Police Operations Essay

There are many types of Police operations. Policing in general has a wide range of different kinds of strategies and areas. To begin with one of the most important, in my opinion in police operations is the dangers of policing. The main principle that contributes to policing in general is the danger that comes with this sort of job. As police officers they are putting their lives at risk each and every single day. They are never certain of what will happen. The minute they start their duty they can encounter all sorts of problems with all sorts of people. They deal with some of the most violent people and not to mention dangerous people as well. There have been numerous occasions in when officers have lost their lives after responding to a crime call. It happens very often, these officers are never guaranteed that they will be safe when the respond to a crime call. The dangerous of policing can start as simply as pulling someone over for running a stop sign or simply for a light they have off, or a suspended license registration. Over all, the reason for an individual getting pulled over in unbearable. Bottom line is that if an individual gets pulled over for any of the above mentioned reasons does not mean that the person is not capable of having a criminal background, a warrant, or violent past. When officers pullover an individual they really have no clue what kind of person they are about to encounter. As officers it is very important that they are cautious and alert at all times. There have been stories when officers respond to calls and the individual retaliates on the officer, this issue has cost officers life in the past. It is a very unfortunate situation but that is the job as a police officer. The dangers that cause over half of all police deaths are traffic incidents. In 2009, 56 officers died in the line of duty by traffic incidents. According to data from the National Law Enforcement Officers  Memorial Fund reported traffic remains the largest cause of death for 12 years running. In 2009, 47 officers died by intentional gunfire up 24% from the previous year and gunf ire claimed the lives of 38 officers. These are the two major cause of death in policing and an increasing concern for different tactics which require more effective means, such as body armor for example. (Keating, M.2012). Police operations are extremely demanding activities that challenge policemen by strict load, working memory, and fast rational thinking. Such activities should never be underestimated as human life is in jeopardy every time police operations take place. Police operations task demands are to great extent dependable on task complexity due to the fact that the performance becomes better when the task is less complicated and may get worse during difficult tasks Although the latter challenges human factor in terms of intellectual intensity, time pressure, and enormous responsibility, it does develop profound professional skills if only thorough training aimed at self-discipline and self-organization is carried out. Dangers of policing Each day an officer awakes to go to work his or her life is in danger. The dangers can range from getting into a car wreck on the way to work, while responding to a call, poor nutrition, assaulted on the scene of a call, and from handling of apprehend suspects. Driving is part on an officer’s daily duty; however, that does not make him or her immune to a car crash. Physical harm is one of the greatest dangers to any and all police officers. An officer could be assaulted or attacked by an armed criminal at any time or place. A lack of adequate back up is another prime example of a dangerous situation for a police officer. Although a police officer should not pursue any situation in which he or she is widely outnumbered, and without back up, this is always a possibility. (Copblock.org 2010). Police officers never know when a person will attack, so transporting a person to a jail or prison can be a very dangerous position to be in. Not only do police officers have to pay attentio n to what they are doing but also must be aware of the other hundreds of vehicles to who they are sharing the roadway. When an officer gets into a police chase, the likelihood of a wreck increases significantly. Therefore, an officer must have a valid reason to initiate a car chase.  Another danger to an officer is the issue of his or her health. Police officers normally work rotating shifts and eat large amounts of fast food. The rotating shift alone can make someone’s health fail, let alone adding the fast food to it. Shift work can have terrible effects on one’s circadian rhythms. Circadian rhythms, also known as the body’s internal clock, are a 24-hour cycle. The rise of the sun and nightfall affects the rhythms (Copblock.org 2010). When the rhythm is interrupted by rotating shifts, this can cause sleep disorders and very unhealthy eating patterns. Another danger would be that both police workers and officers experience various tasks, interpersonal and physical demands during police operations that the majority of ordinary people never come across at their work or in their families. These requirements and stressors negatively influence a physical and psychological condition that may lead to more serious physical or mental damage or interruption. Role and physical demands for policemen can develop a condition of constant overload called hyper stress. Typically, the number of queries concerns and emergency calls exceeds the time assigned to a particular police worker. Therefore, not only is the quality of the time given to each separate case and that’s why each case at risk, the mental and physical condition of the police worker is in constant jeopardy. Regarding investigators, they experience heavy caseloads for which they are expected to follow prescribed case management criteria. Also, they find themselves within very limited time framework set by prosecutors who may keep them under the pressure to finish the process as fast as they possibly can, so that the case can reach the trial. Insomnia or permanent tiredness is often caused by hyper stress, as well as weight loss /gain and different degrees of impairment of mental processes. On the contrary, hypo stress may emerge from input under loads for police workers who work a 3rd shift and accept few or calls during night hours. One of the most influential task demands is resistance to stress and ability to cope with sudden interruptions. Experts say that highly indicated factors may have negative effect on police operations outcome as they develop more frequent forgetting on the planned action. Also the activity of working memory is very vulnerable to all external factors accepted by the human body through sight, hearing, smell, etc. Less than Lethal weapons Less-Lethal weapons defined as weapons or any devices that are intended to be less likely to kill a