James Ritchie
CJA/214
November 20th, 2014
Philip Terhaar
Policing Culture
Police history can be traced back to the 18th century. When looking at the subject of police work there is significant culture and history that follows along with it. There are many topics that can be analyzed when identifying and describing the elements and the significances that are associated with policing. An element that plays a significant factor to police work, and that attributes to the policing culture is the amount of stress that an officer will face while performing his or her duties. Another factor that plays a role in police culture can be found when one examines how women and ethnic minorities have achieved equality in law enforcement. …show more content…
These numbers as well as women officers are not proportionate to their numbers within the nation. This resulted in a major push from police departments to hire more minorities and women into fully sworn officer positions. There are many ways to recruit women as well as people of other racial and ethnic minorities. Grant (2012) stated, “Ideally, the recruiting officers should represent the minorities that the department is trying to attract.” Policing experts argue that departments should have as diverse a force as the community they …show more content…
By analyzing the culture for women and minorities in policing, it has been determined that a diverse force has become a necessity in today’s world to reflect the citizens who make up the population that they represent. Policing culture can be analyzed when looking at the internal and external mechanisms that control police discretion. Law enforcement officers use discretion every day to determine who to cite, who to arrest, and who to let go with a verbal warning.
References
Black, D. (1971). “The Social Organization of Arrest.” Stanford LawReview 23:1087–1111.
Chambliss,W. (1997). “Policing the Ghetto Underclass: The Politics of Law and Law Enforcement.” In Public Policy: Crime and Criminal Justice, edited by B. Handcock and P. Sharp, 146–166. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Grant, H. B., & Terry, K. J. (2012). Law enforcement in the 21st century (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Maurer, M. (1993). Young Black Men and the Criminal Justice System: A Growing National Problem. Washington, D.C.: U.S.Government Printing Office.
Walker, S., & Katz, C. M. (2011). The police in America: An introduction (7th ed.). New York, NY: