Recruitment
the process by which law enforcement agencies develop a pool of qualified applicants from which to select new members
Probationary period
a period of time at the beginning of a police officer's career during which she or he may be fired without cause
Field training
the segment of a police recruit's training in which he or she is removed from the classroom and placed on the beat, under the supervision of a senior officer
Bureaucracy
a hierarchially structured administrative organization that carries out specific functions
Delegation of authority
the principles of command on which most police departments are based; personnel take orders from and are responsible to those in positions of power directly above them
Policy
a set of guiding principles designed to influence the behavior and decision making of police officers
Sworn officer
a law enforcement agent who has been authorized to make arrest and use force, including deadly force, against civilians
Detective
the primary police investigator of crimes
Confidential informant (CI)
a human source for police who provides information concerning illegal activity in which he or she is involved
Clearance rate
a comparison of the number of crimes cleared by arrest and prosecution with the number of crimes reported during any given time period
Cold case
a criminal investigation that has not been solved after a certain amount of time
Forensics
the application of science to establish facts and evidence during the investigation of crimes
Trace evidence
evidence such as a fingerprint, blood, or hair found in small amounts at a crime scene
Ballistics
the study of firearms, including the firing of the weapon and the flight of the bullet
DNA fingerprinting
the identification of a person based on a sample of her or his DNA, the genetic material found in the cells of all living things
Cold hit
the establishment of a connection between a suspect and a crime, often through the use of DNA evidence, in the absence of an ongoing criminal investigation
Incident-driven policing
a reactive approach to policing that emphasizes a speedy response to calls for service
Response time
the rapidity with which calls for service are answered; used as a measurement of police efficiency
Differential response
a strategy for answering calls for service in which response time is adapted to the seriousness of the call
General patrol
a patrol strategy that relies on police officers monitoring a certain area with the goal of detecting crimes in progress or preventing crime due to their presence; also known as random or preventive patrol
Directed patrol
a patrol strategy that is designed to focus of a specific type of criminal activity at a specific time
Hot spots
concentrated ares of high criminal activity that draw a directed police response
Reactive arrests
arrests that come about as part of the ordinary routine of police patrol and responses to calls for service
Proactive arrests
arrests that occur because concerted efforts by law enforcement agencies to respond to a particular type of criminal or criminal behavior
Broken Windows Theory
Wilson and Kelling's theory that neighborhood in despair signals that criminal activity is tolerated in the area. Thus, by cracking down the quality-of-life crimes, police can reclaim the neighborhood and encourage law-abiding citizens to live and work there
Community policing
a policing philosophy that emphasizes community support for and cooperation with the police in preventing crime. Community policing stresses a police role that is less centralized and more proactive than reform-era policing strategies
Problem-oriented policing
a policing philosophy that requires police to identify potential criminal activity and develop strategies to prevent or respond to that activity
Police subculture
the values and perceptions that are shared by members of a police department and, to a certain extent, by all law enforcement agents. These values and perceptions are shaped by the unique and isolated existence of the police officer
Socialization
the process through which a police officer is taught the values and expected behavior of the police subculture
Blue curtain
a metaphorical term used to refer to the value placed on secrecy and the general mistrust of the outside world shared by many police officers
Police synism
the suspicion that citizens are weak, corrupt, and dangerous. This outlook is the result of a police officer being constantly exposed to civilians at their worst and can negatively affect the officer's performance
Reasonable force
the degree of force that is appropriate to protect the police officer or other citizens and is not excessive
Deadly force
force applied by a police officer that is likely or intended to cause death
Police corruption
the abuse of authority by a law enforcement officer for personal gain
Internal Affairs Unit (IAU)
a division within a police department that receives and investigates complaints of wrongdoing by police officers
Citizen oversight
the process by which citizens review complaints brought against individual police officers or police departments. The citizens often do not have the power to discipline misconduct, by can recommend that action be taken by police administrators
Ethics
the rules or standards of behavior governing a profession; aimed at ensuring the fairness and rightness of actions
Duty
the moral sense of a police officer that she or he should apply authority in a certain manner