Managing Accountability Systems For Police Conduct

Police officers are invested with awesome powers and may use physical force to take a citizen into custody. These powers help the police enforce laws and control suspects, but they also have the potential to be abused. The police must be responsive and accountable about crime and safety, but they must also be responsive and accountable to the law and the rights of citizens. Police abuse of power has a long and unfortunate history in the United States, often because of the failure to develop meaningful procedures to ensure police accountability. This book introduces the reader to a unit of the police department that has been secretive and lacking transparency, despite being an integral part of policing for a number of years. Noble and Alpert clearly explain the structure and function of internal affairs or professional compliance units and provide guidance for establishing an effective unit that will benefit both the police and the community. One recent trend is to make internal affairs more proactive than reactive. The authors provide comprehensive coverage of this trends objectives: implement procedures to identify and modify improper actions by police officers; change policies and procedures that negatively affect citizens quality of life; take appropriate action so that the misconduct of a few officers does not detract from the overall mission and reputation of the agency; and conduct fair, thorough, and accurate investigations to protect police employees against false accusations of misconduct.

This volume presents the new contexts and challenges for contemporary police leaders and managers in the changing landscapes of policing. The governance of contemporary police organisations requires leaders and managers, even at the local level, to work in and understand complex social, political and organisational environments. The wide range of topics in this collection explores what is changing, what is known about the impact of these changes and what leaders and managers now need to be able to do or anticipate as a consequence. Operational policing is no longer the militaristic singular activity it once was, but embraces new models of 'partnership' and 'community' to manage crime and disorder. Equally, while command and control models are still an essential of many aspects of policing, managing police officers and staff increasingly depends on their professional development and encouraging enthusiasm and innovation. Policing takes place under conditions of intense scrutiny from the media and from the community; and crime and disorder is the subject of much political debate. Each of these broad areas are addressed and present a surprising range of perspectives. The volume is aimed at every level of management and leadership in policing, researchers of policing and students of police management and leadership.

The subject of police accountability includes some of the most important developments in American policing: the control of officer-involved shootings and use of force; citizen complaints and the best procedures for handling them; federal 'pattern or practice' litigation against police departments; allegations of race discrimination; early intervention systems to monitor officer behavior; and police self-monitoring efforts. The Second Edition of The New World of Police Accountability covers these subjects and more with a sharp and critical perspective. It provides readers with a comprehensive description of the most recent developments and an analysis of what works, what reforms are promising, and what has proven unsuccessful. The book offers detailed coverage of critical incident reporting; pattern analysis of critical incidents; early intervention systems; internal and external review of citizen complaints; and federal consent decrees.

Police oversight agencies are citizens' watchdog organizations designed to ensure that the police are operating with integrity and accountability. Integrity is defined as the quality of being honest and morally upright. Accountability refers to situations in which someone is required or expected to justify actions or decisions. Based on integrity and accountability challenges in police forces all over the world, this book discusses the roles and methods of police oversight agencies. Knowledge management in police oversight is presented by identifying knowledge categories and knowledge management systems. A model for police oversight performance is developed in the book, and the model is applied to an oversight agency as a case study.

Informed by the author's extensive personal experience in consulting, researching, and writing about various aspects of the law enforcement profession, as well as serving as a police officer, Police Accountability: Common Sense Discussions provides readers with a comprehensive examination of police conduct and responsibility. From ideas on ethics to professionalism to community-oriented policing efforts, the text features rich information to help law enforcement professionals develop and improve individual and systemic conduct. The book is divided into three distinct parts. In Part I, readers consider ethical principles; discretionary decision making; the experiences, perceptions, and portrayals of police officers; and issues pertaining to reform. Part II focuses on proactive strategies, including professionalism and community policing, increasing educational requirements, thoughtful selection of candidates, and more. The final part discusses reactive strategies, with special emphasis on the development of leadership and management, evaluating and improving police review systems, reactive strategies to the use of force and deadly force, and the future of the profession. Police Accountability is a valuable and well-researched text that is ideal for courses and programs in law enforcement and policing. Douglas W. Perez is a professor emeritus in the Criminal Justice Department at the State University of New York, Plattsburgh, where he taught courses in criminal justice, focusing on the police, law and society, the drug war, and introductory courses. Previously, he served as a deputy sheriff and correctional officer at the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office in California. Dr. Perez is the author of The Paradoxes of Policy Work, Common Sense about Police Review, and Police Ethics: A Matter of Character.

