Furthermore, the discretion of police can play a large role in the investigation of criminal offences; however, it can lead to certain individuals in society being targeted. The amount of power that police currently have is enough to successfully achieve justice and to sufficiently protect the community. It is imperative to the safety of society that police have a large degree of power in criminal investigations. The New South Wales police force under the Law Enforcement (Power and Responsibilities) Act 2002 is given special legal powers to enable them to effectively carry out their duties. The ‘7:30 report – Sydney shootings spark call for expanded police powers’ supports the importance of police having a high degree of authority in criminal matters.
Community policing required special training in mediation and conflict, problem-solving and analysis, community organization, facilitation, communication, network, and linkages, and cross-cultural competency. In early days the crimes committed were done much different than today. Sir Robert Peel was very influential in modern policing by helping to create the modern concept of the police force today. The Metropolitan Police Act of 1829 provided uniforms, organized, paid, and policing similar to those today. Modern American policing follows the English model in Boston and New York.
The monarchy of England also established two precepts of the criminal justice system of the present United States. One, a crime committed against an individual, was a crime against the king’s peace. Thereby, the crown had an interest in enforcing the law against the offender. Today, one sees cases of the state versus plaintiffs who committed a crime. Two, all subjects of the crown were the king’s property, and all offenses to the crown made individuals liable.
Because of issues such as weaponry, professionalism, and technology, the future of policing is under a constant state of re-organization and re-structuring. The various levels and departments of policing understand the importance of staying on top of criminal activity and continue to evolve and better the future for society. New training and techniques help to ensure the safety of the police officers that in turn help improve the safety of the public. References Homeland security. (2012).
Criminal Justice System Paper Sarah Murphy CJA/204 Monday, August 29, 2011 Professor Danny Williams Criminal Justice System Paper In the world today, with consideration, the criminal justice system includes a group of agencies, government workers, and processes established by our government to control crime rates and inflict penalties to those who disobey the law. In using certain components, our government is better able to administrate criminal justice processes successfully to the innocent and to the guilty. The Criminal Justice System The criminal justice system is here to assist in controlling crime and imposing punishment to those who disobey the law. Crime is defined as an “act or the commission of an act that is forbidden or the omission of a duty that is commanded by a public law and that makes the offender liable to punishment by that law; especially: a gross violation of the law” (Schmallager, 2009). The criminal justice system is broken down into jurisdictions ,these jurisdictions, with considerations, are created by certain factors such as the city, county, state, federal or ,tribal government or military installation.
The contingency theory is based on the approach to achieve specific goals, such as crime control. This theory would suggest the creation of specialized “task forces” to handle certain crimes committed in the jurisdiction. The downfall with this theory is that a department can become too specialized and broken into different departments that it cannot adapt to changes. The final theory, resource dependency, is as the name suggests. Agencies following this theory would believe that in order to survive they need to adjust their policing efforts to a style that will yield the most money coming in.
Community-oriented policing supports the organized use of partnerships and problem-solving methods. The use of these methods addresses the urgent circumstances that give progress to public safety issues. These issues can be described as fear of crime, crime, and social disorder. The meaning behind community-oriented policing is where encouraged and inspired citizen’s work in a positive and equal partnership with the police for crime problem solving, disorder, deterioration and value of life. The nature and quantity of police roles is extended with the use of community-oriented policing compared to traditional policing.
For these problems, solutions will be discussed, focusing on political reform, education, and citizen review boards. These measures are necessary to protect ourselves from police taking advantage of their positions as law enforcement officers with greater permissive rights than private citizens. Because of this significant differential, all citizens must take affirmative action from physical brutality, rights violations, and information abuse. Discrimination can lead to legal problems for an officer of the law. If discrimination due to an officer’s use of discretion results in a violation of due process it is a violation of the law.
Criminal justice administrators make important decisions daily, which can have profound effects on our lives (Gleason, 2006). Within the criminal justice administration critical thinking also play an important role along side with ethical and professional behavior. Within criminal justice law enforcement, corrections, and courts all use critical thinking to make ethical and professional decisions. Police officers must use critical thinking to conclude how the law was broken, how to respond, and if to arrest a person or not. When a police officer does not use critical thinking that is where problems can arise.
The consensus model defines criminal behavior as acts that conflict with the values and beliefs of society as a whole. The conflict model is the content of criminal law determined by the groups that hold political, economic and social power in a community. Police departments, courts and corrections on a federal, state and local level are all part of the structure of the government. The main responsibility of any police department agency is to enforce laws, provide service to the people and keep order. To protect and serve is their motto.