Training Of Law Enforcement Officers Research Articles

Stalking: an examination of the correlates of subsequent police responses

PurposeFew studies have explored the correlates of police responses to the crime of stalking. The purpose of this paper is to examine the correlates of nine specific police actions (no action, multiple actions, took a report, talked to perpetrator, arrested perpetrator, recommended PO or RO, recommended self-protection, referred to prosecutor’s office and referred to social services) to this type of crime. This study found three of the four incident measures (victim-offender relationship, intimidation and physical injury) and three of the four victim demographic measures (age, gender and marital status) significantly predicted seven of the nine police actions.Design/methodology/approachData for this study came from the 2006 Stalking Victimization Supplement of the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). The sample included stalking cases that were reported to the police and all measures were constructed using victims’ responses to survey questionnaires. Nine logistic regression models were estimated and in each model, four incident characteristic variables and four victim demographic variables were regressed on each of the nine police actions.FindingsThis study found three of the four incident characteristic measures (victim-offender relationship, intimidation, and physical injury) and three of the four victim demographic variables (age, gender and marital status) were significantly related to seven of the nine specific police actions (no action, multiple actions, arrested perpetrator, recommended PO or RO, recommended self-protection, referred to prosecutor’s office and referred to social services). None of the incident characteristic and victim demographic measures were related to two of the nine specific police actions (took a report and talked to perpetrator).Research limitations/implicationsThis study possesses the same shortcomings associated with the NCVS. The current study involves cross-sectional, official data that are over 10 years old. The measures employed in the current study are victims’ perceptions of how the officers acted. The study does not include information regarding how many times the victim contacted the police or the nature of the stalking episode. The study excludes other variables (suspect’s demeanor, the presence of witnesses) that may be relevant in examining subsequent police responses to stalking.Practical implicationsFrontline offices should be required to undertake stalking training. Further, stalking training needs to be conducted independently from domestic violence training. Mandatory stalking training for law enforcement officers will lead to a greater comprehension of existing stalking statute for the officers as well as help increase the number of offenders being identified and charged with this crime by the officers.Social implicationsPolice inaction to reported stalking not only dissuade victims from reporting future victimizations, it will also result in stalking being an under-reported crime. Police inaction could potentially compromise victim safety and/or offender accountability. Police inaction also undermines the legitimacy of law enforcement and attenuates the relationship between citizens and police agencies.Originality/valueTo date, only one study has examined the correlates of subsequent police responses to the crime of stalking. However, this study employed broad measures of police actions (formal and informal). The current study involves specific police actions (e.g. taking a report, referring the victim to social service agencies). Contrary to the prior study that found none of the incident and victim characteristics was related to two broad measures of subsequent police responses, this study found several incident and victim measures significantly predicted seven specific police actions.

Does a Black Man Have the Right to Leave His Home?

The shooting of unarmed Black men has become commonplace in America. Unfortunately, these incidents have been viewed by the African American community and civil rights organizations as acts of malfeasance by the police that could be corrected by more rigorous training for law enforcement officers. However, status/whiplash politics lies at the heart of the matter. The social and political advancement of African Americans has sparked a new round of fear among Whites who mistakenly believe that these gains have come at their expense. Such reactions among Whites have occurred periodically throughout history when an outcast group—racial minorities and immigrants—is viewed as making advancements. The shootings constitute violations of human rights that need to be addressed by the United Nations, failure to do so only perpetuates the problem, allowing the racism in American society to remain invisible, politicians to be unaccountable, and the social climate in America to be unacceptable.