Exploring the complex and controversial topic of civilian oversight of police, this book analyzes the issues and debates entailed by civilian oversight by using worldwide perspectives, in-depth case studies, and a wealth of survey data. Integrating and summarizing decades of research from many locations around the globe, Civilian Oversight of Polic

The Police Misconduct Complaint Investigations Manual provides a timely and unique, step-by-step approach to conducting or reviewing police misconduct investigations, whether a complaint involves a lower-level allegation of discourtesy or more serious concerns such as excessive force or criminal behavior. Utilizing real-life examples and updated case law to illustrate points, it provides best practices for investigating police action resulting in misconduct complaints. The Manual’s comprehensive approach includes detailed procedures and policy considerations from intake through case closure, and discusses data tracking, reporting on trends, selecting and training investigative staff, civilian oversight, and a host of special issues that can arise with police misconduct complaints. The Manual is suitable for both sworn personnel and civilians handling or reviewing investigations and whether working internally for a police department or externally in oversight or another capacity. The guidance provides detailed examples of witness interview questions and types of evidence to collect, with discussion on making difficult credibility determinations and approaches to analyzing the information gathered to arrive at a recommended finding. Review questions are found at the end of most chapters, for use in academic or investigative training environments. Police officers engaged in the often complex and challenging work of public safety deserve and expect objective, thorough, and timely handling of complaints. Complainants and other stakeholders seek accountability and transparency when an officer behaves in a way that raises questions about their professionalism. The Complaint Investigations Manual provides instruction on handling misconduct complaints in a manner that will ensure the goals of law enforcement and stakeholders are met. The authors intentionally use a broad approach to make the Manual relevant and easy to use by law enforcement personnel, civilians in oversight or other capacities who work on police misconduct matters, and the criminal justice academic community. It is a critical primer for internal affairs investigators, police managers, law enforcement leaders, auditing professionals, civilian oversight practitioners, government representatives, community advocates, criminal and social justice students, and all others in pursuit of fair, thorough, and timely investigations of police misconduct complaints.

From its beginnings in England as a constabulary, intended only to keep the peace rather than to make arrests, policing has had a tumultuous, controversial history. The police represent an essential law enforcement entity to some, while others see police officers as often corrupt, prone to unfair racial profiling, and quick to use unnecessary force. Police and Law Enforcement examines many aspects of policing in society, including their common duties, legal regulations on those duties, problematic policing practices, and alternatives to traditional policing. Topics in this volume include such hotly debated topics as accountability, arrest practices, bounty hunters, entrapment, Miranda warnings, police privatization, profiling, vigilantes, and zero-tolerance policing. The 20 chapters present the most hotly contested debates and offer solutions to potential and perceived problems. The Series The five brief, issues-based books in SAGE Reference's Key Issues in Crime & Punishment Series offer examinations of controversial programs, practices, problems or issues from varied perspectives. Volumes correspond to the five central subfields in the Criminal Justice curriculum: Crime & Criminal Behavior, Policing, The Courts, Corrections, and Juvenile Justice. Each volume consists of approximately 20 chapters offering succinct pro/con examinations, and Recommended Readings conclude each chapter, highlighting different approaches to or perspectives on the issue at hand. As a set, these volumes provide perfect reference support for students writing position papers in undergraduate courses spanning the Criminal Justice curriculum. Each title is approximately 350 pages in length.