- Email: [email protected]
Crime control: The use and misuse of police resources
578
CURRENT
PUBLICATIONS
ence after World War I was “idiosyncratic.” Using their file of cross-national data on homicide, they found substantial postwar increases in homicide rates among most of the combatant nations examined. The following two chapters perform similar analyses, with similar results. The question of whether larger cities have dramatically higher homicide rates and the question of whether the death penalty deters crime are both considered, and traditional assumptions are proved inadequate by the introduction of cross-national data. Many other areas of criminal research would benefit from similar scrutiny, Archer and Gardner suggest, including questions concerning (1) the relationship between judicial or legislative policy changes and crime rates; (2) how fluctuations in unemployment affect homicide rates; (3) whether changes in gun ownership in a society affect the rates of violent crime; and (4) whether crime “waves” are uniform across all types of offense. The authors put forward their research approach, which attempts to combine the scientific method (controlled comparison, longitudinal analysis, replication, and data quality control) with comparative analysis, in the hope of helping to bring about the coming of age of the study of crime and violence as a science. The book includes seven chapters, a list of tables and figures, references, and an index.
Crime Control: The Use and Misuse of Police Resources by David John Farmer. Plenum Publishing Corporation (233 Spring Street, New York, New York 10013), 1984, 233 pp., hardcover-$25.00 This volume analyzes the current use of police resources and considers how those resources could be used to control crime more effectively. While the author criticizes the public urge for simplistic, single-issue solutions to crime, he does explain, as well as demonstrate, his belief that changing the form of the police agency would have a significant impact on the crime problem that besets American society today.
ABSTRACTS
Specifically, the book has two foci-( 1) an analysis of the decision making involved in the allocation of police resources and (2) a description of the critical features of a new type of police agency. Concerning the allocation of resources, Farmer attempts to demonstrate the political context of allocation decisions, and he argues for a reconceptualization of the resource allocation process that would consider the political factors underlying these decisions. He presents a conditional model of allocation decision making that shows how conditions determine the extent to which resource allocation decisions are politicized, and he suggests the possibility of controlling these conditions. Further, Farmer offers a comprehensive .“planningbudgeting-resources allocation” approach that, he believes, could form the basis for improving allocation decisions. Concerning the police agency, the book documents the failure of the contemporary police institution to meet society’s needs adequately. It is asserted that the major problem of the police agency is its dedication to process rather than to purpose. A new, purpose-oriented form of police agency, Farmer explains, would exhibit effective political involvement, particularly in terms of recognizing the policy leadership role of the community, as represented by its elected officials. This new form of police agency would have the capacity not only to develop, in partnership with other public and private agencies, workable purposes, plans, and policies that aim toward attaining a greater degree of community order, law, and justice, but also to mobilize and lead agencies and individuals toward the fulfillment of these purposes. The police agency, Farmer claims, should be able to work both directly and indirectly, through other societal organizations, and it should also be creative, applying new research results and perspectives to the tasks at hand. The analyses and policy recommendations presented here are based on an interdisciplinary data base collected in cities throughout the United States and in one state. The author uses a micro-economic approach in his analysis of resource allocation decision
CURRENT PUBLICATIONS
making. His views have been shaped, too, by his experiences in police work-i.e., as Special Assistant to the Police Commissioner in the New York City Police Department and as Director of the Police Division of the National Institute of Justice. The book contains ten chapters: references; an appendix, “Reading List for the Elected Official”; and an index.
Communication D.F. Gunderson
and Law Enforcement by and Robert Hopper.