Countywide implementation of crisis intervention teams: Multiple methods, measures and sustained outcomes

The crisis intervention team (CIT) is a tool that can be used to foster pre-booking diversion of individuals with mental illness from the criminal justice system and into community treatment services. Although CIT is often implemented solely as the training of law enforcement officers, the model stipulates that CIT is a vehicle for collaboration with community stakeholders who share a similar philosophy, as well as expanded mental health services offering a 24hour-seven days per week drop-off option for law enforcement officers. This case study presents the countywide implementation of CIT and expands previous findings on the prevalence of officer interaction with persons with mental health issues and CIT training outcomes, including changes in officer perception of individuals with mental health issues. Furthermore, analysis of the disposition of calls for officer assistance coded as mental health or suicide found significant increases in officer drop-offs to the mental health crisis center post-CIT training. Interrupted time series analysis determined that this change has been sustained over time, perhaps owing to the unique communication between county law enforcement and mental health staff. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.

Ending HIV: Stigma, Fear-Based Policing, and Criminalization in Louisiana Through Training of Law Enforcement and Prosecutors

Human immunodeficiency virus, commonly known as HIV is a lentivirus that if left untreated, can lead to acquired immunodeficiency virus, commonly known as AIDS. Currently, HIV/AIDS affects more than 1.2 million people living in the U.S, and 1 out of 8 people are not even aware that they have contracted HIV. HIV emerged during the 1980’s, and was originally seen as a type of cancer because of the severity of the disease, and the almost immediate manner in which it claimed an infected person’s life. Since then, many strides have been made medically in improving the quality and length of life of those who have contracted HIV. Despite these medical advancements, those who have contracted HIV now have obstacles to face criminally. In response to the growing population of persons living with HIV/AIDS, state legislatures created and enacted laws governing the activities of intentional exposure to HIV, intentional transmission of HIV, and disclosure of HIV status to partners. Laws vary from each state regarding what behavior is criminalized, and the penalties imposed if a person is found guilty. In Louisiana, La. R.S. 14:43.5 was enacted in 1987, and criminalizes the intentional exposure to the AIDS virus. The issues with the Louisiana statute are 1) that exposure to the AIDS virus does not necessarily equate to transmission; and 2) some of the behaviors defined, as exposure in the statute will not actually transmit HIV/AIDS. Thus, there has been an emergence of many cases where persons are arrested, tried, and convicted of intentional exposure, where there was little to no rate of transmission of the virus. As of recently, there has been a movement to change the language of the statute to align with the scientific definitions of transmission, and end the criminalization of ordinary behaviors, which will not lead to contracting HIV. This comment serves to argue that amending La. R.S. 14:43.5 is not enough to affect change in the criminalization of persons living with HIV/AIDS in Louisiana; and urges to also include mandatory HIV/AIDS training of law enforcement officers and prosecutors. By including law enforcement officers and prosecutors in the reform of HIV-specific laws, there is a chance to affect change in the way arrests are made and cases are tried.

The Menace of Domestic Violence: Improving the Lives of Women in Nigeria

The scourge of domestic violence as well as other forms of violence against women has eaten deep into the fabric of our society creating a lopsided gender balance with the female gender being the greatest victim. Violence has taken different forms ranging from sexual to physical and psychological as well as other forms. This degrades the humanity of the woman in our society. Abusive partners and perpetrators base their actions on superior nature of the male sex, religion, law, custom, economic situation, family pressure, and their behavioural pattern. It is believed that lack of a legal framework universally enforced as well as lack of trained law enforcement officers promotes the violence of women in Nigeria. A proactive legal framework, establishment of confidential and well equipped family courts, training of law enforcement officers, shelters and counselling centres can reduce the abuse of women in Nigeria and across the globe. The physical, sociological and psychological effect of violence against women is unquantifiable. To achieve a fair and balanced society, women must be valued, respected and supported and not battered either by stick or word of mouth.

