Police Role and Subculture

Police role in a democracy

Police are the only agency of government charged with accomplishing public purposes through force and coercion

– The more that citizens voluntarily comply with the police, the less the police need to use force and coercion

Police are the final recourse when civility and law observance break down– The more that citizens voluntarily comply with society’s expectations,

the less they need the police Persistent issues

– Who decides what is a legitimate public purpose?– Who decides what “civility” means? What laws should be enforced?– Is there sufficient consensus? How much is enough?

What do the police actually do?

Identify and arrest criminals– “Specific deterrence”

Deter crime through patrol and othermeans

– “General deterrence” Promote civility and order Provide emergency services Help those at risk of being victimized Facilitate movement of traffic Resolve conflicts Promote a feeling of community security

What is “real” police work?

Bill owns a loud dog. Jack is sick and tired ofbeing woken up by the pooch. So Jack goes tothe backyard, hooks up a water hose, sticks itover the fence and drenches Fido. Bill yells atJack. They start calling each other names andchallenging to fight. Mary, another neighbor, calls the cops.

Steve and Jane live in an apartment. They start arguing about money. It gets louder, turns into cussing, then pushing and shoving, then objects being thrown. Nancy, who lives in the apartment next door, calls the cops.

Is crime-fighting overstated?

Conventional academic perspective– Police like to think of themselves as crime-fighters (robbery,

burglary, etc.) but in fact they’re mostly peacekeepers (neighbor disputes, family fights)

– The police crime-fighting role is vastly overstated; supposedly takes only 20 percent of an officer’s time

– Most officer time is spent on peacekeeping and paperwork Are “peacekeeping” and “crime fighting” fundamentally different?

– Crime (Calif. Penal Code, sec. 15): A crime or public offense is an act committed or omitted in violation of a law...

– Disturbing the peace (415 P.C.) Assault (240 P.C.)

Family dispute –shots fired

February 22, 1994 – LAPD OfficerChristy Hamilton, Devonshire Division

Officers Hamilton and others respondedto a family disturbance with shots fired in a residential neighborhood. As she stood by her patrol car a 17-year old youth who had just murdered his father fired a.223 caliber assault rifle, striking officer Hamiltonabove her ballistic vest. The assailant committed suicide.

Petty larceny

October 22, 1996 – LAPD OfficerMario Navidad, Wilshire Division

Officer Navidad and his partner wereflagged down by a convenience store clerk who said a young man walking down an alley had just stolen two six-packs of beer. As the officers approached in their vehicle the suspect pulled a .380 pistol and fired, striking officer Navidad, the passenger, multiple times in the chest, between the panels of his ballistic vest. The suspect was killed in an exchange of gunfire.

Abuse of domesticpartner

February 20, 2004 – LAPD OfficerRicardo Lizarraga, Newton DivisionOfficer Lizarraga and his partner were flagged down by a battered woman who asked them to expel a boyfriend from her apartment. As officer Lizarraga entered the residence the male emerged with a pistol and started shooting, striking officer Lizarraga under his ballistic vest. The suspect, a gang member and convicted felon, escaped but was arrested several hours later. He hung himself in his jail cell the next day.

On 5/15/09 Lizaragga’s mother, Christina, 50, was wounded by an errant shot fired by gang members fighting in front of her home. She was struck in the pelvis and will recover.

Factors affecting the“environment of policing”

Risk and uncertainty Availability of firearms Limited tools

– Legal, social and political constraints– Legal and agency restrictions

Departmental variables– Resources (personnel, training and equipment)– Leadership and oversight

Demographics– Community size, population density, urban/rural– Socioeconomic factors

Discretion -- agency level

Environment– Limited resources– Few fixed solutions– Political and community expectations

According to Wilson (“Varieties of Police Behavior”) different environments can lead agencies to adopt different policing styles:

– Watchman: Focus on order maintenance. Ignore minor infractions, less bothered by vice. Preference to resolve issues informally.

– Legalistic: Eager to invoke formal sanctions (arrests and citations). Disorderly persons viewed as a criminal threat. Reluctance to intervene when legal authority is unclear.

– Service: Blend of the above styles, with less emphasis on making arrests. Preference to resolve situations through conciliation and by making referrals to social service agencies.

Discretion -- officer levelExternal factors

Workload and resources Department policy (formal) Accepted practices (informal) Legal and factual situation Constraints on exercise of discretion (e.g., spousal abuse) Presence and attitude of supervisors Peer expectations Community and citizen pressures Immediately available resources (e.g., partner, backup) Seriousness of an offense, harm committed Presence and attitudes of victims and witnesses

Discretion -- officer levelIndividual factors

Personality characteristics of policeapplicants

Officer characteristics and beliefs vary– Training and experience– Knowledge, skills and abilities– Political views, moral codes– Physical factors

Strength and endurance Ability in unarmed combat

– Psychological factors Self-control Aggressiveness Risk tolerance

The police personality

Recruits learn caution at the academy– Police work can be dangerous– Stories of officers hurt and killed

Patrol work teaches powerful lessons– Reality altruistic, “helping” orientation– Badge + gun compliance– Almost anyone can prove dangerous– Justice not always possible– Constant exposure to the unpleasant aspects of human nature

Some consequences– Pre-existing characteristics environment of policing – Shortcuts to decision-making: profiling, the “symbolic assailant” – Territoriality – Solidarity, code of silence

These issues are notunique to the police

Many service occupations have similarcareer tracks

– Medical student intern physician Certain personality types are drawn to certain occupations Interaction between individual characteristics and the workplace

environment can...– Threaten helping orientation– Cause cynicism– Provoke “us versus them” attitude– Exaggerate occupational solidarity, resulting in a code of silence

Consequences to the public (go to the first slide)