scholarly journals (A28) A Matter of Degree: Teaching “Disaster” and “Emergencies” to Public Safety Executives

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S1) ◽  
pp. s8-s9
Author(s):  
J.J. Carroll
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Public Safety ◽  
First Responders ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mirror Image ◽  
Full Time ◽  
College Level ◽  
Fire Departments ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Government

What is the difference between a “disaster” and an “emergency”? One can safely say that for the victim of an event, it is always a disaster. But what about the first responders who are tasked with returning conditions to normal as quickly as possible? What about the executives who must direct the first responders, as well as coordinate resources? The difference is a “matter of degree” because it depends on the amount of resources that are required to respond to the incident. For example, an overturned gasoline tanker truck may only be an emergency for a major metropolitan area, but a disaster in a more rural region. American public safety is a mirror image of the government system of federalism that developed during the founding of the United States. Public safety entities are attached to the various local, state, and federal government agencies. There are almost 18,000 local law enforcement agencies across the US. Only 47 agencies have more than 1,000 sworn officers, while almost 90 percent have less than 50. There are more than 30,000 fire departments, yet only about one-quarter of all firefighters are full-time professionals. The rest are volunteers. The author, a 30-year law enforcement veteran, has developed a college-level course for public safety executives to help them understand the “matter of degree.” The intent of the course is to challenge executives to conduct a careful self-examination of their own public safety agencies to determine what they are capable of doing in an event. An executive only gets one chance to do it right, so being able to distinguish between a disaster and an emergency response will be critical to success. When the event occurs, a public safety executive will be better prepared to make key decisions.

Immigrant Sanctuary Policies and Crime-Reporting Behavior: A Multilevel Analysis of Reports of Crime Victimization to Law Enforcement, 1980 to 2004

2021 ◽  
Vol 86 (1) ◽  
pp. 154-185
Author(s):  
Ricardo D. Martínez-Schuldt ◽  
Daniel E. Martínez
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Public Safety ◽  
The United States ◽  
Crime Reporting ◽  
Immigrant Community ◽  
Crime Victimization ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Reporting Behavior

Sanctuary jurisdictions have existed in the United States since the 1980s. They have recently reentered U.S. politics and engendered contentious debates regarding their legality and influence on public safety. Critics argue that sanctuary jurisdictions create conditions that threaten local communities by impeding federal immigration enforcement efforts. Proponents maintain that the policies improve public safety by fostering institutional trust among immigrant communities and by increasing the willingness of immigrant community members to notify the police after they are victimized. In this study, we situate expectations from the immigrant sanctuary literature within a multilevel, contextualized help-seeking framework to assess how crime-reporting behavior varies across immigrant sanctuary contexts. We find that Latinos are more likely to report violent crime victimization to law enforcement after sanctuary policies have been adopted within their metropolitan areas of residence. We argue that social policy contexts can shift the nature of help-seeking experiences and eliminate barriers that undermine crime victims’ willingness to mobilize the law. Overall, this study highlights the unique role social policy contexts can serve in structuring victims’ help-seeking decisions.

Contemporary Practice of the United States Relating to International Law

1997 ◽  
Vol 91 (3) ◽  
pp. 493-517
Author(s):  
Marian Nash (Leich)
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
International Law ◽  
The United States ◽  
People’S Republic Of China ◽  
People's Republic Of China ◽  
Republic Of China ◽  
The Government ◽  
Contemporary Practice

On March 3,1997, President William J. Clinton transmitted to the Senate for its advice and consent to ratification as a treaty the Agreement Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of Hong Kong for the Surrender of Fugitive Offenders, signed at Hong Kong on December 20,1996. In his letter of transmittal, President Clinton pointed out that, upon its entry into force, the Agreement would “enhance cooperation between the law enforcement communities of the United States and Hong Kong, and … provide a framework and basic protections for extraditions after the reversion of Hong Kong to the sovereignty of the People’s Republic of China on July 1, 1997.” The President continued: Given the absence of an extradition treaty with the People’s Republic of China, this Treaty would provide the means to continue an extradition relationship with Hong Kong after reversion and avoid a gap in law enforcement. It will thereby make a significant contribution to international law enforcement efforts.The provisions of this Agreement follow generally the form and content of extradition treaties recently concluded by the United States. In addition, the Agreement contains several provisions specially designed in light of the particular status of Hong Kong. The Agreement’s basic protections for fugitives are also made expressly applicable to fugitives surrendered by the two parties before the new treaty enters into force.

