You must respond to 3 students post and each post shall be at least one paragraph long (five sentences) supported by literature where appropriate. You are responding to the students paper I will send

(1) How does ensuring ethical practices in uses of force help community relationships?

Effective cooperation and collaboration between law enforcement and local communities is essential. Unethical behavior unnecessarily exposes the department to expensive lawsuits. This type of liability also can cause community residents to lose faith in law enforcement or to view the relationship as an “us versus them” mentality. The text mentions Dirty Harry as the extreme example which portrays police officers as guardians of the populace, where all means of force are acceptable to protect the greater good. It is this type of behavior and many other deep-seated believes that can create friction with local communities. Graham v. Connor (1989) demonstrated the need for effective use of force training and ethics (Fitch, 2014).
(2) Discussing the topics of CompStat and Zero Tolerance enforcement in all enforcement , what are the challenges faced when pressured to reduce crime or produce certain outcomes in law enforcement in a short time period?

Some of the challenges include the accuracy and proper use of the statistical data, the ability of the department to collect data and talented analysts that can interpret the data. Rapidly turning the information into an action plan is a challenge also. A key to the success of CompStat is allowing mid-level supervisors (through decentralization) to use the information to determine how to deploy resources. CompStat has been found to most effective when senior leaders delegate authority to precinct commanders (U.S. Department of Justice, 2013)
(3) What are the specific advantages of police community partnerships to reduce crime?

Having community partnerships acts as a “force-multiplier” in that there is an extra set of eyes on the street. This type of partnership also acts to diffuse tension between law enforcement and communities when an issue occurs. In the text, there is a comparison between the police “warrior” and “guardian.” The guardian role is more community oriented. The key is flexibility. Like a Leatherman, the police officer needs to be able to change the type of tool needed to accomplish the mission on any given day (Copple and Erb, 2016).

(4) What are the possible accountability and ethical challenges with strong community partnerships?

Some of these partnerships have resulted in friendships. Strong community partnerships have the potential to take away objectivity that police officers have traditionally been known to possesses. In addition, some police departments have hired volunteers to assist with clerical and crime scene assistance. During lean times, the Fresno Police Department has used this approach. This raises concerns that the volunteers do not have the same level of ethical training, dedication, and experience that police have.

(5) What were the key learning/observations for you while writing the final paper?

My audit revealed that the Caltrans research papers were not being posted to the depository libraries. So technically, the department is not in compliance with California Government Code 14900. Since the California State Library has not been publishing the research papers, this is a violation of California Government Code 14910. Caltrans suspected that there were some areas of non-compliance. That is why managers requested assistance by performing the audit. The type of libraries that act as complete depository libraries varied considerably. For example, several university libraries are on the list and several public libraries are on the list. After I completed my review, I wondered why some of those libraries became depository libraries. Reasons probably include prestige, providing a connectivity to a body of academic research, recognition and funding. Some of the libraries had not posted any Caltrans research papers going back as far as 20 years ago. The Fresno Free Library is one of the depository libraries. I know that the Fresno Free Library has always had funding issues, so it is possible that there is a shortage of staff to help with updating the library catalog.

U.C. Berkeley was the contractor for disseminating information about the research papers. Although they fulfilled their obligations to disseminate the information, Caltrans and the libraries are not in compliance with Government Code. If this is the goal of contracting with Berkeley, the contract is flawed.

References:

Copple, James, and Nicola, Erb (2016). Rank and File: Leaders in Building Trust and Community Policing. Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. Washington, D.C.

Fitch, Brian D. (2014). Law Enforcement Ethics. Classic and Contemporary Issues. SAGE Publications, Ltd., Thousand Oaks, CA.

U.S. Department of Justice (2013). CompStat, Its Origins, Evolution, and Future in Government Agencies. Bureau of Justice Assistance Police Executive Forum. Washington, D.C.