Law Enforcement Professionals Research Articles

Профессиональная юридическаямобильность выпускников вузов Министерства внутренних дел Российской Федерации: миф или реальность

Modern conditions of service for graduates of higher education institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in the territorial bodies of internal Affairs, among the many law enforcement requirements imposed on young professionals, additionally indicate that it is not necessary to form a sufficiently high level of professional legal mobility, the ability to easily start professional law enforcement activities in a different direction from the one in which his training was carried out at the university of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. In this article, in addition to studying the concept and content of professional mobility, the reasons for its insufficient level among graduates of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, proposals are formulated for its improvement, transformation from a semi-mythical category into the reality of the service of an employee of the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.

ПРАВОВОЕ НАПРАВЛЕНИЕ ПРОФОРИЕНТАЦИОННОЙ РАБОТЫ МОЛОДЕЖНЫХ И ДЕТСКИХ ОБЩЕСТВЕННЫХ ОРГАНИЗАЦИЙ

Introduction: the article discusses the features of the activities of children's public organizations focused on attracting children and adolescents to participate in public life of a law enforcement orientation. The purpose of this work is to identify the features of the activities of children's public organizations focused on attracting children and adolescents to participate in public life and professional law enforcement activities. Methods: using the methods of analysis and synthesis, content analysis, the author investigated the issues of vocational guidance work of youth and children's public associations of the Yaroslavl region and their role in the formation of a conscious choice of the future professional activity of adolescents, as well as the prevention of juvenile delinquency and child neglect. Results: today, state bodies and public associations are implementing various measures to ensure a happy and safe childhood, being one of the main priorities of national importance in our country. The most comfortable for a teenager to start social activities is his participation in projects of children's public organizations. At this stage, communicative motivation becomes the main one: the desire to communicate with interesting active peers, to demonstrate their own talents and achievements, to acquire new knowledge, skills and abilities in a democratic form. Children's public organizations contribute to the formation of a socially active personality of a growing citizen and help the professional self-determination of young people. Conclusions: the author concluded that the career guidance work of children's public organizations aimed at attracting children and adolescents to participate in public life and professional law enforcement activities can reduce the number of minors brought to criminal responsibility and helps the social and professional self-determination of young people. In the modern world young people are the most socially active group and strategic resource of society.

CONTEMPORARY APPROACHES FOR PREVENTION AND COUNTERING VIOLENT EXTREMISM

States use a variety of approaches, mechanisms, models and programs to prevent and combat violent extremism and radicalism. Some of them are newly developed, and others already existing. They aim to enable practitioners, professionals and members of the local community to apply their various skills, knowledge and capacities for early prevention of violent extremism and radicalization, ie to identify vulnerable persons and persons at risk and provide them with the necessary support to be redirected in a non-violent way before committing a crime. Different types of approaches, mechanisms, models and programs are influenced, among others, by the nature of the threat, the socio-political situation in the country, the security situation, as well as by the prevailing norms and circumstances, management structures, resources, capacities, risk assessments and traditions.
 The aim of the paper is to summarize and analyze the modern peacebuilding approaches used to prevent and combat violent extremism and to draw conclusions about their effectiveness. In doing so, the challenges and weaknesses of such programs will be identified, in order to overcome and improve them in the future and to show better results in achieving their goals. The paper specifically analyzes and discusses the EU approach to capacity building in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism aimed at promoting the capacity of state institutions to provide criminal justice and law enforcement, while respecting human rights and the rule of law. Supporting key preventive measures against violent extremism and countering terrorist financing are also top priorities for preventing terrorist activities and their consequences.
 Creating such approaches/models for preventing and combating violent extremism should be followed by a broad consultation process with key national and local stakeholders, governments and the civil society sector, as well as law enforcement professionals and others who can provide support depending on the needs of the process. Such a process should not be rushed; creating the necessary multidisciplinary support for effective access takes time and patience, including from politicians, policymakers, practitioners, and members of the public, who may seek prompt action in the context of modern-day terrorist and violent extremist threats.

