Statistics are usually collected on based on three categories: Offenses, the breach of law; Offenders, those who commit the offenses; and the victims, the ones who are offended against. The United States has programs in which they collect this data; the first is the Uniform Crime Reports, which is compiled by the FBI and the Crime Victimization Survey, handled by the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Crime statistics for the same crime can vary based on not just between countries and jurisdictions, but also between individual law enforcement officers that have come across the same exact case. There are some crimes that are reported to law enforcement but are not reported because the law enforcement officer that takes the report has the power of discretion. They have the ability to affect how much crime is recorded, based on how they record their activities.
In chapter five of Ethical Dilemmas and Decisions in Criminal Justice, Pollock states when one asks most people what the role of policing is in society, the response is some version of “catch criminals” or “fight crime”. (p.105) The majority of police officers are professional and ethical; however a small minority abuses their power. This leads to close suspicion by the public of all police. Police have great power in our society to arrest, use force and also have the power of life and death. Police have two types of perceptions of the police mission, either a crime fighter or public servant.
“A formal justice system is one in which laws are set and enforced and punishments are administered by state institutions such as courts, police, judges and prisons” (Ask.) A justice system can possibly encourage deviance and crime because there are some people who do not like to follow the law. An example of this behavior can simply be driving under the influence of alcohol. In our society everyone knows that it is against the law to operate a motor vehicle in this condition but yet there are so many people still doing it. Crime will always be committed as police are not always looking over people’s shoulders to ensure people will not break the law.
Roles of Law Enforcement There are many police agencies across America who play a vital role in our legal process. These agencies provide the foundation for the prosecution and punishment of people who violate the law. The vastness of the United Stated provides many different demographics that require unique methods used by law enforcement in maintaining order within a specific community. Police organizations have a very important role in law enforcement. Police are tasked with seeking out and locating individuals within a community who have committed a crime.
Crime Scene Investigation CRJ 320 Crime Scene Investigation One of the most important aspects of being trained in Law Enforcement is the ability to conduct a crime scene investigation. The ability to contain and not contaminate the crime scene while also gathering information is a daunting task for any individual. Taking steps to insure the scene is secure, wounded are cared for and that evidence remains intact are just a few of the necessary tasks. Attorney General Janet Reno once stated that “Actions taken in these first few hours of investigation at a crime scene can play a pivotal role in the resolution of a case. Careful, thorough investigation is key to ensuring+ the potential physical evidence is not tainted or destroyed or potential witnesses overlooked.
To answer the question, many things are done daily to prevent police brutality. Nearly every case of police brutality presents a legal dynamic of related but separate civil and criminal cases. Once a citizen claims police abuse, there is almost always a contradictory allegation by the police accusing the citizen of being the initial aggressor and primary criminal actor against the police. (Lawson T.F. 2013) Police often blame the victim of police brutality when accused of being too brutal with their use of force.
Criminal investigations are usually responsible for the collection of information about crime potentials. Detectives who investigate crime will talk to people- victims, suspects, witnesses- then they have to identify the nature of cases and collect sufficiently evidence to arrest and prosecute suspects with reasonable likelihood of conviction. Detectives also deal with a lot of paperwork. The third big job that police undertake is the regulation of motor-vehicle traffic. The traffic police accounts for about 10% of officers.
Official statistics is the name given to the numbers of crimes reported to or unveiled by the police themselves, which lead to a conviction, caution or are dealt with in some formal way by the law. Only offences which are dealt with by one of the above are actually recorded in official statistics. These offences can vary from minor incidents such as a window being broken to, an offence of a more serious nature such as rape or murder. These are social problems that are constructed by society, something that goes against the 'normal' runnings of society. The statistics can give us an understanding as to the levels of these crimes and as to why or where they are most likely to occur.
Police are government officials in charge of regulating and controlling affairs within the community. Police are designed to regulate, control, or keep order with or as if with a law enforcement agency. The functions of the police are to enforce the law, investigate crimes, apprehend criminals, maintain public order, prevent and reduce crime, and ensure community safety. The prosecutorial phase is perhaps the most critical stage of the criminal justice process, as it is at this point that many of the rights of an alleged offender and crime victim are brought into play. The offender's rights in the court proceedings include: The right to have legal representation.
City police officers are responsible for maintaining order, responding to emergency calls, and dealing with violence, and serious crime. Grant and Terry (2008), suggest that local agencies also take part in processing fingerprints, preventing and deterring crime, investigating violent crimes and property crimes and enforcing traffic laws. County Sheriffs have unique roles because they serve law enforcement (patrolling and investigating crimes), courts (Serving subpoenas and providing security for the courts), and corrections in that they maintain the county jails. The coroner or medical examiner’s roles vary as well because they investigate crime scenes; they conduct autopsies, and determine the