see attachment
100 word minimum for each paper.. give your feedback(your opinion) on each paper.
PAPER#1 brian
This week, we examined the construction of modern policing, from its formal beginnings in 1829 London to its current evolution. Using this information, we will attempt to answer the question as to whether police work is oriented primarily toward crime control, order maintenance, or social service. Since police work initially was set up to deal with order maintenance matters over the investigation of past crimes, one may assume that police functions are primarily order maintenance driven (Cordner, 2019). However, with law enforcement taking on a “crime-fighting” role in the 1950s and 1960s and being more active in investigating crimes would lead many to believe the focus is crime control (Cordner, 2019). But, what about the social service orientation of the 1980s and 1990s, when community policing launched officers into a service-oriented role? In this new capacity, officers not only fought crime by apprehending the perpetrator but began to take on a social worker’s approach when answering calls for service where people were experiencing a mental health breakdown. So, back to the question at hand. What is the primary function of modern police work? In her research, Baughman notes that the public and the police believe the primary focus of police work is to prevent and solve major criminal activity (2021). Speaking from personal experience, the role of law enforcement varies from call to call and day to day. My reasoning for this is that an officer can respond to a call where someone has shoplifted food from a grocery store, but when they arrive to handle the call, they determine the only reason they took food was to feed their family. In this instance, an officer is justified to issue a citation or arrest the individual since there is a clear violation of the law. But what about checking with local social service agencies to see what assistance may be available to avert future similar incidents? I know this goes against the enforcement aspect of police work, but this profession, or “craft” as noted in our text, is about more than putting “bad guys” in jail. It is about protecting human dignity and standing up for those who cannot stand up for themselves. By changing our view of what we think the job is all about may allow external stakeholders to change their perception of law enforcement as we advance, allowing for better cohesion and cooperation.
Paper#2 jonathan
What a great question to start this class off with. However, I feel like this week’s initial discussion question is almost a trick question. The reason being, I believe no matter which answers you pick, you will find that there is evidence to support them all. I have had the pleasure to serve my community as a law enforcement officer for nearly six years, and I believe some of my experiences make it a little easier for me to answer this question. In our books, it states, “the skill of policing is in avoiding the use of force while still accomplishing the goals of protecting life and property and maintaining order” (Cordner, 2019, p. 42). Easy enough, right? What makes this question unique is the fact that depending on what generation we look at could depend on whether police work is crime control, order maintenance, or social service. In the very early stages of policing, I would argue that the job duties were all about order maintenance. The reason being, there was no such thing as proactive policing, and criminal investigations were unheard of at this time (Cordner, 2019). As we began to grow as a society, we also began to only grow as a profession but criminals also began to evolve. Each year criminals get smarter and more advanced, which in turn means we as a profession must keep pace and always attempt to stay one step ahead. Law Enforcement being able to control the crime rate and prevent crime altogether is paramount if we wish for our citizens to have a good quality of life. Therefore, no matter what is going on in society, crime control will always be an important task for law enforcement. However, as we have evolved as a profession and our job duties have become broader, for better and for worse, we have learned that our job is truly about social service. Oxford Dictionary defines social service as government providing for the benefit of the community. This is what every successful law enforcement officer is doing every day they put on the uniform. Whether it be arresting criminals, changing tires, speaking at schools, or having positive encounters with citizens at local businesses or parks. Our job is all about serving our community to make it a better place to live for our residents, which is what social service is about. I would argue that keeping order and controlling the crime rate are all a part of performing social services. Community Policing is the new hot button word, however, it is something that most great LEOs have been doing for decades. “Community policing is an organizational philosophy that stresses the importance of law enforcement working cooperatively with community members to identify and resolve issues related to crime and disorder. Taken collectively, community policing strategies are designed to increase partnerships between police and the community, while emphasizing problem-solving approaches, to improve the overall quality of life for citizens” (Crowl, 2017, p.14). Building strong relationships with the community we police is paramount in policing today.
REFERENCES
Cordner, G. W. (2019). Police administration (10th ed.). Routledge.
Crowl, J. N. (2017). The effect of community policing on fear and crime reduction, police legitimacy and job satisfaction: an empirical review of the evidence. Police Practice & Research, 18(5), 449–462. https://doi.org/10.1080/15614263.2017.1303771