PRESENT STATE AND PROBLEMS OF PHYSICAL TRAINING OF PERSONNEL OF POLICE

The main factor in the criminal world of confrontation in the Russian Federation are the law enforcement agencies, in particular the Ministry of Interior system in the face of internal affairs bodies. One of the main components of a successful career law enforcement officer is a high level of physical fitness. This fact is due to the necessity of being in a constant state of alert to repel attacks from the underworld. Employees are required to promptly respond to emergencies in the performance, using not only the latest weapons, but also the methods and means of specialized training. The problem of content, focus and methods of physical training of law enforcement officers is widely regarded in the scientific and technical literature. This range of issues is reflected in the legal documents, which indicates the importance and urgency of physical training officer for the state as a whole. The role of law enforcement in the maintenance of law and order, ensuring public safety - high. From an effective and well-coordinated work of lawenforcement bodies, the interaction of these structures with the social forces, local authorities and citizens, depends largely on a quiet and measured life not only society but also the individual citizen.

The Mental Health Mission of Rep. Tim Murphy

The Mental Health Mission of Rep. Tim Murphy

An Analysis of Firearms Training Performance among Active Law Enforcement Officers in the USA

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of differing stressors, associated with common exercises for handgun training of law enforcement officers, on performance and heart rate. Law enforcement officers were tested in groups for static shooting, shooting with running, and simulated combat; shoot-house exercises were performed individually. The firearms exercises performed on hit rate percentages yielded a significant effect on performance. Post hoc testing indicated that simulation and shoot-house exercises were significantly different from all other drills. Static shooting hit rate and run-shoot hit rate drills were significantly different from the simulation and shoot-house drills, but were not significantly different from each other. The firearms exercises also resulted in a significant effect on heart rates. Post hoc testing indicated significant differences in only two comparisons: static shooting and shoot-house exercises, and static shooting and simulation. Finally, a Pearson's r correlation performed on hit rate percentages and heart rate data resulted in a significant negative correlation r = .49. The differences between exercises in both performance and heart rate suggest that training that is more similar to actual force-on-force situations decrease performance and increase heart rate. Based on these findings, it would seem that training programmes should incorporate a greater proportion of training time devoted to combat situations involving high-stress exercises.

Suicide by cop: implications for crisis (hostage) negotiations

Purpose – Suicide by cop (SbC) is a growing problem and presents special challenges to crisis (hostage) negotiation teams. The purpose of this paper is to examine current definitions of SbC, early warning signs of SbC, successful and unsuccessful resolution of cases, and strategies that have proven most effective to resolve these incidents. Recommendations regarding appropriate training and coping strategies in dealing with the post-shooting emotional sequelae of SbC are presented. Design/methodology/approach – With a dearth of empirical knowledge regarding how to properly respond to SbC crisis incidents, an extensive literature review was conducted to ascertain extant strategies to de-escalate and reduce the lethality of these events. Findings – Results indicated that SbC crisis incidents are more likely to be resolved if officers provide reassurance for the way that subject's feel, comply with reasonable requests, and offer alternative or realistic options. Establishing rapport by spending time with the subject and utilizing active listening skills can decrease the likelihood of another episode in the future. Practical implications – These findings have implications for the efficient training of law enforcement officers in general, and crisis negotiators, in particular, in how to appropriately deal with SbC events. The authors also highlight specific errors in negotiation and how to observe early warning signs in the SbC subject to inform prevention and intervention strategies. Originality/value – The paper adds to the limited literature on crisis negotiation techniques for resolving SbC incidents.

Assessing the impact of harm reduction programs on law enforcement in Southeast Asia: a description of a regional research methodology

