scholarly journals The response of law enforcement agencies and police officers' experiences under the Covid-19 state of alarm in Catalonia, Spain

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Martínez-Catena ◽  
Montse Subirana-Malaret ◽  
Falgars Subirana-Malaret
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Communication Channels ◽  
Emotional Impact ◽  
Main Concern ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
General Terms

PurposeLaw enforcement agencies and police officers' efforts were crucial to oversee the public health measures and legal regulations introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic. The study had two objectives: to examine the strategies implemented by law enforcement agencies in Catalonia (Spain) to monitor the pandemic and to explore the adverse working conditions of police officers and their personal difficulties during the state of alarm.Design/methodology/approachA total of 96 experienced police officers completed a closed-ended, anonymous online survey. In addition, complementary information was collected about the management of law enforcement agencies through open interviews. A descriptive analysis was carried out and the association between variables was explored.FindingsIn general terms, law enforcement agencies managed the uncertainty of the situation, with a focus on official information and communication channels between officers. However, many difficulties were reported by the police officers, such us inconsistency between rules, lack of preventive material or changes in work schedules. Besides, the officers' main concern, beyond the emotional impact suffered during this period, was the possibility of being infected or infecting others.Practical implicationsThe congruence between the job requirements and resources, as well as the increase of communication channels during situations of high risk are important variables to assure good job development and personal satisfaction of police officers.Originality/valueTo the knowledge of the authors, at the time of writing this paper, this is the first study in Spain to explore the management of law enforcement agencies and police officers' personal experiences during the Covid-19.

College cops: a study of education and policing in California

2015 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 648-663 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christie Gardiner
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
College Graduates ◽  
The State ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Police Education ◽  
The Usa ◽  
College Educated

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the state of police education in California. There is limited national data on the topic and this study aims to improve our knowledge by studying the state with the highest number of law enforcement officers in the USA. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 162 local law enforcement agencies (police and sheriffs’ departments) in California completed a 32-question electronic survey about police education and training. Findings – Findings reveal that California agencies are more likely than agencies nationwide to offer incentives to encourage officers to pursue higher education. Although most departments require only a high school diploma, 35 percent of sworn officers are college graduates. Most college-educated officers are employed by medium and large sized agencies in urban counties which pay above-average salaries. Research limitations/implications – This paper demonstrates how the prevalence of educated police officers varies and that higher education requirements do not adversely affect the hiring of female officers. It also provides insight from police managers regarding their concerns about requiring a four-year degree and perceptions of whether college-educated officers are actually better officers than non-college-educated officers. Practical implications – Research findings may be instructive to police managers wanting to increase the number of sworn officers in their agency who hold a college degree. Originality/value – It adds to the literature by describing the education level of police officers in California and providing information about the educational requirements and incentives offered to officers by law enforcement agencies. No previous study has addressed this topic, even though California employs 12 percent of all sworn peace officers in the USA.

scholarly journals Protection of Victims in Estonia: A Survey Determining the Status Quo After Implementation of the Directive 2012/29/EU

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-65
Author(s):  
Anneli Soo ◽  
Kerly Espenberg
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Criminal Proceedings ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Legal Professionals ◽  
The Status ◽  
Law Enforcement Officials

An online survey was conducted in Estonia among 223 judges, prosecutors, police officers and victim support officers; 223 victims were interviewed via phone and 26 legal professionals (including lawyers) were interviewed face to face with an aim to determine the level of protection of victims after implementation of the Directive 2012/29/EU. The results reveal that victims lack knowledge about their rights although law enforcement agencies are, in general, convinced that they do a good job in this respect. Victims desire criminal proceedings in which they are respected, their opinion is heard and matters, and they are kept informed about developments of the case. The reality, however, does not meet their expectations. As law enforcement agencies are focused on determining guilt of a defendant, victims’ needs fall to the background. There seems to be a dichotomy between the expectations of law enforcement officials and those of the victims: While the latter awaits to be contacted and informed, the officials expect at least certain initiative from victims themselves. The idea that victims should be allowed to speak just to provide them with satisfaction and sense of fair proceedings is still somewhat strange for the authorities. When it comes to sentencing, some state officials believe that the opinions of a victim should not even be asked as determination of the punishment is court’s business. Victims’ opinions are much more readily heard in the conciliation proceedings, which are based on the ideas of restorative justice, but in which defendants’ needs seem to have been forgotten.