scholarly journals When crises collide—Policing a pandemic during social unrest

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 97-103
Author(s):  
Marie C. Jipguep-Akhtar ◽  
Tia Dickerson ◽  
Denae Bradley
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
The United States ◽  
Racial Equality ◽  
Police Legitimacy ◽  
Social Unrest ◽  
Police Powers ◽  
Disparate Treatment ◽  
The Government ◽  
The One

In 2020, the United States was shaken by concurrent crises: the COVID-19 pandemic and protests for racial equality. Both crises present significant challenges for law enforcement. On the one hand, the protests for racial equality drew the public’s attention to the criminal justice system’s disparate treatment of Blacks and other people of colour. On the other hand, the pandemic required the expansion of police duties to enforce public health mandates. To ensure compliance, law enforcement may arrest, detain, and even use force to prevent the transmission of communicable diseases that may have an irreversible impact on human health, such as COVID-19. Policing, however, is at a critical point in America. The government is expanding police powers for the sake of public health; all the while, public indignation about police (ab)uses of power has fuelled calls for its defunding. It is therefore important to explore Americans’ views of policing pandemics during periods of social unrest, focusing on the recognition that socio-economic and racial inequities shape perceptions. The data from this project derives from surveys with Americans on the specific topics of race, policing, racial protests, and COVID-19. The study finds that Americans perceive the police as legitimate overall; however, there are divergences based on race, gender, and marital status. These differences may contribute meaningful insights to the current discourse on police legitimacy in America.

scholarly journals Book Review | George Will’s Conservatism and Democracy in Crisis

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Direct Democracy ◽  
The United States ◽  
James Madison ◽  
American Government ◽  
Federalist Papers ◽  
The Federalist ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Federalist Papers

Americans typically view the United States as a democracy and are rightly proud of that. Of course, as those of a more precise nature, along with smug college students enrolled in introductory American government classes, are quick to point out, the United States is technically a republic. This is a bit too clever by half since James Madison, in The Federalist Papers, defined a republic the way most people think of a democracy—a system of representative government with elections: “[The]… difference between a Democracy and a Republic are, first the delegation of the Government, in the latter, to a small number of citizens elected by the rest.” What the framers thought of as democracy is today referred to as direct democracy, the belief that citizens should have more direct control over governing. The Athenian assembly was what the framers, Madison in particular, saw as the paragon of direct democracy—and as quite dangerous. While direct democracy has its champions, most Americans equate democracy with electing officials to do the business of government.

Insurgent safety: Theorizing alternatives to state protection

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meghan G McDowell
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Alternative Model ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Public Safety ◽  
The United States ◽  
Dominant Model ◽  
Police Violence ◽  
Social Good ◽  
State Protection

In the United States, public safety is embraced as an unquestioned social good. Broadly speaking, the criminal justice system is tasked with administering and maintaining public safety through the use of law enforcement, the courts, and prisons. First, through a focus on racialized police violence, this article develops a critique of the dominant model of public safety practiced in the United States—identified herein as ‘carceral safety’. Second, through an analysis of findings from the (Re)imagining Public Safety Project (RPSP), this article seeks to sketch out an alternative model and practice of safety that does not rely on banishment, policing, or mass criminalization. In contradistinction to the forms of state protection exercised under the seemingly innocuous rhetoric of ‘public safety’, RPSP participants conceptualized what I am calling ‘insurgent safety’: locally determined, anti-capitalist practices and ethics for reducing, and responding to harm.

