Identify a law enforcement agency at each of the four levels of government and one special jurisdiction agency and describe the purpose of each of those
... [Show More] agencies. - ✔✔ The four levels of government are federal, state, county, and municipal. The federal agencies are those who investigate specific crimes that are defined by congress. One federal agency is the FBI, an organization that investigates all federal crimes that aren't in the jurisdiction of any of the other agencies. For instance the protect the United States from terrorist attacks and protect civil rights among many other things. The state agencies mostly patrol state highways and have complete law enforcement jurisdiction in rural areas. In mot states, they also have general police powers. The county agencies have the Sheriff's department. Sheriff's typically do the exact same jobs as municipal police do, but they also ave civil authority. This means that they may operate jails or serve court orders as well. The municipal agencies are the general law enforcement agencies. They exist in nearly every town and they are responsible for responding to calls and protecting those in their town jurisdiction. Lastly, the special jurisdiction agencies encompass groups such as tribal police. By treaties with the United States, they are allowed to govern over their own lands and enforce laws against anyone who is on their lands.
Outline the police recruiting process and discuss the key phases and issues in the process. - ✔✔ The police recruiting process is a long-winded one. Among different states, the order of the recruitment process is not exactly same, but they more or less all have the same steps. Generally, the process starts with a physical fitness exam where departments present an recruit with sets of physical tests that they must pass in order to move on. Then they go on to an oral board where they speak with a group of officers who are already apart of the force. Next there is an extensive background check and a polygraph test. If all of those are passed, they move onto a psychological examination and a medical exam.
Explain how and why the demographic profile of policing in America is changing. - ✔✔ The demographic profile of policing in America is changing by means of the amount of minorities and women joining the police force. The increase in these groups is do to acts such as The Equal Employment Opportunity Act which enacted that sate and local government organizations could not discriminate in their hiring processes, opening the door to members of the community who would be overlooked in the past.
(There is also the fact that the entire American population is changing which means that all work demographics need to shift to accommodate all of these changes.)?
Identify and discuss the four issues that are key to understanding the police subculture. - ✔✔ The four issues that are key to understanding the police subculture are the "working personality", the role police morality, the isolation of the police, and the stress involved in the work being done. The "working personality" is a set of emotional and behavioral characteristics developed in regards to the work situation and environmental influences. It is also defined by two other elements such as the constant threat of danger that police deal with and their need to establish and maintain their authority in all work situations.
Police morality pertains to an officers ability to use discretion. In some cases, their morality is high and they are able to handle situations appropriately. But there are also those with low moral codes who may perform their jobs inappropriately.
Police isolation suggests the many ways in which professional officers feel alienated by their community. This stems from many different factors such as their personal beliefs that the public is hostile towards them because of their work and the fact most of their interpersonal interactions are conducted during times of conduct and crisis with people who do not necessarily want their presence.
Stress is another factor of the police subculture. It pertains to the fact that officers are put under extensive stress from all aspects of their life. For instance there is external stress which is produced by situations that include threats and danger. There is also occupational stress which is caused by the nature of their work like the need to work irregular hours and adjust to constantly changing schedules. Then there is personal stress which stems from the possible opinions of peers which can make interaction with fellow officer difficult. Lastly, there is operational stress which pertains to the constant interaction with citizens who are committing crimes such as thieves, pathological liars, and the mentally ill.
Identify and discuss the three basic functions of the police. - ✔✔ The three basic functions of the police are order maintenance, law enforcement, and service. Order maintenance is a broad mandate to prevent behavior that either disturbs or threatens to disturb the peace. It also requires officers to use their discretion pertaining to things such as what law has been broken and who has committed the crime.
Second, law enforcement is the function of controlling crime by intervening in situations in which the law has been violated. [Show Less]