Soc. 364:  Policing Society

Professor Robert Garot

What does the practice of policing entail as a practical, routine task?  The first half of this course will examine policing historically, as it is learned, and as it is routinely practiced.  The second half will then look at specific police practices, such as suspicion and discretion, and then turn to more controversial topics, such as police discrimination and violence.  The course will conclude with an exploration of the personal costs involved for those who do policing.

Exams

Two exams will be included in this course:  a mid-term and a final.  Each will require short to medium length responses, not requiring a blue book.  Study guides will be provided and will be reviewed before each exam.

Papers

Two papers will be required for this course.  For the first, you will write a short (approximately three page) personal reflection on how the materials in the course have complemented or changed your personal perspective towards the police.  For the second paper, you will write about your experience in a ride-along  For each paper, you should incorporate at least three readings from the course.  Further guidelines for the papers will be provided in class.

Grading

Mid-Term:                               25%

Reflection:                               20%

Final:                                       25%

Final Paper:                             30%

A+  98-100     B+  88-89     C+  78-79           D+  65-69

A    93-97       B    83-87     C    73-77            D    55-64

A-  90-92        B-   80-82     C-   70-72           D-   50-54

READINGS

The following materials are required for the course:

W. Clinton Terry III, Policing Society (PS)

Jonathan Rubinstein, City Police (CP)

Reserve Reader (RR)

Weekly Topicsand Readings

Please note that the following schedule, including project and exam dates, is tentative, and may change based on how quickly we cover the material.

Week 1:  Introductory Issues

Currie, "Rethinking Criminal Violence." Pp. 4-19 in Confronting Crime. (RR)

Bittner, "Legality and Workmanship." Introduction to Control in the Police Organization (RR)

1.  Police Decision-Making on the Streets

(a)  Week 2:  Origins

Rubinstein, "Origins,” Ch. 1 (CP)

Miller, "Cops and Bobbies in the Mid l9th Century,” Ch. 5 (PS)

Bittner, "Non-Negotiable Coercive Force,” Ch. 9 (PS)

(b)  Patrol Routines and Practices

Week 3:  Learning the Ropes

Van Maanen, "Learning the Ropes,” Ch. 18 (PS)

Skolnick, "Suspicion, Danger, and Isolation,” Ch. 19 (PS)

Reiss, "The Police Officer's Lot,” Ch. 1 (PS)

Weeks 4 and 5:  Maintaining “Order”

Black, "Dispute Settlement by the Police,” Ch. 5 in Manners and Customs of the Police (RR)

Banton, "Social Control, Crime Control, and Order Maintenance,” Ch. 8 (PS)

Wilson, "Types and Styles of Police Organization," and "Police Administration,” Ch. 11 and 12 (PS)

Bittner, "Maintaining Peace on Skid Row,” Ch. 26 in PS       .

Rubinstein, "Territorial Knowledge and Street Work,” "People and Information,” and "Little Crimes,” chs. 4, 5 and 8 (CP)

Mid-Term Exam

Reflection Due

 (d)  Week 6:  The Practice of Suspicion

Rubinstein, "Suspicions,” Ch. 6 (CP)

(e)  Week 7:  Discretion

Sanders, “Detective Work,” Ch. 30 (PS)

Bittner, Police Discretion in Emergency Apprehension of Mentally Ill Persons.” (RR)

(c)  Week 8:  Discrimination

Black, "The Social Organization of Arrest,” Ch. 25 (PS)

Lundman, "Working Traffic Violations,” Ch. 27 (PS)

(f)  Week 9: Force and Violence

Reiss, "Police Brutality-- Answers to Key Questions" (RR)

Rubinstein, "Cops' Rules,” Ch. 7 (CP)

Hunt, "Police Accounts of Normal Force" Urban Life 13:315-341 (1985) (RR)

Van Maanen, "The Asshole." Pp. 221-37 in Manning and Van Maanen (eds.), Policinq (Santa Monica: Goodyear, 1978) (RR)

2.  Week 10:  The Personal Costs of Police Work

Blackmore, “Police Stress,” Ch. 32 (PS)

Terry, “Police Stress Reconsidered,” Ch. 33 (PS)

Neiderhoffer and Niederhoffer, “Police Divorces,” Ch. 34 (PS)

Unkovic and Brown, “The Drunken Cop,” Ch. 35 (PS)

Heiman, “Police Suicide,” Ch. 36 (PS)

Final Exam

Final Paper Due