For over 15 years the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) has been a leading donor for harm reduction projects in Southeast Asia. The recent AusAID-supported harm reduction projects of greatest significance have included the Asia Regional HIV/AIDS Project (AHRP), from 2002 until 2007,1 and the HIV/AIDS Asia Regional Program (HAARP), from 2007 until 2015.2 Both projects included in their design specific strategies for engaging with law enforcement agencies at country level. The main focus of these strategies has been to develop law enforcement harm reduction policy and curriculum, and the design and implementation of specific harm reduction training for law enforcement officers.In July 2008, the Australian Development Research Awards (ADRA) funded the Nossal Institute for Global Health at the University of Melbourne to establish a research project created to assess the influence of harm reduction programs on the policy and operational practices of law enforcement agencies in Southeast Asia, known as the LEHRN Project (Law Enforcement, Harm Reduction, Nossal Institute Project). The ADRA is a unique grant research mechanism that specifically funds development research to improve the understanding and informed decision making of the implementation of Australian aid effectiveness.While the need to engage law enforcement when establishing harm reduction programs was well documented, little was known about the impact or influence of harm reduction programs on policy and practices of law enforcement agencies. The LEHRN Project provided the opportunity to assess the impact of harm reduction programs on law enforcement in Southeast Asia, with a focus on Vietnam, Cambodia and Lao PDR.

Spanish Language Training for Law Enforcement Officers: Study Aid Use, Motivation, and Need to Use Correlate with Vocabulary Retention

Job-related Spanish courses are available across the country for a variety of professions. Blandino and Rivardo (Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology 21(2):68–82, 2006) assessed the effectiveness of the Officer Safety and Communication Spanish Level I (OSCSLI) (Alentado 1995) course for law enforcement officers, but did not have data beyond 6-months post course and were unable to fully assess potential benefits of study aid use. In a follow-up study, 200 law enforcement officers completed a questionnaire and quiz up to 10 years following course completion. Those who used study aids had higher quiz scores than those who did not. Multiple regression analyses indicated that past need to use Spanish and motivation to learn Spanish were significant predictors of quiz performance, further supporting long term course effectiveness.

Improving Crash Reporting

Crash report rates from tribal lands in South Dakota are generally low relative to the number of crashes estimated for those areas. The number of actual crashes on tribal lands in South Dakota was quantified for 2005 to describe the barriers to better crash reporting from tribal lands and to suggest remedies for poor crash reporting. The research team visited all nine reservations and worked with law enforcement agencies to retrieve crash data for 2005, as available. Seven hundred thirty-seven crashes were documented in some fashion by tribal and Bureau of Indian Affairs law enforcement agencies, although only 52 were reported with enough detail to be included in the South Dakota Accident Reporting System. After visiting the law enforcement offices for each reservation, the research team met with tribal and Bureau of Indian Affairs law enforcement officials to discuss possible improvements to reporting. Three major ideas emerged from these discussions. The first was training for law enforcement officers on the crash forms and the crash-reporting process for South Dakota. The second concerned software solutions for internal tribal data processing and making the crash report form easier to complete. Finally, the political issues involved in crash reporting represent a significant barrier to improvement and are tied primarily to the overall relationship between tribes and the State of South Dakota. On the basis of the information gathered as part of the study, the research team made recommendations to the State of South Dakota for improving crash reporting from tribal lands.