Shared workplace experiences of lesbian and gay police officers in the United Kingdom

2015 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 333-349 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roddrick Colvin
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Lesbian And Gay ◽  
Gay Male ◽  
Workplace Experiences ◽  
Barriers And Opportunities ◽  
The Uk

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explores the contemporary workplace experiences of lesbian and gay officers who serve across the UK. Design/methodology/approach – Using an online survey, the research asked lesbian and gay officers to share their experiences in law enforcement environments. Acknowledging the changing climate in many law enforcement environments, this respondents here were asked to focus on both positive and negative experiences in the workplace. Findings – The responses of 243 police officers revealed that lesbian and gay officers face barriers to equal employment opportunities similar to those faced by women and other minorities in law enforcement, but lesbian officers appear to experience and witness lower levels of discrimination than gay male police officers. Attitudinal bias against lesbian and gay officers remains a significant problem in the force. Lesbian officers report feelings of tokenism at higher levels than gay male police officers. Research limitations/implications – Future research endeavors should analyze any differences between the experiences of different lesbians and gay men at different levels of visibility within law enforcement, including “out” and “closeted” officers. Research about when officers come out as lesbian or gay – during training, on the force, after they retire – would be insightful in understanding officers’ perceptions. Practical implications – The research suggests that police departments in the UK have made good strides in opening the law enforcement workforce, but continue to face on-going challenges in creating fair, diverse, and representative work environments for lesbian and gay officers. Specifically, agencies should review policies where supervisor have discretion over the employment-related actions. By not meetings the challenges of a more diverse workplace, agencies risk lower job satisfaction, and decreased police effectiveness, especially on community policing environments. Originality/value – This research joins a small, but growing body of research that offers specific barriers and opportunities – as perceived by the officers. As other agencies engage in efforts to recruit and retain diversity police forces, the results of this research can enhance policies and practices, with regards to lesbian and gay officers.

Guidelines for mandated documents

2015 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynn Westbrook
Keyword(s):  
Domestic Violence ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Design Guidelines ◽  
National Study ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Essential Information ◽  
Content Type

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present findings on the efficacy of documents that US police are required to provide to domestic violence survivors, specifically intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors. Triangulating data from survivors, shelter staff, and law enforcement officers across four stages of IPV experiences, this national study identifies priorities among essential information needs and proposes information guidelines for law enforcement. Design/methodology/approach – A nationally distributed, 13-item, e-mail questionnaire was submitted to a stratified sample (ten largest, median, and smallest) of law enforcement agencies in all 50 states. Domestic violence shelters in each of the 1,500 cities were similarly recruited; survivors were recruited indirectly via shelter staff. The questions were clustered in terms of four common situations. Responses from 839 individuals were obtained, self-identified as police officers (481), shelter staff (263), and IPV survivors (95). Findings – Documents should be formatted for safety (i.e. small), developed for specific situations, and written simply. They should also offer information about non-law enforcement services. All three of the populations queried agreed that the immediate needs of survivors are stronger than their long-term needs. Research limitations/implications – The primary limitations are that the survey could include no means of determining the degree to which the respondents match the sample, and the response rate was insufficient to support inferential statistical analysis. Originality/value – This national study, the first of its kind, explicates the nuances of information elements in the personally situated experiences of survivors, and it presents the first set of suggested law-enforcement document design guidelines.