The Alternative Concepts of Blasphemy Law in Indonesia: Legal Comparison with Ireland and Canada

<p>This study explores the future implementation of blasphemy law in Indonesia. This research suggests some recommendations for Indonesian blasphemy law by looking at different blasphemy policy options in Ireland and Canada. This research will focus on the principle of legal certainty. Legal certainty is an essential aspect for criminal law to avoid state arbitrariness and to have predictability. The results of this research indicate that some aspects of Indonesian blasphemy law may be reconstructed in five ways: expanding the protected religions to include the minority religions, defining explicit limitations, specifying <em>mens</em><em> </em><em>rea </em>element, measuring the ‘threat to public’ elements, and more professional law enforcement officers. </p><p><strong><br /></strong></p><p><strong>Keywords:</strong> Blasphemy; Indonesia; Ireland; Canada; Comparative.</p>

A Kétlépcsős Integrált Alkalmasságvizsgálati Rendszer – a tudomány válasza a rendvédelmi hivatásos állomány alkalmasságvizsgálatának kihívásaira

Numerous international and domestic studies have shown that all the duties which law enforcement personnel perform put an increased strain of mental and physical health. All this makes the aptitude testing system of the professionals essential and at the same time more important. An essential condition for the effectiveness of such a system is to be able to continuously adapt to changes in organizational needs and the characteristics of applicants for the organization. The explosive growth in digitalization and the use of the World Wide Web has posed a revision of the more than ten years applied aptitude test system for law enforcement professionals as law enforcement challenges and the younger generation’s changed abilities and motivation to work. In response to these challenges, the Two-stage Integrated Aptitude Testing System (abbreviated as KLIR) was established by Decree No. 45/2020 on the suitability assessment of professional staff and law enforcement administrative staff employed by certain law enforcement agencies under the Minister of the Interior. (XII.16.) BM. Regulation entered into force on 1 January 2021. In our study, we describe the scientific basis of the KLIR system, discussing it along the most important principles of the system. We show how the two steps of the KLIR procedure –examining the fit of work of individuals on several levels at the same time – serving the selection of the most suitable candidates and in addition to the screening of unsuitable ones, thereby improving individual and organizational performance. In the spirit of flexible adaptability, which is considered to be one of the keys to organizational efficiency, we describe the possibilities of the innovations of the KLIR procedure, the scheme of aptitude test categories, the three-level regulatory order, and the coherency between aptitude tests and the training system. The article concludes with a description how the targeted scientific research has contributed to the development of the KLIR system and provides a glimpse of relevant future perspectives.

Using Monte Carlo simulations to translate military and law enforcement training results to operational metrics

There are numerous challenges comparing research initiatives due to methodological differences and scenario-specific problems. Military and law enforcement issues present an extreme variant of this challenge. Specifically, assessment and training scenarios strive for realism, but operators cannot engage one another with live rounds or induce the full spectrum of environmental stressors for obvious safety reasons. Instead, particular factors are evaluated in a given scenario via experimental statistics despite the inherent difficulty in communicating inferential statistics to the intended audience of military and law enforcement professionals. The current investigation explores how Monte Carlo simulations can use probabilistic distribution sampling to convert statistical inferences into concrete operational outcomes. Using this type of distribution sampling, statistical inferences can be translated into operational metrics such as the probability of winning a gunfight. Describing these statistical values and effect sizes in terms of survival provides a more appreciable operational metric that military and law enforcement personnel can use when evaluating the advantages of various training platforms or equipment. Several approaches are examined that each accomplish this general goal, including circumstances outside of marksmanship and lethal force decision-making.

What Hinders Victims from Reporting Sexual Violence: A Qualitative Study with Police Officers, Prosecutors, and Judges in Hungary

While rape historically remains underreported all over the globe, and criminal justice factors contribute to this problem, we investigate unique circumstances that might influence reporting inclinations by Hungarian victims of sexual violence. Among other possible factors, victim-blaming, institutional desensitization, and a lack of trust in the criminal justice system and in the community are discussed. The in-depth interviews (n = 22) with law enforcement and criminal justice professionals conducted in 2018 in Hungary reveal roots of underreporting in the complexities of the criminal justice system: there is a failure to prioritize victims’ needs—mental care services, physical and privacy protection—and a focus instead on solely providing legal justice. The further deficits that can be found among professionals’ attitudes and behaviors in the courtroom are products of the following: a lack of standardized protocols in addressing the needs of victims; a dearth of technical and evidence-based knowledge and training; a lack of supervision and trauma-informed services to practitioners; high caseloads; a focus on the goal of high conviction rates; not providing open communication toward victims; and a shortage of standardized protocols in dealing with victims.

