(1967, p. 701):
The early executives of the London police saw with great clarity that their organization had a dual function. While it was to be an arm of the administration of justice, in respect of which it developed certain techniques for bringing offenders to trial, it was also expected to function apart from, and at times in lieu of, the employment of full-dress legal procedure. Despite its early origin, despite a great deal of public knowledge about it, despite the fact that it is routinely done by policemen, no one can say with any clarity what it means to do a good job of keeping the peace. . . . The following is an attempt to clarify conceptually the mandate and the practice of keeping the peace.
Explain how the concepts of “law enforcement” and “keeping the peace” might differ? How would this difference apply to the Whyte Avenue riots that occurred during the Edmonton Oilers’ playoff run in the spring of 2006?
- The following quote is from “Policeman as Philosopher, Guide and Friend,” by Cumming, Cumming, and Edell (1965, p. 286):
Thus, it is as an agent of control that the policeman participates in a divided labor with social workers, doctors, clergymen, lawyers and teachers in maintaining social integration. The problems he faces appear to be a failure of integration within the integrative system, so that he cannot mobilize the other agents when he needs them.
Cumming et al. go on to describe patrol officers as “amateur social workers,” but they question whether the police will overcome the problem of integration or become more specialized in their own role.
Explain how a “failure of integration” might compromise the ability of police officers to help those in need. Refer to the excerpts taken from Raymond Fosdick’s (1920) work on the NYPD, outlined in the journal exercise for Unit 1. Compare your journal comments from Unit 1 when answering this question.
- The following quote is from Egon Bittner’s “The Police on Skid Row: A Study of Peace Keeping”(1967, p. 715):
The uniformed patrol, and especially the foot patrol, has a low preferential value in the division of labor of police work. This is, in part, at least, due to the belief that “anyone could do it.” In fact, this belief is thoroughly mistaken.
Explain this general statement and its significance in relation to Cumming et al.’s reference to patrol officers as “amateur social workers.” Do Bittner’s observations support the view that police officers have a significant role to play in society? Give reasons for your answer.
- In “The Evolving Strategy of Policing,” Kelling and Moore (1988, pp. 8-9) discuss eight ways in which strategies associated with the reform era of policing ran into difficulty. One of the issues pertained to a misunderstanding of the use of discretion and the centrality of the law enforcement focus.
Refer to Bittner (1990) and to Cumming et al. (1965) to discuss the disjuncture between the law enforcement approach of the reform era and the reality of the patrol function. How do you explain the perception that the professional model—with its emphasis on motorized patrols and radio communications—distanced police from the community?
