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The Police Service Contract in California

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There have been a variety of proposals to solve the presently divisive pattern of metropolitan and regional law enforcement.' Of these proposals, the police service contract offers the most feasible and practical solution. By. this device smaller police jurisdictions contract formally with a larger police agency for the provision of law enforcement services. No claim is made here that this type of voluntary governmental arrangement offers the ideal solution. This arrangement does offer, however, an alternative to the presently confused pattern of police organization: an alternative which is both simple in application, economically feasible, and frequently politically practical. Furthermore, this approach if properly structured-recognizes the principle of self-determination and leaves to the smaller jurisdiction a large degree of discretionary power. Basically, proposals for the reorganization of metropolitan police efforts have included the following objectives:. Simplification of metropolitan law enforcement patterns. enlargement of police administraitive areas; and 3. integration and coordination of police efforts throughout the

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Public Opinions of the Police: The Influence of Friends, Family, and News Media

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Abstract

Police executives today broadly agree that public support is important both for the legitimacy of the police and the ability of the police to fight crime effectively. While research shows people generally support the police and are satisfied with the way police perform their duties, it also demonstrates that not all segments of society hold equally positive opinions. Yet the determinants of public support are not fully understood. Although research has focused on the influence of personal contacts between the police and civilians or on neighborhood context, other influences remain unexplored. This research asks:

• Does police treatment of citizens impact broader public opinion of the police, as citizens impart these experiences to family, friends, and neighbors? • Is the media’s portrayal of the police an important determinant of public opinion of the police?

We addressed these questions by drawing on monthly “consumer satisfaction” surveys of people

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Are Police Video Identifications Fair To African-Caribbean Suspects?

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Abstract

Analysis of lineups from criminal cases has demonstrated that video technology can produce lineups that are less biased against the suspect than live lineups, and that White suspects are less likely to be identified from a live lineup than suspects of other ethnic origins. The present study assessed the fairness of video lineups of White Europeans and of African-Caribbeans used in actual criminal cases. African–Caribbean and White European participants selected the suspect from each lineup on the basis of the original witness description of the culprit. There was no reliable difference in the fairness of video lineups as a function of the ethnic origin of the lineup members. It is concluded that, within the context of the video system studied, use of video can provide a safeguard against bias against ethnic minorities that may occur in live lineups.

Eyewitnesses often make mistaken identifications. An eyewitness positively identifies a volunteer, who is...

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Victim Personal Statements

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About the VPS

The VPS gives victims an opportunity to tell the criminal justice agencies and the magistrate or the judge about the effect a crime has had on their lives. It also helps the criminal justice agencies to understand fully the impact that the crime has had on the victim so that they can make decisions about the case. The VPS is optional. No pressure should be put on victims to make one if they don’t want to. However, it’s important that the victim understands the benefits of making one

What is the VPS?

A VPS is a statement written in the victim’s own words. It is different to the witness statement, which is a written or video-recorded account of what happened to the victim. The VPS can be taken at the same time as the witness statement, but it can also be taken at a later stage.

It can be used to:...

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Reaction Time Lethal Force Encounter Shooting Scene Considerations

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“The essential elements to be considered are the inherent danger reasonably perceived at the time and the physical realities that apply at the time. These physical realities include the factors of action versus reaction times, the abilities of the involved parties, the limited time available to recognize, react, initiate and implement a response, the sensory distortions that will occur in any high stress lifethreatening incident and the limited means available to compel a timely halt to the threatening activity. These elements must be judged from the perspective of a reasonable officer within the incident and not with the application of 20/20 hindsight.” [Ref. 15 Patrick & Hall] The justified use of force elements hold true whether Officer or Citizen. Officer or Citizen need to be viewed from the perspective of the incident and not with 20/20 hindsight. To understand the timing of a lethal force encounter we need to discuss reaction time, both the mental process and the physical process.

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A Comparative Analysis Of News Reports And Official Police Records On TASER Deployment

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Abstract

Purpose This paper sets out to encompass a comparative analysis of news reports and official police records of TASER deployments from 2002 to 2005.
Design/methodology/approach The methodology involves a content analysis of all LexisNexis and New York Times articles involving police use of the TASER during the study period (n = 353). Regional (New York Times) and national (LexisNexis) news reports describing police use of the TASER are compared with police reports of all TASER deployments by the New York City Police Department (NYPD) during the same timeframe (n = 375).
Findings Descriptive statistics and logistic regression are used to compare the data sources with respect to: the circumstances in which the weapon is deployed; the characteristics of the suspects involved in the TASER incidents; and the significant predictors of continued suspect resistance and repeated use of the TASER by an officer.
Research limitations/implications The paper examines official police records on TASER deployments from one police agency.

