Police in America: An Introduction - Softcover

Walker, Samuel

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90 ratings by Goodreads

9780070679115: Police in America: An Introduction

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0070679118 ISBN 13: 9780070679115

Publisher: McGraw-Hill Inc.,US, 1998

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This engaging and current overview of police officers and policing systems gives readers an inclusive survey of policing in America. Divided into four parts, "The Police in America," begins with a compelling analysis of the foundation of law enforcement, including the underlying purpose of police in society, the history of American police, as well as the contemporary law enforcement industry. It goes on to cover everything from the critical role of the beat cop and the fundamental problems in policing to the career path of police officers and a level-by-level overview of police organizations. Using timely articles and excerpts, the author takes readers beyond the headlines and statistics, to present a comprehensive and contemporary overview of what it means to be a police officer.

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From the Publisher:

"Researching Your Own Community" exercises contain instructions for students on consulting local police agencies to collect information that corresponds to issues highlighted in the text.
"Police on the Web" exercises effectively reinforce chapter concepts and facilitate comprehension by directing students to law enforcement agency web sites that explore major themes found in the text.
Updated material throughout, including books and articles published in late 1997 and 1998.
Chapters devoted to the specific duties of an officer and the problems officers may encounter as a member of the police organization help to give students an understanding of what it means to be a law enforcement officer in contemporary American society.
Exposes students to the basic positions on both sides of important issues, such as community policing, citizen review, and affirmative action.

About the Author:

Samuel Walker is a professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He teaches an undergraduate course, Police and Society, for which this book is designed, a graduate course on the administration of public justice, and other courses. He is the author of nine books on the police, the history of criminal justice, criminal justice policy, and civil liberties. His primary research interests involve citizen complaints against the police and citizen complaint review procedures. In 1998 he was awarded the Bruce Smith Award by the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS). Charles M. Katz is an assistant professor in the Administration of Justice Department at Arizona State University West. He currently serves as the director of the department's graduate program. Katz earned his Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 1997. He is currently involved in two studies examining responses to community gang problems. He is the project director for a National Institute of Justice study of the police response to gangs in four sites: Phoenix, Albuquerque, Las Vegas, and Inglewood (California). In addition, he is working with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and the City of Mesa (Arizona) to evaluate the effectiveness of the Mesa Gang Intervention Project. His publications include numerous articles on community policing, policing gangs, and drugs and crime.

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