Harper and Row (10 East 53rd Street, New York, New York 10022), 1984, 180 pp., softcover-$12.50. Communication, in the context of law enforcement professions, is the subject of this book. Detailed emphasis is placed on communication concepts and skills in accord with the authors’ belief that communication training is the key to effective human relations in law enforcement. The basic processes and problems of law enforcement are discussed in this light. Fourteen chapters cover many aspects of the role of communication in.law enforcement. Some of the topics discussed include reinforcement in human interaction, understanding nonverbal communication, dealing with conflicts, militant and dissident relations, interviewing, communicating with members of minority groups, effective community relations programs, and public speaking for law enforcement officers. Each chapter concludes with a summary and a list of recommended readings. The practical orientation of this book, which offers many specific suggestions for communicating effectively in specific situations, is due in part to the experience of one of the authors in the field of law enforcement. Gunderson has been a deputy sheriff, an investigator, and a private security officer . He presently teaches communication at the University of Alabama Law Enforcement Academy, and he claims that all the recommendations presented in this book have been used by graduates of the acad-
ABSTRACTS
579
emy. Hopper teaches at the University of Texas and has published widely in the field of communication. The volume includes a bibliography and an index.
The Law and Politics of Police Discretion by Gregory Howard Williams. Greenwood Press (88 Post Road West, Box 5007, Westport, Connecticut 06881), 1984, 218 pp., hardcover-$29.95. One aspect of police discretion-the decision to arrest-is considered here. Discretion and variation in police arrest decisions are evident particularly in cases of “low visibility” crimes, such as public intoxication and disorderly conduct. Studies have estimated that in a significant number of cases involving minor felonies and misdemeanors, the police have decided not to make arrests. Although the police have no explicit statutory authority to exercise such discretion, on a practical level, the lack of sufficient resources, and other factors, makes it impossible for the police to arrest all offenders. Police discretion is, at present, a necessity; yet its exercise has exposed the .police to accusations of racial, class, and other forms of discrimination and has created public scepticism about the impartiality of law enforcement. According to various scholars, Williams reports, it is evident that the factors of race, age, sex, socioeconomic status, and personal demeanor do play a significant part in police arrest decisions and that the inconsistent application of the law currently allows for the introduction of personal prejudices into police practice. Although many have voiced the need for guidelines for arrest decisions, few have attempted to consider and recommend standards to control police discretion. The aim of this book is to explore how, and by whom, such standards might be developed. Williams looks first at the police as a political entity whose powers, duties, and functions are circumscribed by state and federal constitutions. He attempts to deter-
CURRENT
PUBLICATIONS
ence after World War I was “idiosyncratic.” Using their file of cross-national data on homicide, they found substantial postwar increases in homicide rates among most of the combatant nations examined. The following two chapters perform similar analyses, with similar results. The question of whether larger cities have dramatically higher homicide rates and the question of whether the death penalty deters crime are both considered, and traditional assumptions are proved inadequate by the introduction of cross-national data. Many other areas of criminal research would benefit from similar scrutiny, Archer and Gardner suggest, including questions concerning (1) the relationship between judicial or legislative policy changes and crime rates; (2) how fluctuations in unemployment affect homicide rates; (3) whether changes in gun ownership in a society affect the rates of violent crime; and (4) whether crime “waves” are uniform across all types of offense. The authors put forward their research approach, which attempts to combine the scientific method (controlled comparison, longitudinal analysis, replication, and data quality control) with comparative analysis, in the hope of helping to bring about the coming of age of the study of crime and violence as a science. The book includes seven chapters, a list of tables and figures, references, and an index.
Crime Control: The Use and Misuse of Police Resources by David John Farmer. Plenum Publishing Corporation (233 Spring Street, New York, New York 10013), 1984, 233 pp., hardcover-$25.00 This volume analyzes the current use of police resources and considers how those resources could be used to control crime more effectively. While the author criticizes the public urge for simplistic, single-issue solutions to crime, he does explain, as well as demonstrate, his belief that changing the form of the police agency would have a significant impact on the crime problem that besets American society today.