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Police Civil Liability Lawsuits In California

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INTRODUCTION

This paper provides an overview of police civil liability issues in California under federal law (42 U.S.C. section 1983) and state law. Preliminary matters such as whether to remove the case to federal court, the pre-lawsuit claim requirement, and the applicable statute of limitations are discussed first. After reviewing the threshold liability issue of duty, including whether a “special relationship” with an officer arises, the paper turns to claims involving detention, arrest, search, use of force, retaliation, and discrimination. Liability issues arising out of cases involving taking a person into protective custody under Welfare and Institutions Code section 5150 are discussed in some detail in light of the recent cases of Hayes v. County of San Diego and Sheehan v. City and County of San Francisco. California civil rights laws that arise in police civil liability cases, such as Civil Code sections 51.7 and 52.1 and the California Constitution, are also discussed. The paper then turns to the defenses of

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Policing Terrorists in the Community

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Abstract

This paper provides an economic analysis of illegal sports bookmaking using detailed records from six bookmakers who operated in the 1990s. These operations are structured like standard firms and utilize incentive contracts to induce appropriate employee behavior. The bookmakers offer prices which closely follow the geographically separated legal market, but larger operations price discriminate based on individual betting patterns. Despite the availability of inexpensive hedging instruments, all operations take on substantial financial risk. This implies the bookmakers cannot be risk-averse and must hold large cash reserves. The risk-adjusted profit rate is lower than in legal financial markets. These results and behaviors are consistent with standard models of economic self interest

1 Introduction

Gambling is ubiquitous in the United States. Due to the spread of state lotteries and casinos, legalized gambling is currently available in all but two states. In 1998 sixty-eight percent of Americans reported gambling at least once, and in total they lost over $50 billion to legal gambling operations

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The Politics of Policing: Ensuring Stakeholder Collaboration in the Federal Reform of Local Law Enforcement Agencies

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I. INTRODUCTION

On November 21, 2006, after obtaining a "no knock" search warrant based on false information, several Atlanta police officers stormed into the home of ninety-two-year-old Kathryn Johnston. Ms. Johnston, who lived alone and feared a home invasion, always locked her door and kept a gun for protection. When the officers burst unannounced into the home, Ms. Johnston fired a single shot but struck no one. Officers at the scene, however, returned fire, striking Ms. Johnston multiple times and fatally wounding her. When a search of the home revealed no drugs, rather than leaving the scene, one of the officers planted in the basement three bags of marijuana seized in an unrelated case. The officer then filed a false incident report stating that someone had purchased drugs at Ms. Johnston's home earlier in the day. To conceal their crimes, the officers suggested to Atlanta homicide investigators that Ms. Johnston's shooting death was justifiable. Fortunately, in later

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Public Opinions Of The Police: The Influence of Friends, Family, and News Media

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Executive Summary

Police officers and their supervisors know that news coverage about a citizen’s negative encounter with the police, particularly coverage that erupts to the level of a public scandal, can quickly destroy their efforts to nurture a positive relationship with the public. But what about routine encounters positive or negative that are not covered by mass media? Do they shape the public’s opinion of the police? Do individuals’ vicarious encounters with police encounters they merely hear about from family and friends significantly affect public opinion? The answers to these questions can help police managers decide how best to manage the time and resources they devote to media management and officer training. They also can help officers understand the impact of their everyday encounters with citizens. The Vera Institute of Justice conducted a nine-month study to examine these and other questions about what shapes public opinion

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Consequences of Policing Prostitution

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Introduction

Since 2011, The Legal Aid Society’s Exploitation Intervention Project has represented thousands of individuals, mostly women, charged with prostitution-related offenses across all five New York City boroughs, both before and since the implementation of the human trafficking intervention courts (HTICs), a statewide prostitution diversion court initiative.1 EIP provides direct representation and comprehensive services to people charged with prostitution-related offenses and survivors of trafficking facing prosecution for other offenses in New York City’s criminal courts.In addition to its advocacy in the HTICs, EIP seeks “vacatur,” or clearing, of prostitution-related and other associated offenses from past and present clients’ criminal records when it is understood that those offenses occurred as a result of human trafficking. EIP has been spearheading vacatur efforts for trafficking survivors across New York State and the rest of the country. To date, EIP has used New York’s vacatur law to clear 1,255 criminal convictions for trafficking survivors. From 2015 to 2016, EIP attorneys collected information on sociodemographic characteristics, victimization histories, and service needs...

