Showing posts with label police management. Show all posts
Showing posts with label police management. Show all posts

Friday, May 16, 2008

CAN FEDERAL INTERVENTION BRING LASTING IMPROVEMENT IN LOCAL POLICING?

Ten years ago, Congress gave the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department new powers to sue state and local governments in federal court to correct a “pattern or practice” of police misconduct. Both the Clinton and Bush administrations have used this new power several times: in Los Angeles, Cincinnati, Detroit, the State of New Jersey, Steubenville, Ohio, and Prince Georges County, Maryland, among other jurisdictions.

In Pittsburgh—the first city to enter into a consent decree with the
Justice Department— most provisions of the decree were lifted after the Bureau of Police was judged to be in substantial compliance. Pittsburgh, therefore, is the first place we can look to see how the police can satisfy the Justice Department and whether this new kind of federal intervention can make a lasting difference.

To answer those questions, Vera researchers have studied the Pittsburgh
Police Bureau since 2001. Both before and after the decree for the Bureau was lifted in 2002, the researchers observed police in field and management settings, interviewed key officials and community leaders, conducted focus groups with police officers, surveyed citizens, reviewed the federal monitor’s reports, and conducted original analyses of police data. In
2003, researchers also surveyed more than 100 front-line officers.

The Vera researchers found that two key factors enabled the city quickly to comply with the terms of the decree: the
leadership of a talented police chief and guidance from the federal monitor. The police implemented new systems to track the use of force, traffic stops, and searches; new procedures to hold officers accountable; and new policies and training. Despite recent financial strains, those reforms remain firmly in place today, and both community leaders and citizen surveys reflect significant improvements in service.

The research also reveals the importance of such intervention for minority officers. In Pittsburgh, black officers who quietly criticized how the Bureau operated previously, say they appreciate the new consistency in management. In these respects, Pittsburgh is a success story for local
police management and for federal intervention. However, the researchers also found discontent among many front-line police officers and persistent concerns about police misconduct among a sizeable number of citizens. Both black and white officers in Pittsburgh say they believe that tighter management has made police less active and aggressive in fighting crime (although some performance data provided by the Bureau and our citizen survey do not support that belief). The public still lacks a role in the reform process, and citizens do not have access to police data that were given to the monitor under the decree.

There are strong signs a year after most of the decree has been lifted that federal intervention can encourage long-term improvements in
police accountability. More engagement of citizens and greater participation of front-line officers might have made a good process even better.

READ ON
http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/mime/open.pdf?Item=1454

Monday, March 10, 2008

Over 1800 Police Books

March 9, 2008 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com is a website that lists state and local police officers who have written books. With the addition of four NYPD police officers, the website now lists 870 police officers and 1819 police books.

Rufus Schatzberg, Ph.D. is a retired New York Police Department detective first grade and the author of Black Organized Crime in Harlem: 1920-1930; and, co-author of African American Organized Crime and Handbook of Organized Crime in the United States.

According to the description of Handbook of
Organized Crime in the United States, “This handbook discusses the definitions and historical background of organized crime, theories and research, specific crime groups and their operations, and law enforcement strategies to counter organized crime. Both the excellent introduction and 21 chapters provide background and analysis for each subject.”

Carey Spearman joined the U.S. Army in 1965. He served in Vietnam in 1967, assigned to the 44th Medical Group, 616th Medical Company. After his discharge, he would join the New York Police Department in 1973. He was promoted to detective, and to the rank of Sergeant in the police department and distinguished himself in undercover narcotics work and as supervisor of NYPD's Staten Island Community Affairs Division. Carey Spearman retired from the New York Police Department in 1995 with twenty-five years of service. In 1997 he obtained his Bachelor of Science degree from St. John's University, New York. Carey Spearman is the co-author of Vietnam Veteran's Homecoming: Crossing the Line and 36 Years and a Wake-up: An American Returns to Vietnam.

According to the book description of Vietnam Veterans' Homecoming: Crossing the Line “is a thoughful and moving account of the impact that the Vietnam War had on one veteran's life. Medic
Carey Spearman's emotional message will resonate in the hearts and souls of each and every veteran that picks up this book, and enlighten anyone that did not live through the war.”

Jerry Strollo, CPP, is a security consultant and retired NYPD Captain. He owns/operates REMS Training, Inc a certified FSD and security guard training school. Jerry Strollo is the co-author of Management and Supervision of Law Enforcement Personnel.

