• News
• Projects
• Publications

NEWS

Visit the Police Foundation at Booth 1004 during the International Association of Chiefs of Police 117th Annual Conference, October 23-27, 2010, Orlando, FL. Info at http://www.theiacpconference.org/iacp2010/public/enter.aspx

More law enforcement officers die in the line of duty in traffic incidents each year than in shootings. Research is examining how to make officers more visible to motorists. Simply using blue flashing lights on cars instead of other colors can make a difference, and using special reflective materials is helpful. Read more at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/journals/265/officers.htm

PROJECTS

The Role of Civilian Police Forces in Post-Conflict Peacekeeping Missions

The changes in the operational models used in international peacekeeping missions from the early 1990s led to a broadening and deepening of the role of civilian police authorities in order to promote democratic principles and the rule of law. Given the deficiency in understanding civilian police reform and the mixed results to-date, major concerns have arisen regarding the role of civilian police deployments, the service delivery capacity of those agencies, and their strategic performance. The research goals are to (1) identify the appropriate role(s) for civilian police in intervention or post-conflict missions; (2) identify the appropriate civilian policing service delivery and reform/capacity development model(s) to be utilized in intervention and post-conflict environments, and (3) identify the appropriate policing performance measures and frameworks to be utilized in the intervention and post-conflict environments.

PUBLICATIONS

Now available online

The Abuse of Police Authority: A National Study of Police Officers' Attitudes by David Weisburd, Rosann Greenspan, Edwin E. Hamilton, Kellie A. Bryant, Hubert Williams
(197 pages/41 tables/figures)

This report presents the results of the first truly representative national survey of how America's rank-and-file police officers and their supervisors view critical issues of abuse of police authority. Officer responses are also analyzed according to rank, race, region of the U.S., and size of department. The survey instrument with responses is included. Presented are officers' views on:

• Whether abuse of police authority is a necessary byproduct of efforts to reduce and control crime;
• What types of abuse and attitudes toward abuse are observed in their departments, including the code of silence, whistle blowing, and the extent to which a citizen's race, demeanor, and class affect the way police officers treat them;
• What strategies or tactics-including first-line supervision, community policing, citizen review boards, and training-do police officers consider to be effective means of preventing police abuse of authority.

Ideas in American Policing, Number 12, December 2009

Customer Satisfaction: Crime Victims’ Willingness to Call the Police
(181 KB) by Candace Kruttschnitt and Kristin Carbone-Lopez

Results from the original victimization survey conducted by the 1967 President’s Crime Commission and the most recent National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) indicate relatively little improvement in citizens’ willingness to call the police when they have been victimized, despite substantial improvements in police recruitment standards and the implementation of community policing. Using data from a sample of women offenders in Minneapolis, who have a low probability of being included in a NCVS, the authors explore who reports crimes to the police and the reasons given for failing to report being victimized. The analyses are confined to crimes of violence perpetrated by intimates, acquaintances, and strangers. Findings indicate both that NCVS data underestimate the extent of non-reporting and that in a substantial number of cases the police failed to respond to citizens’ reports. The authors consider both the practical and theoretical significance of these findings.

Electronic Crime Scene Investigation: An On-the-Scene Reference for First Responders
NIJ has published this pocketsize book that serves as a quick guide to electronic devices. Law enforcement officers who are the first to arrive at a crime scene increasingly come across electronic devices ranging from computers to cell phones. Making the wrong move could destroy valuable electronic evidence. If a computer is running, is it better to turn it off or leave it on? The frustrating answer is: It depends. Info and how to order at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/pubs-sum/227050.htm