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"Accountability refers to the mechanisms by which both law enforcement officers and the agencies they serve are held responsible for promoting social order, reducing crime, and treating each individual fairly and within the limits of the law. Accountability lies at the heart of citizen concerns regarding police discretion, use of force, and the internal hiring practices of those in law enforcement. It both defines and protects citizens’ rights while also promoting a collective sense of faith in the larger criminal justice system. In short, accountability serves as the public’s first line of defense against acts of misconduct that can, and often do, violate the rights of those whom law enforcement agents have sworn to serve and protect."
Police Brutality, Misconduct, and Corruption: Criminological Explanations and Policy Implications by
This Brief proposes a criminological typology for understanding and addressing police misconduct. The author proposes 5 major typologies: police corruption, police criminality, excessive use of force, abuse of authority, and police misconduct. Through a systematic examination of each of these five types, the author aims to break down the nebulous topic of police misbehavior into manageable categories, with their own set of causes, and recommendations for detection and prevention.
Police Use of Force: Important Issues Facing the Police and the Communities They Serve by
Police use of force has been a major concern for police departments and citizens in the United States since the 1840s, when police first started carrying guns. Starting with a historical introduction, Police Use of Force offers in-depth coverage of the use of force, deadly force, non-lethal weapons, militarization of policing, racism and profiling, legal cases, psychology, perception and training, and violence prevention.
Electric-Shock Weapons, Tasers and Policing: Myths and Realities by
Building on five years of research, and drawing on criminology, science and technology studies (STS), socio-legal studies and social psychology, this book is the first non-medical book written on electric-shock weapons, of which the best well known is the TASER brand. The police's ability to use force is one of their most crucial powers, yet one that has been relatively neglected by criminology. This book challenges some of the myths surrounding the use of these weapons and considers their human rights implications and impact on members of the public and officers alike.
Policing Unrest: On the Front Lines of the Ferguson Protests by
The book covers a range of topics such as police-community relationships and community policing principles; how factors such as police subculture and organizational culture stacked up against social identity during this crisis; the role of an officer's characteristics, especially an officer's race, play in an officer's self-legitimacy; and the implications for police recruitment and training. Policing Unrest explains how the Ferguson protests ushered in an era of police reform and reveals what it is like being a police officer facing public unrest, particularly in the wake of widely publicized incidents of police brutality around the country.
Police Use of Excessive Force Against African Americans: Historical Antecedents and Community Perceptions by If you know a specific collection has what you need, or if you're struggling to narrow a search from the search bar above, try one of these.
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This page was originally developed by Elaine Patton and John Powell.
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First published: April 2024
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