The Domestic Politics of World Power: Explaining Debates over the United States Battleship Fleet, 1890–91

2018 ◽  
Vol 73 (02) ◽  
pp. 435-468 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin O. Fordham
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
World War Ii ◽  
House Of Representatives ◽  
Domestic Politics ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mirror Image ◽  
Party Affiliation ◽  
World Power ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe United States' 1890–91 decision to begin building a battleship fleet, an important point in its development as a world power, can illuminate the domestic sources of foreign policy ambition. An analysis of roll-call votes in the House of Representatives indicates that socioeconomic divisions arising from industrialization strongly influenced support and opposition to the battleship fleet. This relationship worked mainly through trade policy interests: members of Congress from import-competing states tended to support the effort, while those from export-oriented states tended to oppose it. The patriotic symbolism of battleships at a time of labor unrest also helped motivate support for the program, though evidence of this pattern is less conclusive. Although party affiliation was crucial, it was also partly a function of economic structure, which shaped the two parties’ electoral fortunes. The impact of trade interests during this period is a mirror image of what previous research has found concerning the post-World War II era, when export-oriented interests tended to support American global activism and import-competing interests to oppose it. The reason for the difference is the Republican Party's commitment to trade protection, which strongly influenced both the goals of the policy and the identity of its supporters.

History, Romance, and the Novel

2019 ◽  
pp. 154-170
Author(s):  
Gretchen J. Woertendyke
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Herman Melville ◽  
Nathaniel Hawthorne ◽  
Edgar Allan Poe ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Washington Irving ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Government ◽  
Conjectural History

This chapter traces Charles Brockden Brown’s theories of romance, history, and the novel, from his earliest fictional-historical essays, “The Rhapsodist” (1789), “Walstein’s School of History” (1799), and “The Difference between History and Romance” (1800); to Wieland; or, The Transformation (1798) and Edgar Huntly; or, Memoirs of a Sleep-Walker (1799); to An Address to the Government of the United States (1803) and “Annals of Europe and America” (1807–1810). For Brown, romance is a form of conjectural history, true because of its imaginative range beyond the limitations of the novel’s verisimilitude. The future-oriented romance is especially suited to the local and regional conditions of the United States and uniquely connected to the geography of the nation. Brown’s influence can be found in later writers of romance, such as Washington Irving, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allan Poe, and Herman Melville.

Arson, Fiscal Crisis, and Community Action

1982 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 247-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
James P. Brady
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Organized Crime ◽  
The United States ◽  
Community Action ◽  
Fire Departments ◽  
Land Use Conversion ◽  
Race And Class ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Explosive Reaction ◽  
In Fire

The article concerns arson and citizens' activism in Boston. The dimensions of the arson problem in the United States and the failure of law enforcement by government agencies are discussed, as part of an analysis of arson as an organized crime enterprise. Like other forms of racketeering, arson for profit typically involves recognizably "criminal" entrepreneurs and their underlings, as well as a network of corrupt officials in police and fire departments and insurance com panies. The greatest profits, however, are made by banks and "legit imate" real estate investors whose lending and development practices create the incentive for arson and yield the greatest benefits from land use conversion in the cities. Various forms of action by citizens have followed both the arson wave and the recent cutbacks in fire protec tion in major cities. The fragmented and contradictory nature of the sometimes explosive reaction points to the power of the political ma chine in Boston, as well as to larger race and class conflicts rooted in the capitalist urban economy.

Detecting Healthcare Fraud and Abuse in the United States

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Jesilow ◽  
Bryan Burton
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
White Collar Crime ◽  
The United States ◽  
Insurance Companies ◽  
Corporate Behavior ◽  
Illegal Activities ◽  
The Government ◽  
Almost All ◽  
The U.S

