Chapter 1 discusses several strategies police departments can use to foster a sense of

openness and transparency. Compare and contrast two of these strategies. Address any

potential strengths or weaknesses.

Openness and transparency mean making the general public aware of the work of police and

how they handle various situations that they encounter on daily basis. The police department

in America tries to accomplish this by sharing their policies with the public. There are several

ways to achieve this. One of the ways recommended by the Task Force of the President is

“[t]o embrace a culture of transparency, law enforcement agencies should make all

department policies available for public review and regularly post on the department’s

website information about stops, summonses, arrests, reported crime, and other law

enforcement data aggregated by demographics” (Action Item 1.3.1). Another strategy

recommended by the task force (Recommendation 2.1) was that the department may

collaborate with the communities that have been affected by the crime disproportionately to

make policies and strategies to deal with the same. Recommendation 2.5 of the President’s

Task Force laid that to increase transparency, the department may make the data regarding

their department’s composition including gender, race, age, etc. to the public.

Recommendations 2.1 and 2.5 are quite different from each other in the way that the first

strategy involves making people participate in the policy-making process regarding the

criminal offenses encountered by them and other problems that they may face. This makes

me feel closer to the police department. Moreover, they will be also well aware of the

procedures of the police and will be more willing to cooperate with the department whenever

needed. And if any person with a criminal mind is also present during the process, he may be

more cautious and fearful. But on the other hand, this may even expose loopholes, if any, of

the policies to the criminals with a sharp mind which they may misuse.
The second strategy, of making the department’s census data available to people will help

build trust amongst the public in the police department when they become aware of the fact

that the members of their community (race, gender, and ethnicity) are represented in the

department. This makes people feel that the police will understand them better. Further,

officers from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds also help the department to respond

effectively to the needs and calls of diverse people. Another benefit of sharing this

information with people is that if it is felt that a certain community is not adequately

represented in the department, then suitable recruitments may be made in collaboration with

the people of that community.

So it can be said that while the first strategy focuses on making policies open to the public,

the second one focuses on making the public feel more comfortable with police with

representatives from their community into the department. However, the ultimate aim of both

of these strategies remains the same, that is, to enhance the sense of openness and

transparency.

What is police legitimacy? Describe two practices that can build legitimacy.

Legitimacy means that the police follow rule of law and must be able to win the trust and

confidence of the people they serve that they are serving them in a lawful manner and with

respect. People must trust them with the fact that they will control the crime effectively.

Police must have a guardian mindset and as a guiding principle, they must adopt procedural

justice. Procedural justice means that it is more important for the people that how they are

treated by the officers on being stopped (that is, rude, gentle, respectful, etc.) along with what

happens to them. One of the researches by Tom Taylor shows that people who have been

treated fairly and respectfully are more likely to obey rules than others. This helps build trust

and cooperation amongst the people for the police department.

Enhancing police legitimacy also helps the department to perform its duties more efficiently.

It was recommended by the President’s Task Force (Action Item 1.5.1) that involving

communities in the process of policymaking and its evaluations helps to achieve external

legitimacy. This is because people will build greater trust for the police department when

they understand the working of the department, how they handle various incidents, how the

cameras worn on the uniform of the officers are used, how homeless people are treated. This

will make them more confident that the police will be able to handle any situation or problem

that the citizens may encounter.

And in case, people are not confident enough in the capabilities of the police regarding their

handling of cases, they are provided with opportunities to make any relevant suggestions. For

this, the police department may hold regular meetings and forums with the general public

where they may interact with officers and discuss the programs and policies of the police

department (President’s Task Force Recommendation 4.5.1). Such platforms are an

opportunity for the public to have a dialogue with high-ranking officers of the department

where they express their concerns if any. However, the success of such meetings depends

upon how well they are conducted. In case, if these meetings are largely controlled by the

police officers with little opportunity for the public to express themselves or raise their

concerns, then these are not much likely to be productive. Hence, community members must

be provided with adequate opportunity to speak up and the points raised by them must be

viewed positively and any relevant suggestions or information must be worked upon

seriously. This will also encourage people to take part in such meetings enthusiastically, else

they may not appear for the meeting next time. This practice will help build and enhance the

trust and legitimacy of the police amongst the public.

Chapter 1 describes the myth of police as only crime fighters. What has this myth

endured? What are the consequences of this myth?

The police maintain their image like the crime fighters. They represent themselves as

defenders of society for people's safety. As police are acting like crime fighters, they are

trying to assure the public that they are doing a very important task for public benefit. This

crime-fighting identity of the police will lead to the fighter spirit in all the officers which may

cause harmful actions for the society. This crime-fighting image does not represent the

original role of the police. If only these activities are focused, then other work done by police

officers such as social workers, traffic directors, conflict mediators, detailed report directors,

mental health counselors, neighborhood patrollers, etc. will be neglected. This may also result

in a fake image of the officers by the public that the police force will handle all the criminal

cases which means not even a single case is left unsolved, which is practically not possible.

In daily soaps, they are showing that 100 percent of cases are solved by police which is not

the right figure as, in reality, only 20 percent will get resolved.

As various case studies are done, which show that police have a lot of different

responsibilities not only act like crime fighters. In one study, they mentioned that the

department receives, 911 enquires out of which only 19 percent were crime-related.

One more study was done in which 26,418 calls were received by the department out of

which 2 percent were regarding violent crimes, 17 percent were non–violent crimes, 7

percent were interpersonal conflict, 3 percent were medical assistance, 9 percent were traffic

problems, 3 percent were dependent persons, 11 percent of public nuisances, 5 percent of

suspicious circumstances, 12 percent were of assistance, in 21 percent citizen wants

information and in 8 percent public wants to give information and 2 percent calls received for

internal police operations. In reality, police officers spend only a small amount of their total

time dealing with violent crimes.

With this crime-fighter image, the public may feel less confident to approach police in case of

any need which does not involve crime. This will reduce the legitimacy of the police

department as people will feel less connected and closer to the personnel. They may even

start fearing them. A normal stop by police personnel may be seen as something threatening

and the spectators may view the person stopped to be a criminal. This image will reduce the

efficiency of the police department as they may not be able to provide service to the public to

the maximum extent possible. There will be several people who might be unaware of the

other responsibilities of the police apart from crime-fighting. The view of involving the

public in policymaking and other procedures may become a distant goal.

4. Discuss two factors that led to changes in American policing during the 20th

century. Be specific about what these factors are and how they changed policing.

Several factors changed the American Police dramatically in the 20th century. According to

Walker (1999), there were principle reasons for these changes, the civil rights movement, the

modern technologies, and the police professionalism movement. However, certain other

scholars believed that the reforms in the police were initiated by the investigative

commissions, police administrators, and the general political reforms.

During the early 20th century, new technology had a great impact on American policing.

Technologies that majorly reformed policing involved the patrol car, the telephone, and the

two-way radio. Policing in the 19th century was ineffective mainly because the officers on

duty could not be passed on the relevant information on time regarding calls for service

which was now possible with a two-way radio. The officers also can now contact their

directors directly in case of any need. This enhanced the service to the public and the police

personnel could also be supervised effectively. Similarly, the patrol cars also reduced the
response time of the police to the calls received for service. The telephone made it easier for

the citizens to contact the police directly whenever in need and the police also responded in a

promising way. However, this increased the workload of the police personnel as people

started calling even for minor issues and other intimate domestic problems which were earlier

not part of their responsibility. But this also brought police closer to the people due to their

positive response.

The police professionalization movement started in the 20th century, sought to remove the

corrupt and inefficient police agencies of the 19th century. During this era, the police

department was restructured completely and the role of the police was redefined. It was

sought to remove the influence of politics on police, raise the standards of the personnel, and

hire qualified leaders. Moreover, a nonpartisan public service mission was called for and the

police organizations were restructured using scientific management principles, and the

specialized units were developed. Further, it was suggested to start collegiate courses at the

University of California in police science so that college graduates may be hired to provide

efficient service to the public. Principles of modern police administration were also

developed. It was also advocated that establishing administrative efficiency, centralization of

the authority within the police department, and rationalization of the procedures of the

command control were important. In the 1960s, the chief of the Chicago Police Department,

Wilson bought about significant changes in the organizational structure of the department. He

utilized scientific principles of management for workload distribution for calls received for

service and managed personnel through bureaucratic design effectively. He also encouraged

the departments to check their success through rapid response to calls and other measurable

outcomes.

5. Describe two new strategies that define 21st Century Policing. 2390
Accountability, Democracy, Openness, Transparency, and Legitimacy are some of the

strategies that describe 21st century policing in America. Democratic police mean that police

are answerable to the public as well as accountable to the rule of law. In the USA, the police

chief appoints mayors, and the budget is provided by the city council. Head of state police

agencies is appointed by the Governor, and their budget is decided by the state legislators.

The directors of the federal law enforcement agencies (like FBI and DEA) are appointed by

the President of the US. And their budget is appropriated by Congress. Though this political

control of police is a part of democracy, it has certain challenges. For many years, political

leaders inappropriately used police officials for their benefits by appointing their friends to

the designation.

Several recommendations were made by the President’s Task Force to ensure that police can

provide good service to the public. These recommendations included that the police

department must hold regular meetings with the community residents, surveys may be

conducted to know the problems of the people they serve better, publically sharing the

policies and procedures, etc.

Another basic element of democratic police is its accountability. This department responsible

for maintaining law and order in society is also accountable to the law. Making police

accountable is one way to ensure that they are not doing anything illegal, guards them against

any form of political influence involving favoritism, and discriminatory law enforcement. But

to achieve the aim of accountability, it is essential to ensure that the department has effective

internal accountability procedures.

Community engagement is another strategy adopted by the 21st-century police that may

define its existing role. Police adopted Problem-oriented policing (POP) where police work in

partnership with public and community groups to discuss their problems and develop their
possible solutions. This has become an important part of the overall aim of controlling crime

and disorder in the community. As recommended by the President’s Task Force, “working

with neighborhood residents to co-produce public safety. Law enforcement agencies should

work with community residents to identify problems and collaborate on implementing

solutions that produce meaningful results for the community” (Recommendation 4.5). This

partnership of police with the general public has changed the traditional crime-fighting image

of police where personnel presented themselves to be professionals and instructed people

what to do and what not to do. In the present condition, instead of instructing people, police

seek their opinion on how they work more efficiently. There are several benefits of involving

community groups as partners. First, they know the best regarding conditions that cause

problems in the area such as drug abuse, etc. Secondly, this community partnership gives

people a sense of ownership in the area and encourages them to be actively involved with the

police to solve issues. Third, this approach helps increase the legitimacy of the police in the

area. So this collaboration with the community members has made policing more efficient as

they are much more cooperative in reporting crimes, being witness to it, reporting

neighborhood problems, and being a participant in the anti-crime programs organized by the

police department. Police have even come forward to help people with mental health issues

who may be in a situation where they may harm themselves or others. Police have even

formed policies on how to handle such situations and the personnel are also provided with

adequate training to deal with the issue.