Single-session Mentalization-based Treatment Group for Law Enforcement Officers

ABSTRACT Law enforcement violence has emerged as a leading public health concern, and law enforcement officers are themselves at greater risk for a range of psychiatric disorders. Drawing on the significant empirical support for mentalization-based treatment (MBT), this paper explores the use of MBT as a transdiagnostic psychotherapy for law enforcement professionals. By helping patients to mentalize—that is, to “read,” access, and reflect on mental states in oneself and other people—MBT could be useful as a dual-focus treatment, able to simultaneously impact psychiatric illness among law enforcement officers while also indirectly impacting the problem of law enforcement violence in the broader society. The core psychotherapeutic principles of MBT are reviewed, along with common vulnerabilities in mentalizing likely to arise for law enforcement professionals in the context of high emotional and interpersonal intensity. The authors outline a novel application of MBT which has implications for psychiatric treatment as well as police training: the single-session psychoeducation and psychotherapy group, where law enforcement officers practice both self-reflection and empathy in situations of relational conflict. Utilizing group process from a residential treatment program for first responders with mental health and substance use disorders, a case example is offered to illustrate this intervention.

Vulnerability assessment across the frontline of law enforcement and public health: a systematic review

ABSTRACT Assessing vulnerability is an international priority area across law enforcement and public health (LEPH). Most contacts with frontline law enforcement professions now relate to ‘vulnerability’; frontline health responders are experiencing a similar increase in these calls. To the authors’ best knowledge there are no published, peer-reviewed tools which specifically focus on assessing vulnerability, and which are specifically designed to be applicable across the LEPH frontline. This systematic review synthesised 33 eligible LEPH journal articles, retaining 18 articles after quality appraisal to identify assessment guidelines, tools, and approaches used relevant to either law enforcement and/or public health professions. The review identifies elements of effective practice for the assessment of vulnerability, aligned within four areas: prevention, diversion/triage, specific interventions, and training across LEPH. It also provides evidence that inter-professional/integrated working, shared training, and aligned systems are critical to effective vulnerability assessment. This systematic review reports, for the first time, effective practices in vulnerability assessment as reported in peer-reviewed papers and provides evidence to inform better multi-agency policing and health responses to people who may be vulnerable.

301 Evaluation of Fatigue and Healthy Lifestyle Practices among New York State Law Enforcement Professionals

Abstract Introduction An important risk factor for drowsy driving is shift work, and law enforcement, an occupation known for its atypical work schedules, is a highly vulnerable occupation. A connection between fatigue and unintentional injuries among police officers has been observed (Vila, 2006), but data supporting the connection is limited. Understanding how sleep and lifestyle practices impact this population’s driving performance and job safety is critical to officer safety. Methods An online survey was disseminated to New York State law enforcement agencies by the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee to assess sleep health and lifestyle practices among law enforcement personnel. Statistical analysis included data cleaning, basic and advanced statistical testing. Results 7,366 survey invitations were distributed, 1,171 were returned (15.9% response rate), and after data cleaning, 1,038 surveys were included in the analysis. Respondents reported from various state, county, and local agencies, holding titles from Police Officer to Senior Management. More than 30% of officers reported driving 5 hours or more during their shift, with 12% driving greater than 7 hours. 65% of respondents reported having experienced drowsy driving. Although, 34% reported never having received education about drowsy driving. On work days, only 40% of respondents obtain 7 hours of sleep or more. On days off, 23.6% reported sleeping 6 hours or less. Work, stress, and family responsibilities were reported as having a significant impact on sleep. Almost 87% reported at least one medical issue. Daytime sleepiness (47.4%), fatigue (42.6%), and poor memory (26.8%) were reported daily. Only 23.8% and 29.3% of respondents received education on sleep or heart health, respectively. The majority (81.7%) reported they would consider education in a variety of health-related programs. Conclusion Our findings indicate that poor sleep (60%), high stress (22.7%), and anxiety (16.8%) are a concern amongst officers. Poor cardiovascular health was also noted, based on reports of obesity (34.1%), high blood pressure (23.5%), and high cholesterol (22.4%). This research supports the need for prioritizing health education programs within law enforcement agencies. Support (if any) Funded by The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration with a grant from The New York State Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee.

Law Enforcement and Individuals with Disabilities: Steps towards Service Improvement

Abstract People with disabilities are more likely to interact with law enforcement personnel than the general population. Despite the increased likelihood of interactions, most jurisdictions lack protocols and report barriers to effective interaction and communication with individuals with disabilities. The Community Readiness Model (CRM) is a useful tool for guiding research and training in this area. The purposes of this study were to gain insight into the community of law enforcement personnel’s readiness to accommodate individuals with disabilities and uncover barriers to effectively serving individuals with disabilities. Using the CRM to develop the web-based survey, researchers collected data from 267 law enforcement personnel. Results provide information on the implementation of disability-related trainings, effectiveness when serving individuals with disabilities, and specific strengths and barriers that impact service to individuals with disabilities. Specific implications for law enforcement professionals include the development of trainings and technical assistance addressing specific disabilities and related accommodations.