Mental Health Courts Bill Targets Multiple Problems

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Government NewsFull AccessMental Health Courts Bill Targets Multiple ProblemsRich DalyRich DalySearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:21 Dec 2007https://doi.org/10.1176/pn.42.24.0012The House Judiciary Committee approved an APA-supported bill in November to reauthorize a mental health courts program and improve services for mentally ill prisoners.The bill (HR 3992), sponsored by Rep. Robert Scott (D-Va.), would reauthorize the mental health courts grant program through 2013. The grant program is set to expire next year.The legislation is needed, Scott said, because people with mental illness have difficulty obtaining adequate treatment once incarcerated and they are at high risk of suicide and victimization by other inmates.The bill also would renew a grant program that funds treatment for inmates with mental illness and training for law-enforcement officers who handle such offenders. It would authorize a boost in the program's funding from $50 million in Fiscal 2008 to $75 million by Fiscal 2013.“Even though there are offenders with mental illness who commit serious crimes for which arrest, adjudication, and incarceration are entirely appropriate, the majority of those with mental illnesses are those who are incarcerated [for] low-level, nonviolent offenses, and they require a more comprehensive approach than simple incarceration,” said Scott at a March hearing on the grant programs.In response to the need for a treatment alternative for mentally ill, nonviolent offenders, some state and local governments have implemented mental health courts, a specialty-court model that uses a separate docket, coupled with regular judicial supervision, to address infractions by people with mental illness.Scott's reauthorization legislation also would require the attorney general to report on the rate of serious mental illness and homelessness among individuals in custody.The bill would give grant grants to programs that train law-enforcement personnel in procedures to identify and appropriately respond to incidents in which people with mental illness are involved. Grants also would fund specialized receiving centers to assess individuals in the custody of law-enforcement personnel for mental health and substance abuse treatment problems.A separate law-enforcement training program grant, created by the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (PL 90-351), has been authorized under current law at $50 million annually through Fiscal 2009, although Congress provided only $5 million this fiscal year.Local police forces have responded to the growing challenge of increased interactions with criminal suspects thought to have mental illness by creating up to 200 crisis-intervention teams nationwide, which are collaborations between the law-enforcement and mental health systems.The bill would also authorize an additional $35 million a year from Fiscal 2008 to Fiscal 2013 for new grant programs focusing on treatment of women prisoners who are mentally ill; screening, identification, and assessment of mentally ill inmates; and improved coordination of treatment and post-release services.A separate $5 million annual grant program to provide treatment for women inmates would offer them mental health care, intensive case-management services, family-support services if they have children, and mental health care for those children.The need for the programs in the bill is based in part on Department of Justice estimates that the majority of the 2.2 million people in U.S. jails and prisons suffer from mental illness, and a high percentage are affected in the juvenile-justice system. A survey by the Department of Justice in September 2006 concluded that 56 percent of state prisoners, 45 percent of federal prisoners, and 64 percent of local jail inmates had “a mental health problem,” based on inmate self-reported symptoms rather than a diagnosis of a mental illness.Many of these individuals are not violent or habitual criminals. However, their presence imposes substantial costs on that system and can result in significant harm to those ill inmates, according to the bill's advocates.“This large proportion of mentally ill persons in our jails and prisons is part of a growing trend to transfer individuals who used to be tracked for mental health treatment straight to jail,” Scott said.“ One problem contributing to this trend is the lack of programs that train law enforcement to identify and properly handle offenders with mental illness.”The House Judiciary Committee rejected, however, an amendment by Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-Texas) to provide monetary incentives to law-enforcement officers who enroll in training programs on how to deal with mentally ill offenders.Although supporters of the bill are planning to introduce identical legislation in the Senate, legislation (S 2304) with some similarities was already introduced there by Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.).The mental health court legislation can be accessed at<http://thomas.loc.gov> by searching on the bill numbers, HR 3992 and S 2304. ▪ ISSUES NewArchived

Sexual Assault Training of Law Enforcement Officers

The importance of proper response to victims of sexual abuse or assault has been well documented. However, despite their prominence as responders, little research has been conducted on training law enforcement officials to conduct this aspect of their jobs effectively. We describe results of a statewide survey of the adequacy of law enforcement officers' preparation to respond to victims of sexual assault. Results revealed a significant need for greater training on the topic, as well as a number of potential positive impacts of additional training and education, including feelings of better preparation, greater collaboration with external resources, more likelihood of victim participation in investigation, and more cases being brought to prosecution. Based on the results, we present a model of proposed benefits of additional training for police officers in sexual assault.

The Training of Law Enforcement Officers in Detecting Deception: A Survey of Current Practices and Suggestions for Improving Accuracy

The current study surveyed a random sample of Texas law enforcement officers (N = 109) about their training in detecting deception. Texas officers reported that their training entailed the equivalent of a 2-day, lecture-style workshop in the kinesic interview technique or Reid technique, two popular police training modules, with subsequent training more often the exception than the rule. The authors examine these results in light of previous social science research regarding officers’ accuracy in detecting deception and make suggestions for future training programs for police officers in this area.

