| Police are public servants of a city,
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| | of justice. In the comparatively rare
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| town, municipality, county, or state,
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| | event that an officer breaks this code on
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| with the responsibility of maintaining
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| | a significant scale, they may receive
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| law and order (law enforcement). The word
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| | death threats or even be left for dead,
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| comes from French police, itself from
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| | as in the case of Frank Serpico. One way
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| Latin politia ("civil administration"),
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| | to fight such corruption is by having an
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| itself from Ancient Greek ????????,
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| | independent or semi-independent
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| referring to government or
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| | organization investigate, such as (in the
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| administration, from Greek ????? (polis)
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| | United States) the FBI, internal affairs,
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| = "city". The word police was first
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| | or the Justice Department. However, truly
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| recorded in the French language in 1250
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| | independent organizations are generally
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| (in the sense of "administration,
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| | not called in except for the most openly
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| political organisation"), but it acquired
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| | severe cases.
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| its modern sense of preservation of law
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| | Some believe that police forces have
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| and order only in the 17th century. The
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| | traditionally been responsible for
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| police may also be known as a
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| | enforcing many bigoted perspectives which
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| constabulary, after constables, who were
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| | have been prevalent at various periods
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| an early manifestation of police
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| | throughout history and which still are
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| officers, although the term constable is
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| | today. Ageism against teens, homophobia,
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| still in use in some jurisdictions. In
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| | racism, and sexism for instance, are four
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| North America, typically the legal term
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| | bigoted views which police are charged
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| for "police officer" is peace officer.
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| | with having traditionally held and
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| Other names include trooper, sheriff,
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| | enforced.
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| marshal, constable, and ranger.
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| | Some police organizations, especially in
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| In many jurisdictions, police officers
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| | multi-racial or multi-ethnic cities, are
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| carry firearms, primarily handguns, in
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| | faced with routine accusations of racial
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| the normal course of their duties.
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| | profiling. Police forces also find
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| Police often have specialist units for
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| | themselves under criticism for their use
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| handling armed offenders, and similar
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| | of force, particularly deadly force, when
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| dangerous situations, and can (depending
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| | a police officer of one race kills a
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| on local laws), in some extreme
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| | suspect of another race. In the United
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| circumstances, call on the military
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| | States, such events routinely spark
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| (since Military Aid to the Civil Power is
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| | protests and accusations of racism
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| a role of many armed forces). Perhaps the
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| | against police. This issue is also viewed
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| most high-profile example of this was
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| | oppositely, the idea being that police
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| when, in 1980 the Metropolitan Police
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| | organizations do what they do based on
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| handed control of the Iranian Embassy
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| | the laws they are paid and expected to
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| Siege to the Special Air Service. They
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| | enforce, regardless of race or gender.
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| can also be equipped with non-lethal
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| | In the United States since the 1960s,
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| (more accurately known as "less than
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| | concern over such issues has increasingly
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| lethal" or "less-lethal") weaponry,
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| | weighed upon law enforcement agencies,
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| particularly for riot control. Non-lethal
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| | courts and legislatures at every level of
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| weapons include batons, riot control
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| | government. Incidents such as the 1965
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| agents, rubber bullets and electroshock
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| | Watts Riots, the videotaped 1991 beating
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| weapons. The use of firearms or deadly
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| | by Los Angeles Police officers of Rodney
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| force is typically a last resort only to
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| | King, and the riot following their
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| be used when necessary to save human
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| | accquital has depicted American police as
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| life, although some jurisdictions allow
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| | dangerously lacking in appropriate
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| its use against fleeing felons and
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| | controls. The fact that this trend has
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| escaped convicts. Police officers often
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| | occurred contemporaneously with the rise
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| carry handcuffs to restrain suspects.
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| | of the US civil rights movement, the War
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| Modern police forces make extensive use
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| | on Drugs and a precipitous rise in
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| of radio communications equipment,
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| | violent crime from the 1960s to the 1990s
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| carried both on the person and installed
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| | has made questions surrounding the role,
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| in vehicles, to co-ordinate their work,
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| | administration and scope of authority of
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| share information, and get help quickly.
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| | police specifically and the criminal
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| In recent years, vehicle-installed
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| | justice system as a whole increasingly
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| computers have enhanced the ability of
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| | complicated. Police departments and the
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| police communications, enabling easier
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| | local governments that oversee them in
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| dispatching of calls, criminal background
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| | some jurisdictions have attempted to
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| checks on persons of interest to be
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| | mitigate some of these issues through
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| completed in a matter of seconds, and
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| | community outreach programs and community
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| updating the officer's daily activity log
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| | policing to make the police more
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| and other required reports on a real-time
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| | accessible to the concerns of local
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| basis. Other common pieces of police
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| | communities; by working to increase
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| equipment include flashlights, whistles,
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| | hiring diversity; by updating training of
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| and, most importantly, notebooks and
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| | police in their responsibilities to the
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| "ticketbooks" or citations.