living target than are traditional weapons. Such weapons are also termed as non-lethal weapons, less-than-lethal weapons, non-deadly weapons, compliance weapons, or pain-inducing weapons. Non-lethal weapons may be used in circumstances where conventional weapons are restricted or lethal force is prohibited or undesirable. (USLegal.com 2012). They are also used in combat situations to limit the escalation of conflict. According to California standards, these weapon includes the frame or receiver of any weapon described as but does not include any of the following unless the part or weapon has been converted as described in subdivision as any device that is designed to or that has been converted to expel or propel less lethal ammunition by any action, mechanism, or process for the purpose of incapacitating, immobilizing, or stunning a human being through the infliction of any less than l ethal impairment of physical condition, function, or senses, including physical pain or discomfort. For example, non-lethal weapons may be a destructive devise, tear gas, a bow or cross bow, or something as simple as a slingshot. Technology used in policing The rate of technological change in recent years is so fast that one could reasonably suggest that the top 10 jobs 10 years from now, those jobs might not even exist today. (Schultz, P. D. 2008). Technology is changing the way police departments operate, how criminals are processed, how crimes are investigated, and how trials follow through. Technologies funded today were not even common knowledge just a few years ago. Some technology that police use to assist them with crime investigations start with the very car or vehicle they drive. From crime lights to in-car camera systems, to having an on-board computer right at the disposal of the officer has changed the way the police follow through with crimes. When a crime has been process the evidence goes to the forensic labs where technology of today and the future shows its face. The technology that the labs use today and possible will enhance as the years go by are anything from Photo enhancement systems, graffiti cameras, thermal imaging, and the ability to search for individuals using finger prints and DNA samples. On the other hand, the use of thermal imagers can assist police officers with drug and marijuana arrests. Sometimes even the use of a K9 unit is sometimes used to  assist in drug arrests. The next other forms of technology that are used to process and assist police officers is the CIRS Criminal Investigations Records Systems) which are used to search, match and identify any suspect that the police seem fit. Radios are almost always used with any officer both on the streets and in the car. The radio allows the officer to stay in contact with other officers, call for back up, signal for help, and request a transfer of a suspect. Some other technology that are sometimes used are lasers, mainly used for terroristic threats and attacks, language translators, that are used for the many citizens who speak other languages, Cameras for K9 Units, an automatic license plate recognition, and finally a global positioning devise.( Schultz, P. D. 2008) Issues of Homeland Security and law enforcement relationships Many people in all levels of the government are now taking a hard look at how best to protect their communities from terrorism and crime. (Cooke, L. G., & Hahn, L. R. 2006). Following the terrorist attacks of September 11th 2001, a revolution has been underway in the relationships of federal, state, and local homeland security, law enforcement, and intelligence organizations. At the federal level, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been created, the â€Å"wall† between law enforcement and intelligence has been nearly obliterated, some law enforcement organizations are being directed to become more like intelligence agencies, and the foreign intelligence community is being fundamentally reformed. Right now public law enforcement is facing a major crisis, with the activation of military reservists, which hurt police staffing, jurisdictions lack resources to hire additional officers, and local communities, cities, countries, and states face tight budgets. (Cooke, L. G., & Hahn, L. R. 2006) Although there are many problems in the homeland security, the police officers still manage to keep a solid relationship with the community. By keeping those safe from crime, and keeping crime off the streets, and developing relationship with the citizens of the community, our society will once again be able to battle the war of crime. The Future of Policing Some police forces believe that 20 years from now they will operate much as they do today, but advances in technology and operating concepts are driving  significant changes in day-to-day police operations. The potential visions of the future of policing, based on the concept of jurisdiction, technology, and threat, and include concrete steps for implementation. This idea is based on a review of policing methods and theories from the 19th century to the present day. Recommendations include educating personnel and leaders to build internal support for change, transitioning to share technical platforms, and leveraging winning technologies. Because criminals will also use new technology that becomes available, the key to the future of policing will not be the technology itself; it will be the ways in which police forces adapt the technology to their needs. Conclusion There are many types of Police operations. Policing in general has a wide range of different kinds of strategies and areas. All of which are used today to keep our streets and community safe from crime and terrorism. There are many different kinds of relationships in which police officers have with the community to this day, in order for the community to assist the police in any way they can. The use of technology that is used with in the many different branches of police, military and government are all sign that paint the way to the future of what the police force and military and government will become as the years go by into the future. References Cooke, L. G., & Hahn, L. R. (2006, November). The Missing Link in Homeward Security. Retrieved from http://www.policechiefmagazine.org/magazine/index.cfm?fuseaction=display_arch&article_id=1048&issue_id=112006 Keating, M. (2012). Big Drop in Police deaths last year. Retrieved from http://govpro.com/public_safety/law/poice-deaths-low-20100112 Schultz, P. D. (2008, June). Technology in Police Departments. Retrieved from http://www.policechiefmagazine.org/magazine/index.cfm?fuseaction=display&article_id=1527&issue_id=62008 USLegal.com. (2012). Less-lethal weapon law & legal definition. Retrieved from http://definitions.unlegal.com/I/less-lethal-weapon/ Copblock.org. (2010, September 13). How dangerous is Police Work? Retrieved from http://www.copblock.org/923/how-dangerous-is-police-work/