Warrantless Arrest in Domestic Violence

Legislators in the United States have responded to domestic violence by passing laws to criminalize domestic violence without empirical support of the effectiveness of this intervention. This research examines policy implementation and domestic violence arrest rates to determine the effectiveness of such legislation in Virginia. The implementation of written domestic violence policies and training for law enforcement officers was expected to increase domestic violence arrest rates. The findings show a positive impact of law enforcement training on felony (repeat offender) domestic violence arrest rates. The findings are relevant for social workers involved in policy and resource allocation for domestic violence interventions.

Multicultural Communication Training for Law Enforcement Officers: A Case Study

This exploratory case study focused on multicultural communication training within the community policing context. Little research has addressed what constitutes effective content and delivery of multicultural training for law enforcement officers. Brislin and Yoshida's four-component multicultural plan was combined with limited law enforcement-related multicultural training literature to design a training program for a small city's police department. Two 4-hour training sessions were conducted by one of the investigators using a culture-general content approach and selected training methods to determine their usefulness for improving officers' multi-cultural competencies. The case included the training sessions together with pre-and posttraining activities over a period of approximately 3 months. Data were collected with selected test instruments and also from the field notes taken during the case activities. The results suggest that the culture-general model and interactive training methods and trainer qualifications may be key to yielding positive training outcomes.

Training Law Enforcement Officers to Assist the Demented Elderly

In times of crisis involving the unmanageable behavior of the elderly with Alzheimer's disease or related disorders, families often request assistance from law enforcement officers who have little training specific to dealing with such emergencies. This study involves the design and implementation of such training with a sample of 78 officers. Tabulations from completed pretests (N = 63) and posttests (N = 58) examined with Student's t tests showed an overall significant difference (p = .001) between the pretest and posttest means. Also, the training was evaluated as excellent/good and helpful and was well received These findings indicate that training for law enforcement officers can result in significant, useful learning for handling emergencies with the demented elderly.

A stress inoculation approach to anger management in the training of law enforcement officers.

Consultation with law enforcement personnel in the area of conflict-management has typically been concerned with interpersonal rather than intrapersonal conflict. An approach to anger management that is based on cognitive self-control techniques is described as it has been used in the training of police officers. The approach follows a procedure called "stress inoculation" that has been applied to anxiety and pain (Meichenbaum, 1975). Data are presented on the anger experiences of policemen, and suggestions are offered for the selection of police candidates regarding their proneness for provocation.

The Prevention and Control of Delinquency.

In this important classic work, one of America's foremost social scientists introduces a significant approach to the causation of delinquency and advances an all-inclusive strategy for coping with a national problem of continuing concern. MacIver shows that delinquency is caused by a complex and bewildering interplay of many factors and is not susceptible to simplistic explanations and solutions. He advances reasoned critiques of various theories regarding the causation of delinquency, while suggesting that the two combined factors most closely associated with delinquency--despite its increase among middle class youth--are urbanized poverty and ethnic or racial discrimination. Citing the encouraging results obtained by the establishment of predelinquent gangs by various organizations, he demonstrates that prevention of delinquency is far more successful than rehabilitation.MacIver emphasizes the need for a strategy consisting of closer coordination of programs, in nation as well as city, a sustained system of group after-care, and special training for law enforcement officers and judges to enable them to deal more competently with delinquents. In particular, he calls for better educational services, increased employment opportunities, and higher qualifications and salaries for counselors.The Prevention and Control of Delinquency, exploring an important aspect of urbanized life in instructive and absorbing detail, points the way for effective action in the various areas of delinquent behavior. It provides a concrete description of the more important devices and experiments that are now being developed and practiced. Written by an outstanding authority, this major work on the theoretical understanding, control, and cure of one of the crucial problems of our urban civilization is addressed to social scientists, organizational leaders and workers, and educators and planners in the field.