Money laundering through raw diamonds

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabian Maximilian Johannes Teichmann ◽  
Marie-Christin Falker
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Money Laundering ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Compliance Officers ◽  
German Speaking ◽  
Three Stages ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Combat Money Laundering

Purpose This paper aims to illustrate how illegally obtained funds are laundered through raw diamonds in Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. Design/methodology/approach To identify specific money laundering techniques involving raw diamonds, this study used a qualitative content analysis of data collected from 60 semi-standardized interviews with both criminals and prevention experts and a quantitative survey of 200 compliance officers. Findings Raw diamonds are extraordinarily suitable for money laundering in European German-speaking countries. In particular, they may be used in all three stages of the laundering process, namely, placement, layering and integration. Research limitations/implications Because the qualitative findings are based on semi-standardized interviews, their insights are limited to the perspectives of the 60 interviewees. Practical implications Identifying gaps in existing anti-money laundering mechanisms should provide compliance officers, law enforcement agencies and legislators with valuable insights into how criminals operate. Originality/value While prior studies focus on the methods used by organizations to combat money laundering and how to improve anti-money laundering measures, this paper investigates how money launderers operate to avoid detection, thereby illustrating authentic experiences. Its findings provide valuable insights into the minds of money launderers and combines criminal perspective with that of prevention experts.

Cops and COVID: an examination of California officers' perceptions and experiences while policing during a pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
John Shjarback ◽  
Obed Magny
Keyword(s):  
Police Officers ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Sensitive Information ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Police Agencies ◽  
Police Executives

PurposeUsing online survey data from a sample of 440 police officers in California throughout May 2020, the current study collected time-sensitive information on officers' perceptions and departmental experiences in the wake of the pandemic. It examined officers' perceptions of agency responsivity as well as their perceptions of morale, stress and risk following agency responses and changes in policy patterns, service delivery innovations and other administrative challenges.Design/methodology/approachCOVID-19 had a tremendous impact on the law enforcement community, who continued to work and adapt in order to provide public safety. During the first few months of the pandemic, a number of national data collection efforts set out to understand what police agencies, at the organizational-level, were doing to address the crisis. Largely missing from these initial discussions were the perspectives of individual officers, particularly how they felt about their respective departments ensuring safety and balancing risk.FindingsResults from ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions found that the number of departmental changes made in the wake of COVID-19 that reduced police–public contact was associated with (1) increased levels of perceived agency responsivity to officer needs (i.e. balancing officer safety, taking active steps to maintain officers' mental health) and (2) reduced levels of perceived negative outlook (e.g. stress, low morale, danger/risk). Policy implications and the importance of police executives' decisions during crisis are discussed.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first, to the authors’ knowledge, to examine perceptions of policing during the pandemic from an individual officer point of view rather than an organizational standpoint.

College Students Training Law Enforcement Officers: The Officer Charlie Get Fit Project

2021 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence Judge ◽  
Tonya Skalon ◽  
Makenzie Schoeff ◽  
Shannon Powers ◽  
James Johnson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Learning Style ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Community Partner ◽  
Fat Percentage ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Data Collection And Analysis ◽  
Project Officer

While most law enforcement agencies recognize the importance of physical fitness for their officers and encourage them to maintain an adequate level of fitness, many find it difficult to implement a fitness program successfully. Prior studies and literature support the implementation of community-centered fitness initiatives. The purpose of this study was to (1) describe participant outcomes from the service- learning project Officer Charlie Get Fit Project and (2) delineate Kolb’s experiential learning model implemented by undergraduate kinesiology majors when applied in an exercise setting. Students were charged with working directly with police officers over an 8-week program with the goal of lowering health-risk factors for the participants. Additionally, the project provided an opportunity for students to assess their own learning style and infuse it in a real-world professional application. Participants included 16 police officers (M = 44.6, SD = 10.7 years of age) and one elected city administrative official. Paired sample t tests revealed nonsignificant differences between the pretest and posttest scores on the 10 fitness measures. Descriptive statistics revealed improvements in categories of body weight, BMI, waist circumference, hip circumference, resting heart rate, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, sum of skinfolds, and overall body fat percentage. Participant exit interviews indicated positive qualitative results. The student reflection piece indicated that the frequent writing helped with (1) the myriad of planning and preparation issues, (2) selecting a community partner and recruiting participants, and (3) data collection and analysis. This study was an important assessment of immersive learning opportunities provided through classroom lecture and development of community partnerships.

