Category: CRJ301 Police Mgt

NIJ’s 50th Anniversary — Looking Back, Looking Forward

This is an EXCELLENT review of the benefit of the NIJ for the last 50 years

“NIJ’s 50th anniversary is an opportunity to reflect on how far the Institute has come, as well as its direction and priorities moving forward. In this Research for the Real World event, panelists will speak to the history and future of the Institute, drawing from decades of experience working for and closely with NIJ. Two Former NIJ Directors will reflect on their days heading the agency and their observations on how the agency has changed over time. Two police chiefs will talk about the importance of research to guide policing and the impact NIJ-funded research has had on their work.”

Link to the VIDEO

Favorite Police & Criminal Justice Websites

What are some of your favorite police or Criminal Justice websites?

National Criminal Justice Reference Service | NCJRS

NCJRS, an Office of Justice Programs resource, offers juvenile and criminal justice information to support research, policy, and program development worldwide.
— Read on www.ncjrs.gov/

NCJRS is one of my favorites.

The Crime Report

This is one of the best resources of criminal justice information across the US.  There is a subscription fee to have full access to the material.  There is also a student discount.

As part of it’s mission:

“The Crime Report (TCR) is the nation’s only comprehensive news service covering the diverse challenges and issues of 21st century criminal justice in the U.S. and abroad.” 

 

 

Despite spike in shootings, a Chicago community gets a handle on violence – CSMonitor.com

2016 was Chicago’s most violent year in nearly two decades, with more murders than New York and Los Angeles combined. But the city has made impressive strides toward becoming a safer place – and Englewood is leading the way.
— Read on www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2018/0808/Despite-spike-in-shootings-a-Chicago-community-gets-a-handle-on-violence

This is an nice article about how Englewood has reduced crime and made it safer for the community. Part of the solution is the partnership between the police and the Englewood community.

I would like to see an analysis of Chicago’s crime problem to see what the causes are. That way a menu of crime-fighting strategies can be developed and implemented further attacking the violent crime problem.

That fact that Englewood has made improvements to its crime problem is promising.

Precision Policing

William Bratton one of the Greatest Leaders in Policing talks about his latest concept of policing – Precision Policing.  Here is an excerpt from his recent article:

“Fortunately, a Peel-inspired template exists for how policing can effectively confront the Great Divide, prevent crime and disorder, and address other pressing problems such as the opioid epidemic, homelessness, and quality-of-life concerns—a strategy built on lessons from earlier crucibles, best practices from around the country, and effective collaboration among political leaders, the police, and the public. Coauthor Bratton and his executive team, of which coauthor Murad was a member, named it “precision policing.””

Links to Bratton’s article and interview from the City Journal:

William Bratton – Precision Policing in the City-Journal

Interview: Bratton on “Precision Policing”

 

How to Use Armed Police

via How to Use Armed Police

Why Armed Police need to Answer Non-Law Enforcement Type Calls

In the article “How Use Armed Police” poses the question “What are the situations for which we want people who have the capacity to use deadly force to show up?”  The idea is to have is to have Community Service Officers (CSO) respond to and handle non-law enforcement type calls.

The evidence used to support the need for more CSOs is: because of ongoing tensions between police and African Americans, the broken 911 system, the dangers associated with an armed police response, and the fact that unarmed police personnel already do tasks like write parking tickets, conduct traffic control, and provide funeral escorts that police must rethink the role of armed officers.

Reducing the role of armed police to strict law enforcement would a grave mistake for policing.  It would be a fatal flaw for policing to eliminate the neutral, noncriminal, and nonviolent contacts between armed officers and citizens. 

It is understandable why government and police executives would want to have unarmed officers respond to minor nonviolent calls for service.  This would decrease costs for the police department.  It would decrease demands on armed police.  Some police departments already use less trained and unarmed personnel to respond to police calls for service.

There are also several reasons why armed police only answering dangerous law enforcement calls would further exacerbate police community relations.  A decrease in service-oriented calls would decrease the types of friendly non-confrontational interactions that occur at these types of calls.  This would increase the sentiment that armed police in their community are an “occupational army”.  Some nonlaw enforcement calls turn into very dangerous calls where an armed response would be preferable.

The majority of calls for police are nonlaw enforcement in nature.  It is in this area that community policing thrives, relationships are developed, and where the human side of police shines.  Removing armed police (the traditional police officer) from nonlaw enforcement, service-oriented types of calls will only drive a wider and deeper wedge between the police and the community.