose credibility and trust among the people they are sworn to protect and serve”. However, the Nashville Police Department conducted a survey on 200 citizens, and 200 business owners on police interactions based on the satisfaction of the officer’s services provided. By using the data collected on a proprietary SetMap analysis tool, as well as subgroup analysis, and key demographic variables, the department concluded that there has been a significant improvement in citizen satisfaction regarding police interactions (Police Department Citizen Satisfaction Research , n.d.). Adam Benforado, a law professor at Drexel University says that, routine procedures in criminal justice are unfair outcomes because some common police practices encourage false identification of suspects, and the system could be improved to account for unseen biases and cognitive failures (Gabe, 2015). The assumptions made of police officers being biased can be attribute to the diversity of cultures in communities. However, in 2011 Matthew Durose and Lynn Langton of the U. S Department of Justice, conducted a study and concluded that 85% of the people were satisfied with the police response (Durose & Langton, 2013). Reactive Approach to Crime An assumption made on the implementation of preventative measures on crime, rather than a reactive approach is that it doesn’t work. Programs such as, Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) have been a controversial topic. This preventative measure to deter the use of alcohol and drugs have been scientifically studied, and have consistently shown that it is an ineffective approach, considering the annual cost of the program of one billion (Hanson, 2014). An assumption made of the program is that it introduces alcohol and drugs to young kids in school. If it weren’t for the D.A.R.E. program, elementary students wouldn’t know about drugs and alcohol consumption until later in life. The scientific research also showed that there was a 29% increase in drug usage, and 34% increased of tobacco products used amongst students participating in the D.A.R.E. program (Hanson, 2014). Different approaches have also been implemented to combat the use of drugs and alcohol on targeted groups. The U.S. Department of Education has created alternative programs such as, Life Skill Training Programs (LST), Project Alert, and Strengthening Families Programs (SFP) to make the students and families aware of the dangers of drug and alcohol use (Hanson, 2014). Since the creation of the alternative programs, they have shown effectiveness in deterring the use of drugs and alcohol amongst its participants. Two Officer Patrol Units The assumption that two officer patrol units is more cost efficient and safer for the officers has been a debatable topic. A study conducted by the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) in the mid-1970s concluded that, it was 80% more expensive to field two officer patrol units rather than a single officer per unit (Griffith, 2015). Besides having a financial burden, two patrol units does not allow for larger patrol in a geographical area. Many local police departments are short staffed, pairing two officers in one car would only decreased the ability to patrol larger parts of the communities, hence increasing the likelihood that crime will rise due to the lack of routine patrolling. While two officer patrol units have been proven to be more expensive to maintain through studies, many departments say that it makes the officers job more safe. Statistics shown by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) in 2013 showed that, 41% of the officers that were slain in the line of duty were alone (Griffith, 2015). Despite the expenses, many large police department still implement a two officer in a car approach. For instance, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) assigns two officers in one car. Sergeant Art Tom form the LAPD’s training division mentions that they are strict believers in contact and cover for officer safety, the officer can always count on the partner to back him up immediately if the need arises (Griffith, 2015). Conclusion In conclusion, Evidence-Based policing has been described as the perspectives, and philosophy with scientific processes of evaluating and intervening on tactics, to analyze police behaviors, activities, and internal management (Lum & Koper, 2015).
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
Policing.
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.
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.
Part One The Kansas City Preventive Patrol Experiment: An Introduction 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).
Thesis Statement: The application of “Stop” and Frisk” as an evidence based practice will hinder trust of community policing among communities.
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...
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.
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.
As our modern-day society is becoming increasingly complex with many things changing so to must the education and training requirements for police officers in Canada. What all must police officers in Canada change to become efficient in our modern society? Canada has recently seen a surge in immigration to our country which has only added to the diversity of this nation. This means that the police must make sure they are properly trained and aware of our diverse cultures to properly handle all of the people in our society. Frequently police officers have come under scrutiny for the way they handle people with mental health issues. This just goes to show that police in Canada must increase their training on how to handle this group
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.
Attention Getter: Are all the officers who are intended to "Protect and Serve" really following through with that?
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,
Problem-oriented policing presents an alternative approach to policing that has gained attention in recent years among many police agencies. Problem-oriented policing grew out of twenty years of research into police practices, and differs from traditional policing strategies in four significant ways.
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.
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.
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