scholarly journals Юридизация области дисциплинарных отношений в рядах российской милиции (1917-1919 гг.)

2021 ◽  
Vol 70 (6) ◽  
pp. 90-93
Author(s):  
С.Ю. Чимаров ◽  
В.С. Бялт
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Legal Regulation ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies

The article presents an analysis of the legal regulation of the disciplinary responsibility of Russian militia employees during the period of the change in government models from the tsarist era to the era of democratic transformations and the transition to the Soviet-style government regime. Focusing on the desire of the new government to strictly systematize the issues of disciplinary responsibility of domestic police officers in the specified period of time, the authors substantiate the need to strengthen the police ranks on the basis of disciplining the personnel of the updated law enforcement agencies.

scholarly journals TOPICAL ISSUES OF PROFESSIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SUITABILY IN THE SYSTEM OF THE MIA OF THE REPUBLIC OF TAJIKISTAN

2021 ◽  
pp. 211-218
Author(s):  
Somon Latifzoda
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Decisive Role ◽  
Psychological Characteristics ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Internal Affairs ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Psychological Diagnostics

This article discusses the main problems and issues of professional and psychological suitability in the system of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan. The analysis of the existing scientific literature was carried out, and also the author's recommendations were formulated to improve the professional training and professional suitability of the employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Along with the professional training of police officers, their psychological qualities also play a decisive role in ensuring efficiency in operational-search activities. The quality and effectiveness of the implementation of operational-search activities, then its level directly depends on the psychological characteristics of the operative and his professional training. It should be noted that scientifically grounded conclusions about the professional and psychological suitability of employees can only be achieved with the help of high-quality and correct psychological diagnostics, that is, using psychometric methods. The basis for the survey of professional and psychological suitability, the procedure, procedure, conditions and terms of the survey, cases of re-examination are determined by regulatory legal acts. Consequently, the research and scientifically grounded measures to determine professional suitability in the internal affairs bodies of the Republic of Tajikistan are relevant, and the scientifically grounded results obtained as a result of our research can be used to further improve the professional and psychological selection to the law enforcement agencies of the country.

Emotional intelligence in policing: a state-of-the-art review

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Obed Magny ◽  
Natalie Todak
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Intelligence ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Survey Methods ◽  
Police Training ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Practical Consideration ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Almost All

PurposeEmotional intelligence (EI) reflects an ability to acknowledge one's own emotional state and keep one's emotions in balance while recognizing emotions in others, managing interactions and relationships with them and resolving conflict. Considering that police work largely involves interactions with others, the purpose of this paper is to offer a state-of-the-art review of the research on EI in policing.Design/methodology/approachUsing several online databases, a literature search was performed to collect all peer reviewed studies on EI in policing from around the globe. The authors review the nature of this research and its major findings. They also summarize how EI was conceptualized and measured across studies.FindingsThe authors' search generated a list of 20 studies carried out in 9 countries. Almost all used survey methods and most adopted an ability-based model of EI. The most common area of focus was on correlates of EI in police officers (N = 12), followed by descriptive studies of EI in police officers (N = 5), and finally assessments of the relevance of EI for police training (N = 3).Originality/valuePolicing research has not paid enough attention to EI. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first effort to assess the state of this literature. With law enforcement agencies looking for ways to improve citizen trust and legitimacy worldwide, the preliminary evidence suggests EI warrants considerably more empirical and practical consideration.

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