Healthcare fraud involves wide-ranging illegal behaviors. It includes such activities as individual physicians who bill insurance companies or the government for services that were never provided, as well as corporate behavior, such as pharmaceutical companies that falsify clinical tests in order to get unsafe drugs approved for use. Thousands die each year in the United States due to these behaviors, including deaths from incorrectly prescribed medications or from tainted drugs that were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration based upon fraudulent testing and reporting. Thousands of additional patients likely are injured and killed by unnecessary surgeries performed by physicians who want to maximize their reimbursements. The illegal activities also add billions of dollars each year to the total healthcare cost in the U.S. Despite these costs, there is relatively little outrage as a result of the behaviors, largely because they remain hidden from public view. Healthcare fraud, as with almost all white-collar crime, is rarely detected and that prevents the frauds from becoming known to victims, law enforcement, and policy makers, which in turn prevents analysts from compiling a complete picture of the behaviors and prevents policymakers and law enforcement from developing efficient enforcement strategies. Moreover, the lack of detection assures perpetrators that they will get away with their crimes and limits the potential preventative effects of punishment. Lack of detection and reporting has been a particularly strong problem for those trying to control healthcare fraud and abuse in the United States and elsewhere. The enforcement mechanisms that have evolved have been strongly influenced by the difficulties of detecting the illegal behaviors.

Adaptation of a theory-based social networking and gamified app-based intervention to improve PrEP adherence among young men who have sex with men in Bangkok, Thailand (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wipaporn Natalie Songtaweesin ◽  
Sara LeGrand ◽  
Shashika Bandara ◽  
Caitlin Piccone ◽  
Prissana Wongharn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Young Men ◽  
The United States ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
National Guidelines ◽  
Facilitators And Barriers ◽  
The Government ◽  
Sex With Men ◽  
Mhealth Apps

BACKGROUND In Thailand, HIV disproportionately affects men who have sex with men (MSM). Recent studies indicate a high incidence and prevalence of HIV in Bangkok among MSM, with higher risk of infection for young men who have sex with men (YMSM). Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a safe and efficacious method for preventing transmission of HIV. The Thai national guidelines have recommended PrEP since 2014 for key poulations nationwide and the government has piloted free PrEP coverage since October 2019. Smartphone based mHealth interventions provide an optimal platform to deliver innovative PrEP adherence interventions for Thai YMSM. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to conduct formative research to adapt the P3 (Prepared, Protected, emPowered) app, developed with MSM and transwomen in the United States to improve PrEP adherence and persistence, for YMSM in the Thai context. METHODS We conducted focus group discussions (FGDs) with YMSM and key informant interviews (KIIs) with PrEP care providers in Bangkok, Thailand to better understand: a) PrEP adherence facilitators and barriers b) preferences for functions and features in mHealth apps among YMSM; and c) how to best adapt the P3 app to the Thai context. We conducted 4 FGDs with 4-8 participants per group and 15 KIIs in Bangkok, Thailland. RESULTS For FGDs, a total of 23 YMSM participated with a mean age of 20 years (range 18-21), 96% enrolled in full-time education, and all owned smartphones. The mean age of KII participants was 40 (range 26-60); most were publicly employed health service providers with the majority of them being counselors (40%) and physicians (40%). Overall, the facilitators and barriers for PrEP adherence identified were similar to those of MSM and YMSM in the US and other parts of the world. Key themes included general recommendations for improving mHealth apps in Thailand, such as presenting reliable information in an appealing format, minimizing privacy risks, and addressing connectivity challenges. Additional themes focused on P3T adaptations and were related to cultural and stylistic preferences, engagement strategies, and recommendations for new functions. To develop the adapted app, P3 Thailand (P3T), these findings were balanced with resource limitations resulting in prioritization of minor modifications in app aesthetics and changes in the presentation and content of information in two of the app’s features. CONCLUSIONS The core features of the P3 app address the main PrEP facilitators and barriers for Thai YMSM, However, substantive changes to the stylistic presentation and content were needed to appropriately tailor and customize the app for the Thai context. Based on the similarities of facilitators and barriers for PrEP adherence globally, adapting existing PrEP mHealth solutions based on input from end-users and key informants provides a promising way forward. However, partnerships with local app designers and developers could improve the adaptation process and final product. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04413708

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