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Current Issues in Psychological Fitness-for-Duty Evaluations of Law Enforcement Officers:

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ABSTRACT

Courts throughout the United States have ruled that that the “awesome powers” entrusted to law enforcement officers, and the safety-sensitive nature of their positions, impose on their public employers a responsibility to ensure that they are fit to perform their duties. But, as with an officer’s powers, the authority of a police employer to mandate a psychological fitness-for-duty evaluation (FFDE) is not without boundaries. This chapter addresses the legal authority of a police employer to require an FFDE, the limits to that authority, and the implications of these constraints both for police employers and the psychologists who conduct these evaluations on their behalf. Written by two prominent experts in police employment law and police psychology, this chapter concerns itself with both the law and professional standards of practice. Key topics include the legal threshold for requiring an FFDE, limitations to the content of an FFDE report, and evaluator qualifications.

INTRODUCTION

A long series of statutory and case law authority dating...

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Psychological Fitness-for-Duty Evaluation Guidelines

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1. Purpose
1.1 The IACP Police Psychological Services Section (PPSS) developed these guidelines to educate and inform the public safety agencies that request fitness-for-duty evaluations (FFDEs) and the practice of examiners who perform them.
1.2 These guidelines are most effectively used through collaboration between examiners and public safety agencies. It is desirable that these guidelines be reviewed by both the referring agency and the examiner and that any conflicts between an agency’s or examiner’s policies or practices and these guidelines be discussed and the rationale for action contrary to the guidelines be documented before commencing the FFDE.
2. Limitations
2.1 The term guidelines‖ refers to statements that suggest or recommend specific professional behavior, endeavors, or conduct for examiners. Guidelines differ from standards in that standards are mandatory and may be accompanied by an enforcement mechanism. Guidelines are aspirational in intent. They are intended to facilitate the continued systematic development of the profession and facilitate a high level of practice by examiners. Guidelines are

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Civil Liability for Acts of Off-Duty Officers – Part I

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1. Introduction

. Off-duty police officers, in some instances, encounter situations in which they may be called upon, at a moment’s notice, to act in their law enforcement role. Additionally, some off-duty officers are engaged in secondary employment, including jobs in private security. Off-duty officers, like all people, also become involved in disputes of various kinds with other individuals, including physical altercations and vehicular accidents. A good number of lawsuits, in both federal and state court, have attempted to impose civil liability on the off-duty officers themselves and/or on their municipal employer, under a variety of rationales. The issue arises whether and when the offduty officer is acting in their capacity as law enforcement, when they are acting on behalf of their secondary employer, such as a store or business for which they provide security or other services, and when they are acting in a purely personal capacity. This article, the first of two, briefly examines some of the existing case law on this...

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Community Acceptance Of Helicopter Noise: Criteria And Application

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SUMMARY

A study was conducted to define those criteria necessary for civil helicopter operations to be acoustically acceptable to the communities from which they operate and over which they fly. The study involved surveying existing domestic and foreign Federal regulations and guidelines, state and local noise ordinances, results of community noise annoyance studies, and results of individual aircraft noise annoyance studies in order to establish the criteria. The final criteria selected are based on the Day-Night Noise Level, %u, a measure of total noise exposure. weighted sound pressure level (dBA) which has accuracy comparable to other units currently used for aircraft. An Lterion for areas where the ambient noise is below 58 dBA. 2 dBA above the local ambient is recommended for areas where the ambient is above 58 dBA. source (such as aircraft operations) is less than the existing ambient noise energy. Characteristics found important for aircraft noise rating such as tone content, duration, and number of operations have been accounted for....

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Think It’s Hard Being a Cop? Try Being Married to One.

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These are troubled times for cops and their families. There's an almost constant stream of bad press about law enforcement, a rash of unthinkable acts of violence against police officers, repeated anti-police protests, horrific mass shootings, and the ever-present threat of terrorism that hangs over all our heads. Dash cams, body cameras and cell phone cameras have charged the atmosphere and changed the way officers work. In light of all that is happening, the job looks more dangerous and appears more brutal than ever. But just when things look like they will never get better, there's a stream of good news: demonstrations of love and support from the public and heartwarming praise from unexpected sources on social media. The only thing that is predictable these days is change itself.

The following 10 ideas may help police families navigate these turbulent times.

1. Distinguish between what you can control and what you can't. Consider the doughnut as a way to model the distinction between what you can and can't

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