The University Police Department : An Highest Level Of Professional Law Enforcement

The police are our nation’s most visible law enforcement entity. We see them driving and walking our streets every day. They are responsible for the safety and well-being of the people. In some instances, they have to make life altering decisions in a blink of an eye. Because circumstances are always changing, police officers are given a decision-making power called police discretion. It is up to the officer to use this given power for right or wrong.

The field of police work is constantly being forced to develop and improve its protocols, procedures, and practices in an effort to keep pace with the ever-changing society in which it operates and criminal behavior it seeks to eradicate. While the history of policing has been marked by substantial changes throughout time, the work of modern-day police officers and officials demonstrate some of the most substantial adaptations to its surrounding environment that the field has ever seen. In order to understand where the future of policing is heading, it is important to first understand these current trends that are affecting the current landscape of the profession. By

One important work which highlighted some of the shortcomings of officer discretion was a survey sponsored by the American Bar Foundation. Among other things that survey noted in the 1960’s a national crisis arose with certain problems relating to law enforcement. The survey noted that the possibility existed that discretionary decision making could represent a pattern of discrimination, it did say, on the other hand, the survey was unable to say definitively rather discrimination existed in

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.

Law Enforcement officers have one of the most critical jobs in the United States. Their lives are always on the line and they are of high regards. This means they cannot fail! The results of their jobs do not only depend on their actions but also on the people. What this means is the community has a huge role when it comes to solving crime. Though many people may not believe it, they are the key to a successful crime prevention community. The people of the United States don’t really understand both the positive and negative effects that community policing actually brings. Some may say it is very dangerous based on their experiences. Others may say it’s the best way to do away with crime. Today the two will be compared and put to test by true officers serving our country. The facts will be stated and questions will be answered. Let’s take a look at what community policing is really all about!

Ultimately this course provided me with new ideas on how to handle certain situations in several criminal justice occupations. This course relates very well to officer discretion, corruption and discrimination. In today’s society police officers are faced with problematic situation each day and although we cannot teach fight or flight in a classroom we can try to learn what not to do in a difficult situation. When observing the different controversial decisions that are being made, you learn that when police officers are faced with critical and life changing decisions officers do not have the convenience of time. The decisions are made while that person has adrenalin rushing through their bodies and time moving faster than any person can anticipate. This is the synopsis of ethical issues, the different controversial decisions that must be made as a police officer, judge or correctional officer. What is the correct decision being the topic for discussion? A discussion in which the professor allows all voices to be heard so that we all can learn from one another perspectives.

Police discretion is a very important approach in matters concerning criminal justice. There has been a consistent problem between enforcing the law and the spirit of the law. Discretion in the broader sense can be defined as the individual’s ability to make a decision basing on the principle of courses of the action. During training, police officers are given different possible scenarios that they may experience while on duty. However, the situations presented are not exact and the police come face to face with more riveting situations that demand their personal choices. The

The field of police work is constantly being forced to develop and improve its protocols, procedures, and practices in an effort to keep pace with the ever-changing society in which it operates and criminal behavior it seeks to eradicate. While the history of policing has been marked by substantial changes throughout time, the work of modern-day police officers and officials demonstrate some of the most substantial adaptations to its surrounding environment that the field has ever seen. In order to understand where the future of policing is heading, it is important to first understand these current trends that are affecting the current landscape of the profession. By

As Chief of Evanston Police, Richard Eddington serves a very vital role in the community. He’s spent approximately forty years in law enforcement and was named Chief of Evanston Police in 2007. As Chief, his main jobs are to supervise and send out personnel, accomplish the goals and objectives the Department sets, and oversee the overall performance of respective divisions of the Department. On top of all of this, he also has many important tasks that he accomplishes; to name a few, he helps better the organization, adheres to the needs of the community, strengthens the productivity of the Department as a whole, and many more. Chief Eddington believes the unique way that Evanston police and the community are a “Partnership” is a very important part of the job of police officers, saying their “programs and services have been designed to reach out, connect, and work with the community.” He is a firm believer that this

Law enforcement officers have the freedom to make quick decisions on what to do in a particular situation without having to check with their supervisors. Discretion is an important contributor to the integrity of a police officer, and just as much, the compromise of the use of this discretion discredits the integrity of the police officer and the reliability to be an enforcer of the law. The working definition provides a contextual look at the concept of discretion for a law enforcement authority, along with the situations, which may cause a law enforcement officer to act in an unethical manner including issues like the difference in gender and race. Included are the instances where the officers cross the ethical line when dealing with their

This research project is an analysis of six scenarios. The scenarios are as follows: History and rolls of law enforcement in society, Levels of jurisdiction, Distinction among the multiple functions of Law enforcement agencies, Analysis of Historical events that have shaped modern policing practices, Ethical and professional behavior in the workplace, and Evaluation of how knowledge, skills, and attitude learned in this course apply to your chosen career. There will also be a summary of reactions on Ethical and professional behavior in the work place. Included in the second section, there will be six scenarios. The responses will incorporate knowledge of

“To Protect and Serve” (Dorobek) is the official motto of the American Police Academy and to do that requires a balanced relationship of trust and support between police officers and the people they serve. In different ways, civilians and police officer’s both have a responsibility to uphold the law. It is a police officer’s responsibility to defend their community. A civilian’s civil duty is to support their police force to ensure they can carry out their job in the safest and most peaceful manner. However, a gap in communication has damaged the relationship between officer’s and the members of the communities they serve. In order to put an end to police brutality and repair the relationship between the American Police Force and the communities they serve, the enforcement of body cameras, new and better methods to train, and special prosecutors in police misconduct investigations are all essential.

Police officers make numerous, complex decisions throughout the duration of their shift. Decisions such as, whether or not to stop a speeding car, write a citation, make an arrest, etc. Officer discretion is defined as “the exercise of individual judgement, instead of formal rules, in making decisions.” (Bohm & Haley 2014, p. 255)

Police Agencies in modern society are a part of the American fabric to serve and protect the American public. The United States currently have more than 15,000 police agencies, (Walker & Katz, 2011). Police Departments across the United States face similar critical issues policing. All police officers face dangers in the job of policing the dangers can emanate from internal and external origins. Police officers have continued to evolve to serve communities by finding better less than lethal alternatives to weapons used. In addition, police departments have continued to keep up with

How student’s view their university’s police department is important to maintain positive interactions between the two parties. I have worked with UPD officers quite a bit and I have a positive view of UPD, but I know that many other students do not see them the same way I do. If there were more information on how college students view UPD officers there could be some specific actions taken by UPD to increase their appeal. To figure out how college students view UPD officers, my research question was: How do different subgroups of USD college students see UPD officers?