Term
| what are the different forms of force discussed in class? |
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Definition
- deadly force
- physical force (shoving, grabbing, tackling)
- taser
- spray
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Term
| what is the relationship between minorities and police use of force? |
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Definition
- officers kill 373 people per year (mostly black young males)
- blacks are more likely to report feeling harrassed by police
- racial profiling
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Term
what is the relationship between suspect demeanor and use of force? why is it important?
** |
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Definition
| discrimination is not as powerful an explanation of police behavior. |
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Term
| which social (racial, gender, etc) is more likely to feel police harrassed them unnecessarily used against them? |
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Definition
- african americans
- young
- males
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Term
| what role does substance abuse play in the police use of force or police corruption? |
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Definition
- research has indicated connection between substance abuse and corruption
- PO's have high rates of alcoholism (and suicide, dv) as high as 25%
- police officers are held to a higher moral standard
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Term
| what about police brutality? what are the issues? what's the definition of police brutality? |
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Definition
- brutality is difficult to define
- capacity to use force(coercive)- core of police role
- brutality incidents are much less frequent than commonly believed
- weapons are rarely used, mostly grabbing
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Term
| what are characteristics of police who most often use of force? is it wide spread or are some officers disproportionately involved in use of force incidents? |
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Definition
| small proportion of offenders are disproportionately involved in use of force; chronic offenders (young, less experienced, proactive) |
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Term
| what are the most common types of force used? least used? |
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Definition
| most used: physical force (grabbing, tackling, etc); least used : lethal force |
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Term
| what is the percentage of use of force incidents (generally speaking) compared to the number of contacts between the police and public? |
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Definition
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Term
| which is more likely to predict use of force, situational variables or dempgraphics? |
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Definition
| situational variables are more predictive of force than demographics-demeanor |
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Term
what are some of the problems associated with controlling police misconduct? |
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Definition
- more corruption in communities with more diversity (social and economic)
- more economic opportunity, less unlawful behavior, less crime
- racial diversity and crime rate have been tied to rates of excessive and deadly force
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Term
| what were the three most important points Fyfe made about police use of force? |
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Definition
- voilence is the unnecessary result of police incompetence
- when officers overstep boundaries its the organization's fault
- in 1970s there was no policy just split second syndrome
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Term
| what is meant by police discretion being situational? |
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Definition
| police have a right to use force, but it depends on the situation as to what type and how much force is used |
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Term
| why can police discretion lead to controversy? |
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Definition
- most often, questions are raised as to when and how police come to use force in any given situation
- also discrimination
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Term
| what has James Fyfe said/written about police use of force? |
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Definition
- discussions of police violence are often blurred by the failure to determine between violence that is clearly "extralegal" and abusive, and the violence that is simply the unnecessary result of police incompetence
- distinction is important b/c the motivations of these 2 types of violence and the motivations of the officers vary greatly
- extralegal UoF: involves the willful and wrongful UoF by officers who knowingly exceed the bounds of theri office
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Term
| how do high profilecases of abuse and/or video evidence affect police abuse issues? |
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Definition
- believable eyewitness and video evidence more often contradicts sworn testimony of the police
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Term
| what is the "dirty harry" problemas described by Klockars? |
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Definition
| officers become frusturated when legal processes result in acquittals of people who have committed the crimes of which they have been accused. they then fabricate evidence to make sure that their suspects ultimately receive in court what the officers reguard as the "just due" |
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Term
| according to Klockers, who should really be faulted for police abuse (or get most of the blame)? |
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Definition
| the organization and administration |
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Term
| what is the organizational responsibility for police use of force? |
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Definition
| it sets the "norms" and "culture" of the department |
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Term
| what facts do we know about police use of force with "confidence"? |
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Definition
- known with substantial confidence
- known modest confidence
- undeveloped knowledge
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Term
| is the police use of force rare or does it occur often? |
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Definition
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Term
| how do police determine when to use force? |
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Definition
| officers are trained to use force progressively along a continuum, most policies require that officers use the least amount of force necessary to accomplish their goals |
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Term
| what is meant by use of force occurring at the lower end of the spectrum? |
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Definition
| meaning grabbing, pushing, shoving... usually weaponless force or non-lethal |
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Term
| 80% of arrests in which force is used means which type of force? |
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Definition
| weaponless tactics (EX: grabbing, shoving, etc.) |
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Term
| what percentage of use of force incidents use weapons? |
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Definition
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Term
| the findings known with confidence suggest what 3 conclusions? |
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Definition
- police use of force is rare
- fewer than 1 of 5 arrests involve use of physical force
- typically occurs at the lower end of the spectrum
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Term
| what are the 3 major findings that we know with "less confidence"? |
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Definition
- use of force appears to be minimally related to an officers personal characteristics (age, gender, race)
- use of force is likely to occur when police confront persons under the influence/mentally ill ppl
- only small proportion of officers are disproportionately involved in use of force incidents
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Term
| what are the criticisms of these findings? |
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Definition
1. if UoF is rare may indeed be correct. but to the extent that it hinges in official police statistics, it is open to a serious challenge
2. current indicators of excessive force (civilian complaints/lawsuits) are critically flawed
3. impact of differences in organizations, policies, hiring, training, dicipline, and UoF technology, on excessive force is unknown
4. influences of situational characteristics on police UoF and the transactional nature of these events are largelt unknown |
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Term
how do we control police misconduct?