Psychological features of the Police employees

Psychological characteristics of police officers are now thoroughly investigated in legal psychology. At the same time development of the problem was, both in terms of psychological analysis of the structure of professional law enforcement officers, and in terms of the psychological characteristics its inherent set of psychological characteristics. Even the cursory reviews of the basic psychological characteristics and structural elements of the employee’s professional activity shows how complex and multifaceted its activities. It makes them a variety of requirements, among which one of the most important - having developed important professional qualities of the individual.

Extending Law Enforcement Reach to Children Exposed to Violence: Police Training Evaluation

Failure to immediately identify and support children exposed to violence (CEV) places them at great risk for traumatic dysregulation and long-term mental health difficulties. Police officers are in a unique position to identify and assist CEV in the immediate aftermath of exposure. Yet, law enforcement professionals do not typically receive training tailored towards effectively identifying and responding to the emotional needs of CEV. Protecting and Serving is a police training curriculum based on over two decades of successful mental health and law enforcement collaboration. The current study examined 152 police officers’ perceptions of, attitudes toward, and understanding of the training delivered at six police departments. Pre- and post-training surveys assessed the current state of practice and the effectiveness of the program presentation in three content areas: knowledge, practice, and attitude. McNemar’s test was used to evaluate pre- to post-change, chi-square analyses and one-way ANOVAs were used to assess variation associated with demographic variables, and qualitative analysis was conducted by two independent judges. Findings reflect strong officer motivation, coupled with specific gaps in knowledge and practices. Post-training results demonstrate significant gains in all three content areas. Findings underscore the need and potential utility for specialized training designed to better equip officers to respond effectively to CEV.

Police Use of Force Laws in Texas

Policing sometimes requires the use of force for legitimate purposes: arresting, searching, protecting others, or protecting oneself. The decision to use force requires an officer to weigh the security needs of himself or herself, the needs of others, and the operational needs presented by the situation at hand. Guiding the decision of whether to use force, when to use that force, and the degree of force that is necessary to accomplish the purpose for which it is used, are an often confusing mix of agency policies, constitutional norms, and state and federal laws. This article focuses on the laws of Texas that limit or allow force to be used in typical policing situations. These laws are not collected in a single statute, or even within a single Code, but reside in a variety of sometimes unlikely places. Texas’s use of force provisions are fragmented, contradictory, and confusing. Often, they are ill-conceived, ineffective, or even unconstitutional. Especially problematic are the permissive self-defense provisions that seem designed to protect less-trained and less-informed potential crime victims from prosecution. Those lenient standards, perhaps unintentionally, impede the prosecution of law enforcement professionals who use excessive force. Other standards designed to establish criteria for the use of force to arrest or search are much more restrictive, but in ways that are contradictory, leaving officers uncertain whether they can use force and, if so, how much force is allowed. This article surveys existing Texas law regarding use of force, highlighting its strengths and weaknesses, and recommends ways in which these laws can be made cohesive, coherent, comprehensible, and consistent.

Theoretical and Practical Considerations Regarding the Use of Conditional Probability Assessment Algorithm in Early Warning Tasks Aimed to Prevent Acts of Terrorism and Violent Extremism

Over the last decade, the diversified spectrum of hybrid threats forced security agencies around the world to refine the tools used by intelligence analysts in early warning tasks. Thus, in order to anticipate and prevent violent acts, law enforcement analysts from the departments responsible for prevention and countering terrorism, violent extremism, and radicalization that lead to terrorism are constantly striving to identify tools and methods that are capable to measure the psychosocial–behavioral characteristics of individuals in terms of mathematical probabilities. Therefore, risk assessment tools targeting terrorists and violent extremists are a major topic of interest for international security experts and law enforcement professionals. In such context, the present study proposes a tool to assess conditional probabilities, built on the Bayes’ rule, which is based on a subjective way of defining probability. Bayes’ rule allows analysts to correctly quantify their estimates, which are often qualitative, subjective, and based on a limited number of indices and observations. The risk assessment tools developed for common violent crimes and for members of the organized crime groups should not be used for assessing terrorists, violent extremists, or individuals suspected of engaging in ideologically motivated violent actions, nor vice versa. Specific risk assessments with relevant indicators should be used separately for regular violent offenders and for terrorists and extremists.

An Introduction to the Internet of Things (IoT) for Justice System and Law Enforcement Professionals

An Introduction to the Internet of Things (IoT) for Justice System and Law Enforcement Professionals

Mathematical modeling on workplace violence hazard assessment and security analysis using Optimized Grey Dynamic System Theory.

