Policing Lecture Outline
Lecture & Group Discussion Points:
[Very Special Role of Police in our society as State representatives with broad authority to enforce law and use force
legitimately to do so. This may lead to some of the public holding them to higher standards and being more
critical of abuses of their unique authority.]
Crime Control Model Vs. Due Process Model (Barkan, ch 16)
Police work – how most time spent [& Police Working Personality –Us vs. them, suspicious, etc. ](Barkan, ch 16)
Moskos Chs 5 & 6 adds a lot of detail to this, esp. on how responding to calls is bulk of work, and then
processing arrests, going to court, etc.
Police Discretion & Arrests – most common arrests, conflict between police and prosecuting attorneys, flaws in using
arrest stats as measure of police, demeanor & arrest (Moskos ch. 6) race & ethnicity and arrest (Barkan ch. 16)
vs. Moskos (ch 6) says not police personal discrimination but rather that police focus on certain areas
(where public drug dealing is more common) and make more arrests there (& those areas are more
low-income, minority group ones).
Barkan’s (Ch. 16) concern with extra-legal uses of police discretion (based on race/ethnicity, class, gender,
suspect attitude / demeanor)
vs. Moskos (chs. 5 & 6) more practical approach to use of police discretion re arrest or not ((sometimes
extra-legal, but tries to be fair, such as in Grandma case), with goal of problem solving in complex
situations encountered on streets & calls for service; and police can always arrest someone for
something if they want, but typically very minor offense…
Tensions between Police use of arrests and Prosecutors –Differing uses of discretion (Moskos Ch. 6)
NYC Police “Stop & Frisk” data & court ruling. Eidence of racial & ethnic discrimination in polic, compare rates of
arrest for those stopped and searched [lecture only].
Phoenix Police racial / ethnic profiling…[lecture only].
Arrests & Possible police Racial & Ethnic bias evidence or not (my data vs. Barkan’s view), & R&E bias in War on
Drugs specifically… (Barkan, ch 16) Again. Compare with Moskos (ch 6) on why certain areas get more
attention & how this leads to R&E inequality in arrests.
UCR data Vs. NCVS data –Barkan’s (Ch. 16) and Mine from lecture. R&E bias implications of this, esp. of my
data.
What is police brutality & how often does it occur (especially as a % of police contact with Criminal Suspects”)
(Barkan, ch 16)
Problems with Reactive Policing & 911 system (Moskos Ch 5)
3 R’s of modern Policing (& problems with this model) (Moskos Ch 5)
Car Patrol model ovs. Watchman model of policing (& problems with car-patrol model) (Moskos Ch. 5)
Peace Officer Model of policing Vs. Arrest-Focused Model of Policing –Strengths of former over latter. Importance
of developing relationships and public contact & accessibility to prevent and solve crime… Most common types of
arrest for high-arrest approach (Moskos Ch. 6).
[Told you to look up these, mentioned only briefly in class, but important]
Police Effect on Crime / Policing Strategies (Barkan, ch 16):
1. Does just increasing number of police officers reduce crime?
2. Directed patrols & Hot spots
3. Zero Tolerance & Crackdowns
4. Community policing
Overall Effect of Police on Crime (Barkan, ch 16)
Other things to know, not lectured on (or very little):
Who are the police in terms of race, ethnicity, and gender? (Barkan, ch 16)
Three main social actors all view arrests differently:
Police officers (see below) vs. Police Managers (quotas and productivity) vs. State Prosecutors (decide to drop
charges often). Moskos Ch. 6 highlights these conflicting views, and how it makes police work more difficult.
Gender inequality & arrests
Police Sexual Violence—how much and difficulties in reporting (Barkan, ch 16)
Also, FYI, as another overview of key issues in readings--: “Policing” Group Discussion Issues to consider:
1. What is the difference between the “Crime Control” model and the “Due Process” model, & how are they in
tension? (Barkan Ch. 16) How does Moskos say crime could be easily controlled? (Moskos Ch 6)
2. What does police work typically consist of, & what is the “working personality” of police? (Barkan Ch. 16) What
does Moskos say is typical police work, esp. what is problem with reactive policing (Ch. 5) and stressing
arrests (Ch. 6)? What is wrong with 911, how does it interfere with police work (Ch. 5)? What’s wrong
with “reactive policing”? How do police get worn down and how does that affect their personalities (Ch.
6)?
3. What is police brutality & how often does it occur (esp. with criminal suspects)? How often does police
corruption occur? Are there Race or Gender differences in who experiences police use of force ? (Barkan Ch.
16)
4. How do police use discretion to decide when & whom to arrest? What is the evidence for racial discrimination or not in
use of police discretion to arrest suspects? Is discrimination more or less clear in case of war on drugs? What is the
evidence on Gender and Arrest, any evidence of discrimination? (Barkan Ch. 16)
4.A. What are Moskos’ views on use of police discretion in arrests? How does he explain disproportionate arrests of
young African American men for drug crimes? (Moskos Ch. 6)
5. (Moskos Ch. 6) What is problem with pressuring police to make arrests & using arrests as a sign of police effectiveness,
& what are most common crimes for arrests? How do officers respond to pressure for arrests? Why do prosecutors
often refuse press charges against many who are arrested?
6. Which uses of police have biggest impact on reducing crime? (Barkan Ch. 16)
6.A. What are the effects/results of (1)“crackdowns” & “Zero Tolerance”, (2)Directed Patrol / “Hot spots” focus,
(3)Arrests, and (4) Community Policing?
7. Who are the police in terms of race, ethnicity, and gender? (Barkan Ch. 16)