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Definition
- government
- media
- courts (civil and criminal)
- civilian review boards
- other police agencies (loyality to fellow officers and professional courtesy)
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Term
| what does goldstein say about controlling misconduct? |
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Definition
- reward the positive
- guidelines for appropriate behavior
- proactively identify patterns of wrongdoing (citizen surveys)
- early warning systems
- training specific to prevent misconduct
- provide citizen redress
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Term
| generally know the different % of men, women, minority police officers. |
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Definition
- about 1 in 8 are female
- about 79% white, non-hispanic
- female and minority officers= less than 35%
- more diversity in larger departments
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Term
| what were some of the problems that women encounteres in the past? blacks and other minorities? |
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Definition
women: seperate selection criteria, were given menial tasks, and denied advancement opportunities; often failed physical tests and height/weight requirement; discrimination from male officers
minorities: double marginality |
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Term
| what is double marginality? who experiences most often? |
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Definition
double-marginality: the social burden faced by minority POs by being minority group members and LEOs; mostly experienced by blacks
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Term
| who is August Vollmer and what were his contributions to modern policing? |
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Definition
- national advisory commission: 1973 recommended all police recruits have BA by 1982
- goal of professionalism
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Term
| why is education considered improtant?what are some of the features correlated with having more educated officers? what are some of the problems regarding police and education? |
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Definition
1. better decision making 2. more knowledge/deeper understanding 3. better communication skills 4. better understanding of differing lifestyles 5. better critical thinkers 6. better writers 7. understand police role better
problems: job becomes routine, morale problems, under-stimulated |
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Term
| are more educated officers better officers, per the research? |
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Definition
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Term
| what are some of the differences regarding police preformance across gender and race? |
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Definition
women: better at conflict resolution and less likely to make arrests, less likely to use force, more sympathetic to victims
minorities: blacks more likely to be involved in use of force, minority officers are less antagonistic to the public, and display greater community ties
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Term
| what was said about police experience? |
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Definition
| younger officers more likely to be involved in violent encounters and get more complaints and more likely to be victims of assualt |
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Term
| what role does the "public setting" play in police-citizen encounters? |
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Definition
| they have to avoid criticism/adverse response by 3rd parties, they must be greatly concerned not only with doing the right thing but with appearig to do the right thing. |
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Term
| what is the split-second syndrome and how can police avoid it? |
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Definition
| officersrespond as quickly as possible to situations, devising the best solutions they can at the spur of the moment. (usually results in inappropriate decisions); survey the places they might have to patrol also the radio gives them a heads up.. on the way there they can assess the situation and plan their responses in advance |
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Term
| what role do police tactical decisions play in use of force incidents? |
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Definition
| best described as a sequence of moves that limit the suspect's ability to inflict harm and advance the ability of the officer to conclude the situation in the safest and least intrusive way; officers learn how to apply tactics to minimize the danger of risk to themselves and to others. |
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Term
| what is unsound tactical decision-making? why it this a problem? |
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Definition
| an officer's provocative acts that cause the suspect to respond in a way that leaves the officer no reasonable alternative other then to use force in self-defense. its a problem b/c they set a series of events into motion that can result in trgedy. |
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Term
| what are the issues pertaining to police use of force laws and the courts? |
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Definition
| some courts interpreted the word "moment" and "split-second judgement" to limit the analysis of a use of force incident to only the facts at the moment of the use of force. courts hold that the events leading up to the use of force are irrelevant. this is referred to as te "final frame" analysis b/c only the instant prior to the use of force is considered. |
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Term
| what does Fridell say about the police content of police use of force policies? |
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Definition
1. in the 1960s 27 of 49 departments had no firearms policies. 2 decades later 37% of the responding agencies lacked a written deadly force policy
2. in 1970s agencies began to adopt more restrictive policies and now all departments have "standard operating procedures" |
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Term
| what does Fridell say about policy enforcement? |
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Definition
1. not just the content of policies, but the administrative commitment to those policies, is key to optimizing force- both deadly and non-deadly.
2. stabdard operating procedure manual may not have any impact unless supported by a clear message from the top echelons of the agency that the policy will be followed.
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Term
| what are the critical issues that Fridell identifies regarding police use of force? |
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Definition
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