Police Operations - Criminal Law - Lecture Slides, Slides of Criminal Law

Download Police Operations - Criminal Law - Lecture Slides and more Slides Criminal Law in PDF only on Docsity! Police Operations Docsity.com Civil Liability: An Overview Docsity.com Presentation title (Edit in View > Header and Footer) 5 Section 1983: The Civil Rights Act Docsity.com Section 1983: The Civil Rights Act – Most civil lawsuits brought against law enforcement officers are based on Statute 42 of the U.S. Code, Section 1983, aka the Civil Rights Act. – Designed to prevent the abuse of constitutional rights by officers who “under color of state law” deny defendants rights. – States that anyone acting under authority of law who violates another person’s constitutional rights can be sued. Docsity.com Presentation title (Edit in View > Header and Footer) 7 Common Charges Brought Against Police Officers Docsity.com Presentation title (Edit in View > Header and Footer) 10 Reducing the Occurrence of Civil Lawsuits Docsity.com Protection Against Lawsuits – Effective policies and procedures clearly communicated to all – Thorough and continuous training – Proper supervision and discipline – Accurate, thorough police reports Docsity.com Minimizing Lawsuits – Know and follow departmental policies and procedures. – Stay in the scope of duties. – Always act professionally. – Know and respect constituents’ rights. – Seek advice if in doubt. – Carefully document activities in reports. – Maintain good community relations. – Keep current on civil and criminal liability cases and know the laws. Docsity.com Presentation title (Edit in View > Header and Footer) 15 Ethics: An Overview Docsity.com Ethics: An Overview – Looking at moral rules recognized by individuals with a conscience – Includes integrity: doing right when no one is watching – Ethical integrity is the most important value an officer can have. – Absolute issue • An issue with only two sides; the decision is between “black” and “white” – Relative issue • An issue with a multitude of sides; varying shades of “gray” between two positions – Ethical issues are usually relative. Docsity.com Presentation title (Edit in View > Header and Footer) 17 The Police Culture Docsity.com Controversial Areas of Law Enforcement Ethics – Police use of deception • Police placebo: lies told to help or comfort a person • Blue lie: lies told to exert control – Police acceptance of gratuities • Formal law enforcement code of ethics disapproves of gratuities. • Many citizens feel there is nothing wrong with small rewards for police officers. – Professional courtesy • Officers watching out for one another Docsity.com Presentation title (Edit in View > Header and Footer) 21 Unethical Behavior Docsity.com Some Rationales Police Might Use to Justify Unethical Behavior – The money is there—if I don’t take it, someone else will. – I’m only taking what’s rightfully mine; if I got a decent wage, I wouldn’t have to. – I need it—it’s a good cause—my wife needs an operation. – I put my life on the line every day—I deserve it. Docsity.com Why Officers Become Corrupt – Most important factor • Extraordinary amount of discretion they have – Several contributing factors • Ego, greed and sex • Exercise of power • Tolerance of the behavior by the community • Socialization from peers and/or the organization • Inadequate supervision and monitoring of behavior • Lack of clear accountability • No real threat of discipline or sanctions Docsity.com Rotten Apples versus Rotten Barrels – People think a few “bad apples” can cause a department’s reputation to suffer. – The culture of the police department (the barrel) can allow or eliminate corrupt behavior (bad apples). Docsity.com Presentation title (Edit in View > Header and Footer) 27 Basic Ethics Tests Docsity.com