William F. Walsh, Ph.D. is the director of the Southern Police Institute and professor in the Department of Justice Administration at the University of Louisville. William Walsh has a BA in Behavioral Sciences, MA in Criminal Justice and a PhD in Sociology. Dr. William Walsh is responsible for all educational and professional development course offerings of the Southern Police Institute.

Dr.
William Walsh’s is a former member of the New York Police Department where he served for 21 years. He is the author of Supervision of Police Personnel: A Performance Based Approach; and, a co-author of Police Administration; Strategic Management in Policing: A Total Quality Management Approach; and, Organizational Behavior and Management in Law Enforcement.

According to the description of Organizational Behavior and Management in Law Enforcement, “This absolutely outstanding book overcomes the obstacles and impediments that beset so many others in the field of
police management. Its clear, concise presentation and realistic and very thorough overview of contemporary law enforcement organizations and managerial issues make this a tightly written book that manages to cover all the relevant major topics in contemporary law enforcement management.”

Police-Writers.com now hosts 870
police officers (representing 383 police departments) and their 1819 police books in 32 categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.

Contact Information:
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA
editor@police-writers.com
909.599.7530

Monday, January 07, 2008

1737 Law Enforcement Books

January 5, 2008 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com is a website that lists state and local police officers who have written books. With the addition of three police officers, the website now lists 1737 books written by 823 police officers.

Dorothy Schulz is Professor of Law, Police Studies, and Criminal Justice Administration at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She was the first woman captain to serve with the Metro-North Commuter Railroad Police Department and its predecessor department, the Conrail Police Department. Dorothy Schulz is a member of numerous police and academic associations, and has spoken at conferences of the International Association of Women Police, Women in Federal Law Enforcement, the National Center for Women & Policing, the Senior Women Officers of Great Britain, and the Canadian Police College. Dorothy Schulz is the author of From Social Worker to Crimefighter: Women in United States Municipal Policing and Breaking the Brass Ceiling: Women Police Chiefs and Their Paths to the Top.

According to a review of Breaking the Brass Ceiling:
Women Police Chiefs and Their Paths to the Top, in Law Enforcement News, “Schulz has written a readable, straightforward book about female police chief executives. The subject is the changing role of women in the traditionally male-dominated field of law enforcement, and the book includes numerous biographical sketches of women who have risen to the top in the challenging world of policing. Schulz notes that it is only in the last two decades that women have moved into the top ranks of police management, whether as municipal police chiefs, county sheriffs, or colonels in state police agencies. Currently about 1 percent (200 or so) of the chiefs and sheriffs are women--unique trailblazers who have managed to break the "brass ceiling." Schulz clearly predicts that other women will inevitably follow in their footsteps. This well-written, well-researched book should be read by anyone interested in the changing face of policing in the US.

Joseph Anthony Travers is a graduate of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Academy and a former Hawthorne Police Department (California) police officer. Joseph Travers is the author of Introduction to Private Investigation.

According to the description of Introduction to
Private Investigation it “is designed to provide the essential knowledge and procedures needed to operate successfully as a private investigator. It is both an instructional textbook for those individuals desiring a career as a private investigator, and a resource manual that can be an invaluable tool for later reference. The approach is a direct, concise style, which facilitates comprehension by novices as well as experienced private investigators, and makes possible competent and professional performance of all types of private investigation.”

Detective Sergeant
Peter Caram, (ret.) Port Authority Police Department of New York/New Jersey is the former commander and creator of the PAPD Counter-terrorism Unit. This unique unit was responsible for conducting vulnerability studies throughout the Port of NY/NJ district and was responsible for investigating terrorism and target hardening for the PAPD and its vast properties, bridges, tunnels, airports, buses, trains and related ports and transportation systems in the NY/NJ region. The unit collected terrorist information and conducted proactive counter-terrorist investigations in conjunction with the FBI’s Joint Terrorist Task Force and affiliated law enforcement agencies. Sgt. Peter Caram retired after 25 years of service that were primarily spent in the counter-terrorism intelligence field developing intelligence operations and training programs for the Port Authority Police Department.

Peter Caram is a member of the International Counter-Terrorist Officers Association and author of The 1993 World Trade Center Bombing: Foresight and Warning, There is No Failure in the World of Jihad, published just after the tragedy of 9/11. This work has become required reading in many criminal justice courses at universities and police academies. He has been a guest on many television and radio programs as an expert on fundamentalist-terrorism and has been consulted frequently by many governmental agencies including the US Department of State Middle Eastern Crisis Desk. Sergeant. Peter Caram currently teaches Criminal Justice related courses at Rutgers University in New Jersey.

Police-Writers.com now hosts 823
police officers (representing 370 police departments) and their 1737 law enforcement books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.