List and discuss four of the eight problems cited with the professional model of policing

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Crime began to rise, and research suggested that conventional police methods were not effective. There were inner-city riots in several major cities and assassinations – the country was witnessing tremendous upheaval. Five national studies of policing were conducted. Police administrators became more willing to challenge traditional assumptions and to open their doors to researchers.

Fear rose. Citizens abandoned parks, public transportation, neighborhood shopping centers, churches, and entire neighborhoods.

Many minority citizens did not perceive their treatment as equitable or adequate. They protested not only police mistreatment but lack of treatment – despite attempts by most police departments to provide impartial policing to all citizens.

The antiwar and civil rights movements challenged police. The legitimacy of the police was questioned. Students resisted police, minorities rioted against them for what they represented, and the public challenged police tactics. Minorities and women insisted that they be represented in policing if the police were to be legitimate.

Some of the myths of policing – that police officers use little or no discretion and that their primary duty is law enforcement – could no longer be sustained. Research underscored that the use of discretion was needed at all levels and that law enforcement comprised but a small portion of police officers' activities. Other research findings shook the foundations of old assumptions about policing.

Line officers continued to have low status. Police work continued to be routinized; petty rules governed officer behavior. Meanwhile, line officers received little guidance in the use of discretion and had little opportunity for providing input concerning their work. This brought the rise of militant unionism.

The police lost a significant portion of their financial support. Many police departments were reduced in size, demonstrating an erosion of public confidence.

Police began to acquire competition: private security and the community crime control movement. Businesses, industries, and private citizens began to seek alternative means of protecting themselves and their property.