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| | community and under the law; and by
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| Restrictions upon the power of the police
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| | increased oversight within the department
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| In order for police officers to do their
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| | or by civilian commissions. In cases in
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| job well, they are vested by the state
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| | which such measures have been lacking or
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| with a monopoly in the use of certain
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| | absent, local departments have been
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| powers. These include the powers to
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| | compelled by legal action initiated by
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| arrest, search, seize, and interrogate;
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| | the US Department of Justice under the
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| and if necessary, to use lethal force. In
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| | 14th Amendment to enter into consent
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| nations with democratic systems and the
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| | decree settlements to adopt such measures
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| rule of law, the law of criminal
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| | and submit to oversight by the Justice
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| procedure has been developed to regulate
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| | Department.
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| officers' discretion, so that they do not
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| | Finally, in many places, the social
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| exercise their vast powers arbitrarily or
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| | status and pay of police can lead to
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| unjustly.
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| | major problems with recruitment and
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| In U.S. criminal procedure, the most
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| | morale. Jurisdictions lacking the
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| famous case is Miranda v. Arizona which
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| | resources or the desire to pay police
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| led to the widespread use of Miranda
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| | appropriately, lacking a tradition of
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| warnings or constitutional warnings. U.S.
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| | professional and ethical law enforcement,
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| police are also prohibited from holding
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| | or lacking adequate oversight of the
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| criminal suspects for more than a
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| | police often face a dearth of quality
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| reasonable amount of time (usually 72
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| | recruits, a lack of professionalism and
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| hours) before arraignment, using torture
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| | commitment among their police, and broad
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| to extract confessions, using excessive
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| | mistrust of the police among the public.
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| force to effect an arrest, and searching
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| | These situations often strongly
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| suspects' bodies or their homes without a
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| | contribute to police corruption and
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| warrant obtained upon a showing of
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| | brutality. This is particularly a problem
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| probable cause. Using deception for
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| | in countries undergoing social and
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| confessions is permitted, but not
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| | political development; countries that
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| coercion. There are exceptions or exigent
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| | lack rule of law or civil service
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| circumstances such as an articulated need
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| | traditions; or countries in transition
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| to disarm a suspect or searching a
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| | from authoritarian or Communist
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| suspect who has already been arrested
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| | governments in which the prior regime's
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| (Search Incident to an Arrest). The Posse
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| | police were little more than praetorians.
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| Comitatus Act severely restricts the use
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| | Some cities employ quotas of how many
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| of the U.S. military for police activity,
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| | traffic tickets a police officer should
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| giving added importance to police SWAT
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| | write, although the practice is illegal
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| units.
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| | in others. Furthermore, other cities deny
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| British police officers are governed by
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| | that there are quotas, but many police
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| similar rules, particularly those
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| | officers have come forward stating that
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| introduced under the Police and Criminal
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| | they are pressured to write traffic
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| Evidence Act 1984, but generally have
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| | tickets, since they usually produce
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| greater powers. They may, for example,
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| | revenue for the local government issuing
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| legally search any suspect who has been
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| | the tickets. Some cities make millions of
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| arrested, or their vehicles, home or
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| | dollars annually on traffic tickets,
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| business premises, without a warrant, and
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| | which helps fund local government. Many
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| may seize anything they find in a search
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| | rural jurisdictions (towns) generate 90%
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| as evidence. All police officers in the
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| | of their revenue from traffic tickets. A
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| United Kingdom, whatever their actual
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| | few cities have actually admitted there
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| rank, are 'constables' in terms of their
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| | are quotas. This can be an issue with the
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| legal position. This means that a newly
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| | general populace as well as an issue
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| appointed constable has the same arrest
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| | within the police department. In some
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| powers as a Chief Constable or
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| | cities, police complain about being
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| Commissioner. However, certain higher
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| | turned into tax collectors by the
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| ranks have additional powers to authorize
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| | politicians preventing them from doing
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| certain aspects of police operations,
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| | their real job, which they consider to be
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| such as a power to authorize a search of
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| | fighting crime and keeping the peace. A
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| a suspect's house (section 18 PACE) by an
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| | potential solution can be found in state
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| officer of the rank of Inspector, or the
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| | of Texas, US. Texas allows cities to keep
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| power to authorize a suspect's detention
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| | only a small percentage of the revenue
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| beyond 24 hours by a Superintendent.
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| | generated by the traffic tickets, with
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| Difficult issues
| |
| | another small percentage going to the
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| Police organizations must sometimes deal
| |
| | county structure and the rest being
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| with the issue of police corruption,
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| | allotted to the state. This approach has
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| which is often abetted by a code of
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| | cut down on the profitablity of the
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| silence that encourages unquestioning
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| | traffic tickets and allowed for cities to
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| loyalty to one's comrades over the cause
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| | concentrate on the public safety.
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