scholarly journals ‘Every Move You Make … Every Word You Say’: Regulating Police Body Worn Cameras

2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robyn Blewer ◽  
Ron Behlau

The death of Minneapolis man, George Floyd, at the hands (or, knee) of a police officer in May 2020 appears to have set a nation, indeed the world, alight with outrage at ongoing, systemic racism and brutality by police officers. Body worn camera (‘BWC’) footage from officers attending this incident provides strong evidence of the circumstances of Mr Floyd’s death. In this article, we draw on criminological research and analyses of legislation in Australia and a number of international jurisdictions, to argue there is a need for improved regulation of BWCs. Despite incurring the substantial cost of deploying this technology, governments are relinquishing control of it to law enforcement agencies who, in turn, draft policies that maximise police discretion and protection while minimising the consequences of non-compliance. For governments to realise their objectives for BWCs, we argue there is a need for greater regulation to ensure BWCs are utilised effectively.

1992 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 231-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Corns

A central feature of new law enforcement agencies, established specifically to combat organised crime in Australia, is their use of internal multi-disciplinary investigation teams. This strategy can be seen as mirroring the structure and modus operandi of the targeted criminal activity. One of the first law enforcement agencies in Australia to 'collectivise' legal and policing skills has been the National Crime Authority. However, aspects of the legal and police 'sub-cultures' are structurally and ideologically inconsistent creating the potential for significant intra-organisational conflict. This article explores the nature and significance of 'cultural clashes' between lawyers and police within the National Crime Authority, and describes a number of unique legal problems arising from the cross-jurisdictional deployment of police officers on secondment to the National Crime Authority. The article argues that in the context of organised crime, sub-cultural dimensions of law enforcement has been a neglected area within criminological research and policy making. The article argues that organisational sub-cultures have limited the capacity of law enforcement agencies to fulfil their junctions and suggests a number of reforms.


Author(s):  
Wendi Pollock ◽  
Natalia D Tapia ◽  
Deborah Sibila

The death of George Floyd on 25 May 2020 again left people asking why U.S. police officers so commonly resort to the use of deadly force when interacting with Black individuals. The current article proposes that media, combined with cultivation theory and social cognition concepts may create implicit biases that are potential contributors to this problem. Police officers have a greater vulnerability to these biases because intake of crime-related media positively predicts their interest in selecting law enforcement as a career. Other predictors of an interest in working in law enforcement, and implications of these findings, are discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence Judge ◽  
Tonya Skalon ◽  
Makenzie Schoeff ◽  
Shannon Powers ◽  
James Johnson ◽  
...  

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.


2021 ◽  
Vol 70 (6) ◽  
pp. 90-93
Author(s):  
С.Ю. Чимаров ◽  
В.С. Бялт

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.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-29
Author(s):  
M.V. Vinogradov ◽  
O.A. Ulyanina

The article analyzes the processes of intensive informatization and technologization of modern society, affecting the vector of development of the social, economic, political and military spheres of the state. In this context, the problem of informational impact on a human personality, his consciousness, mindset, spiritual and value orientations is considered. On the scale of the geopolitical interaction of the world community at the information-psychological level, this problem is revealed through the prism of describing the nature and content of the information war carried out in the interests of achieving political and military goals. Areas of informational influence on police officers are specified. In this regard, the need for the formation of information literacy of law enforcement specialists is being updated; the directions of information and psychological counteraction and protection against information attacks are highlighted. Psychological resistance, critical thinking, information security are named among the priority solutions to the highlighted issue.


Author(s):  
Somon Latifzoda

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.


2021 ◽  
pp. 131-194
Author(s):  
Noah Tsika

Throughout the first half of the twentieth century, police censorship of motion pictures was a significant and always controversial index of the expansion of law enforcement agencies to include activities that many Americans deemed unbecoming of cops. As such, it offers considerable insight into contemporary debates over the scope of police power in the United States. Today’s arguments have deep roots, including in a practice that was far more prevalent—and far more contentious—than conventional histories allow. When it came to vetting motion pictures, the methods of municipal police departments varied widely. But they often illuminated broader problems: Detroit police officers who voted to ban anti-Nazi films were themselves outspoken white supremacists; Chicago cops who balked at cinema’s suggestions of eroticism were also, outside of departmental screening rooms, aggressively targeting sex workers; and Southern lawmen who sought to eliminate intimations of racial equality were known for their brutal treatment of Black residents. Police censorship of motion pictures took place not in a vacuum but within the ever-widening ambit of law enforcement, and it merits scrutiny as a measure of the authority, influence, and cultural identities of municipal cops.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 208-218
Author(s):  
Seth Wyatt Fallik ◽  
Ross Deuchar ◽  
Vaughn J Crichlow ◽  
Hannah Hodges

Social media, in the past decade, has been used to hold police accountable for their actions. There has been, however, a paucity of empirical research into how law enforcement uses social media. To explore this issue, this paper uses qualitative data emerging from ethnographic research conducted in a Southern American state. Participant observations of police officer deployments were paired with semi-structured interviews with officers from three law enforcement agencies. The extent and ways in which these officers used social media is explored. Findings indicate that social media is used to bring positive attention to law enforcement agencies and aid criminal investigations. Although the positive impact of social media was highlighted in these experiences, persistent problems and challenges also featured in the data. Finally, officer insights were drawn upon to make recommendations for future policing policy and research.


2020 ◽  
pp. 107780122093082
Author(s):  
Laura Johnson ◽  
Elisheva Davidoff ◽  
Abigail R. DeSilva

In New Jersey, collaboration between police departments and advocates from domestic violence organizations is mandated by state policy, which requires law enforcement agencies to participate in domestic violence response teams (DVRTs). The purpose of this study is to examine factors that motivate police officers to implement DVRT. Twenty-four semi-structured interviews were conducted with DVRT coordinators and domestic violence liaison police officers. Findings suggest that police motivation for implementing the intervention is often influenced by perceived benefits to police response and investigation, perceived benefits to victims, the need to comply with mandates, and recognition of domestic violence as a serious crime.


1979 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 263-266
Author(s):  
Douglas H. Harris

Visual cues were identified and procedures were developed to enhance on-the-road detection of driving while intoxicated (DWI) by police patrol officers. Related research was reviewed; police officers with demonstrated effectiveness in DWI detection were interviewed; DWI arrest reports were analyzed; and a study was conducted to determine the frequency of occurrence and relative discriminability of potential visual cues. Based on the results, a DWI detection Guide was developed; the Guide is currently being verified and evaluated in a field-study involving a sample of 10 law enforcement agencies.


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