Kim Michelle Lersch and Tom Mieczkowski
Citizen complaints filed against a small group of officers of a large police department in the south‐eastern USA were used to conduct an examination of repeat offenders and…
Abstract
Citizen complaints filed against a small group of officers of a large police department in the south‐eastern USA were used to conduct an examination of repeat offenders and non‐repeat offenders. Examines differences between the offenders in the areas of officer characteristics, complaint characteristics and citizen characteristics. Finds that the all‐male group of repeat offenders was significantly younger and less experienced than their peers and was more likely to be accused of harassment. Finds that the ethnic minority group was more likely to file complaints against repeat offenders and that a disproportionate number of complaints were intraracial. Detects a cause for concern in that several high‐ranking officers reacted to the survey by reappraising the data and classing the greater offenders as productive and conscientious officers, i.e., denotes belief at high level within the police organization that a good officer should generate dissatisfaction among the general public.
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Kim Michelle Lersch, Tom Bazley and Tom Mieczkowski
The purpose of this research is to examine one agency's experience with their early intervention program (EIP), exploring the specifics of the program as well as the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to examine one agency's experience with their early intervention program (EIP), exploring the specifics of the program as well as the characteristics of the officers who were identified by their EIP criteria.
Design/methodology/approach
Using data from calendar year 2000 that were provided from the Internal Affairs Bureau of a large Southern police department, the characteristics of EIP and non‐EIP flagged officers, the classifying criteria examined, and the issue of productivity and opportunity investigated as they related to the classification criteria.
Findings
EIP officers were more likely to be younger, male, and have fewer years of experience. Additionally, these officers made more arrests, filed more use of force reports, and used higher levels of force. All qualifications were based on the use of force. The findings highlighted the importance of considering the productivity of an officer along with the EIP criteria: opportunity (defined as the number of use of force reports filed) and the use of high force were inversely related. Among officers with the highest proportion of high force usage, none was classified as an EIP officer.
Research limitations/implications
Findings are based on a single year from a single agency. No controls were able to be made for geographic assignment, potentially an important consideration.
Practical implications
A very useful source of information for agencies wishing to adopt or modify an EIP program.
Originality/value
As one of the first empirical analyses of EIPs, the research presented here sparks a debate on a number of issues, including the definition of “opportunity” and how agencies can improve their EIP systems.
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Tom Mieczkowski and Kim Michelle Lersch
The purpose of this article is to explore the issue of drug use among police officers and police recruits. Data from two large police agencies were used in this analysis. Results…
Abstract
The purpose of this article is to explore the issue of drug use among police officers and police recruits. Data from two large police agencies were used in this analysis. Results of the two most popular drug screens (urinalysis and hair analysis) in the identification of drug‐involved individuals, who are either currently employed in or applying for law enforcement positions, are presented and discussed. It is found that there is an identifiable group of people in policing which appears to be drug‐involved. It also appears that, at least in some situations, and for rapidly excreted drugs like cocaine, the use of urine may be producing underestimates of these groups. The data support the idea that policing agencies may want to consider using multiple drug‐testing modalities in order to maximize the identification of different drugs, whose characteristics can be an important consideration in interpreting drug test results.
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Kim Michelle Lersch and Tom Mieczkowski
The use of citizen complaints as a valid and reliable measure of actual police behavior has often been criticized. It is the purpose of this study to validate the use of…
Abstract
The use of citizen complaints as a valid and reliable measure of actual police behavior has often been criticized. It is the purpose of this study to validate the use of externally generated citizen allegations of misconduct as an indicator of police malpractice by comparing the occurrence of internally generated complaints. Using both the internal and external complaints of misconduct that have been filed with the internal affairs office of a large police agency in the Southeast as a database, this manuscript will explore for possible similarities in the identity of the accused officers, officer characteristics, and types of complaints.
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In this research several hypotheses suggested by conflict theory were tested in the analysis of official complaints lodged against a large police department in the southeastern…
Abstract
In this research several hypotheses suggested by conflict theory were tested in the analysis of official complaints lodged against a large police department in the southeastern United States. It was hypothesized that citizens with less power and fewer resources would be more likely than more powerful, more affluent citizens to file complaints of misconduct and to allege more serious forms of misconduct, and would be less likely to have their complaints sustained by police investigators. The first two hypotheses were supported; results for the third were mixed.
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Much empirical work has examined body-worn cameras (BWCs), and there is a growing interest in early intervention systems (EISs) in policing. Whether the effects of these…
Abstract
Purpose
Much empirical work has examined body-worn cameras (BWCs), and there is a growing interest in early intervention systems (EISs) in policing. Whether the effects of these accountability mechanisms are stable by officer gender and race remains unknown – important assumptions of each program despite differences in misconduct levels and policing practices by subgroups of officers (i.e. male vs female officers, White vs Black and Hispanic officers).
Design/methodology/approach
The current study uses data from a large Southwestern police department to examine the influence of BWCs and an EIS on alleged and sustained patrol officer misconduct between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2020.
Findings
In line with expectations and the intended goal of these programs, the effects of BWCs and the EIS on officer misconduct were stable by officer gender and race.
Originality/value
Given the importance of addressing officer misconduct to build and maintain community trust and the rapid expansion of BWCs and EISs across the United States, it is vital that police departments consider the accountability programs they implement and the equity of these programs. The current study provides insight into this process in one agency and offers policy implications and directions for future research.