ABSTRACTS
Specifically, the book has two foci-( 1) an analysis of the decision making involved in the allocation of police resources and (2) a description of the critical features of a new type of police agency. Concerning the allocation of resources, Farmer attempts to demonstrate the political context of allocation decisions, and he argues for a reconceptualization of the resource allocation process that would consider the political factors underlying these decisions. He presents a conditional model of allocation decision making that shows how conditions determine the extent to which resource allocation decisions are politicized, and he suggests the possibility of controlling these conditions. Further, Farmer offers a comprehensive .“planningbudgeting-resources allocation” approach that, he believes, could form the basis for improving allocation decisions. Concerning the police agency, the book documents the failure of the contemporary police institution to meet society’s needs adequately. It is asserted that the major problem of the police agency is its dedication to process rather than to purpose. A new, purpose-oriented form of police agency, Farmer explains, would exhibit effective political involvement, particularly in terms of recognizing the policy leadership role of the community, as represented by its elected officials. This new form of police agency would have the capacity not only to develop, in partnership with other public and private agencies, workable purposes, plans, and policies that aim toward attaining a greater degree of community order, law, and justice, but also to mobilize and lead agencies and individuals toward the fulfillment of these purposes. The police agency, Farmer claims, should be able to work both directly and indirectly, through other societal organizations, and it should also be creative, applying new research results and perspectives to the tasks at hand. The analyses and policy recommendations presented here are based on an interdisciplinary data base collected in cities throughout the United States and in one state. The author uses a micro-economic approach in his analysis of resource allocation decision
CURRENT PUBLICATIONS
making. His views have been shaped, too, by his experiences in police work-i.e., as Special Assistant to the Police Commissioner in the New York City Police Department and as Director of the Police Division of the National Institute of Justice. The book contains ten chapters: references; an appendix, “Reading List for the Elected Official”; and an index.
Communication D.F. Gunderson
and Law Enforcement by and Robert Hopper.
Harper and Row (10 East 53rd Street, New York, New York 10022), 1984, 180 pp., softcover-$12.50. Communication, in the context of law enforcement professions, is the subject of this book. Detailed emphasis is placed on communication concepts and skills in accord with the authors’ belief that communication training is the key to effective human relations in law enforcement. The basic processes and problems of law enforcement are discussed in this light. Fourteen chapters cover many aspects of the role of communication in.law enforcement. Some of the topics discussed include reinforcement in human interaction, understanding nonverbal communication, dealing with conflicts, militant and dissident relations, interviewing, communicating with members of minority groups, effective community relations programs, and public speaking for law enforcement officers. Each chapter concludes with a summary and a list of recommended readings. The practical orientation of this book, which offers many specific suggestions for communicating effectively in specific situations, is due in part to the experience of one of the authors in the field of law enforcement. Gunderson has been a deputy sheriff, an investigator, and a private security officer . He presently teaches communication at the University of Alabama Law Enforcement Academy, and he claims that all the recommendations presented in this book have been used by graduates of the acad-
ABSTRACTS
579
emy. Hopper teaches at the University of Texas and has published widely in the field of communication. The volume includes a bibliography and an index.
The Law and Politics of Police Discretion by Gregory Howard Williams. Greenwood Press (88 Post Road West, Box 5007, Westport, Connecticut 06881), 1984, 218 pp., hardcover-$29.95. One aspect of police discretion-the decision to arrest-is considered here. Discretion and variation in police arrest decisions are evident particularly in cases of “low visibility” crimes, such as public intoxication and disorderly conduct. Studies have estimated that in a significant number of cases involving minor felonies and misdemeanors, the police have decided not to make arrests. Although the police have no explicit statutory authority to exercise such discretion, on a practical level, the lack of sufficient resources, and other factors, makes it impossible for the police to arrest all offenders. Police discretion is, at present, a necessity; yet its exercise has exposed the .police to accusations of racial, class, and other forms of discrimination and has created public scepticism about the impartiality of law enforcement. According to various scholars, Williams reports, it is evident that the factors of race, age, sex, socioeconomic status, and personal demeanor do play a significant part in police arrest decisions and that the inconsistent application of the law currently allows for the introduction of personal prejudices into police practice. Although many have voiced the need for guidelines for arrest decisions, few have attempted to consider and recommend standards to control police discretion. The aim of this book is to explore how, and by whom, such standards might be developed. Williams looks first at the police as a political entity whose powers, duties, and functions are circumscribed by state and federal constitutions. He attempts to deter-