Employers must provide their workers with a safe working environment. Violence at the workplace is considered to pose risks for mental health. However, it is rarely investigated whether or not violence at the workplace in a setting can further increase the risk of mental disorders among employees. Risk assessment of workplace violence is still a major challenge for law enforcement, mental health, and other professionals. These critical and specific evaluations need an innovative approach. In this paper, the Optimized Grey Dynamic System Theory (OGDST) is used to analyze work-related incidents and hazard assessment. The forecasting model is built using annual data sets of work-related incidents. Research shows that aggressive psychological behavior often precedes the physical abuse of the workplace, whereas employers often ignore signs of warning even when identified by employees. Effectiveness tests demonstrate the efficiency of these suggested models. The results convey information supporting the conceptualization and assessment of models of workplace violence as a phenomenon arising from negative physical and psychological experiences of individuals at the workplace.

Гендерно-правова культура майбутніх фахівців правоохоронних органів

The article considers the semiotic nature of gender and law culture, focuses on the synthetic nature of this term, and provides alternative definitions of such concepts as «gender» and «culture». Highlighting the essence of the proposed word from a semiotic perspective, the authors of the article give examples of the main elements that form the paradigm of gender and law culture. The practical part of the article is devoted to analyzing the proposed phenomenon as a psychological and pedagogical problem. Taking into account that modern conditions of social development are associated with changing social and economic, and criminal complications, as a result of which society is interested in the effectiveness of law enforcement agencies operating based on legality, humanism, transparency, the presumption of innocence, resilience, the subject matter of the research is viewed as undeniably topical today. The analysis of the scientific literature in gender and law made it possible to specify the concept of «gender and law culture of future law enforcement professionals», which, in particular, refers to the issues of forming a gender culture of future law enforcement professionals. It is considered to be an integral quality of personality determined by the specifics of law enforcement, reflecting comprehensive knowledge of the nature and legal regulation of gender aspects in current Ukrainian legislation and readiness to ensure further functioning of gender-sensitive practices and principles of non-discrimination in law enforcement activities based on legal attitudes and compliance with official duties.

Family Dynamics and Elder Financial Exploitation by Family-Member Powers-of-Attorney Agents

Elder family financial exploitation (EFFE) is a growing problem likely to increase due to population aging. Older people, often considered vulnerable, are frequently targeted for financial exploitation. Relatives, identified as the largest group of perpetrators often misuse powers of attorney (POA); nevertheless, relationship complexity and dependencies, and family privacy result in underreporting and infrequent prosecutions. The aim of this research is to understand family risk factors that could be used for prevention and early detection. We hypothesized that family dynamics in EFFE families compared to non-EFFE families having family-member POA agents would be at greater risk when these risk factors were present. Our larger multi-state research team created a survey to collect demographic and situational data and to explore family-member and elder characteristics and specific family dynamics that could later place older relatives at risk for EFFE. Analyses consisted of testing whether poor family functioning, ineffective communication/problem-solving dynamics, resource exchange patterns, conflict before/during resource distribution, and entitlement attitudes were statistically associated with the occurrence of EFFE. Specifically, we tested a series of hierarchical logistic regressions to examine the association of family dynamic variables with EFFE. Results suggest that fairness conflict, exchange expectations, entitlement expectations, and communication patterns were statistically associated with EFFE. Current family communication patterns were not a statistical predictor of EFFE. These results could prompt older persons and relevant healthcare, legal, financial, law enforcement, social service, and counseling professionals to work proactively with families and mid-life and older adults to consider risk factors before making end-of-life decisions.

Understanding and supporting law enforcement professionals working with distressing material: Findings from a qualitative study.

This study aimed to extend previous research on the experiences and factors that impact law enforcement personnel when working with distressing materials such as child sexual abuse content. A sample of 22 law enforcement personnel working within one law enforcement organisation in England, United Kingdom participated in anonymous semi-structured interviews. Results were explored thematically and organised in the following headings: “Responses to the material”, “Impact of working with distressing evidence”, “Personal coping strategies” and “Risks and mitigating factors”. Law enforcement professionals experienced heightened affective responses to personally relevant material, depictions of violence, victims’ displays of emotions, norm violations and to various mediums. These responses dampened over time due to desensitisation. The stress experienced from exposure to the material sometimes led to psychological symptoms associated with Secondary Traumatic Stress. Job satisfaction, self-care activities, the coping strategies used when viewing evidence, detachment from work outside working hours, social support and reducing exposure to the material were found to mediate law enforcement professionals’ resilience. Exposure to distressing material and the risks associated with this exposure were also influenced by specific organisational procedures implemented as a function of the funding available and workload. Recommendations for individual and organisational practices to foster resilience emerged from this research. These recommendations are relevant to all organisations where employees are required to view distressing content.