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PRINCIPLES OF GOOD POLICING: AVOIDING VIOLENCE BETWEEN POLICE AND CITIZENS

NCJ Number
148222
Date Published
1993
Length
206 pages
Annotation
This book presents guidelines for police interaction with citizens so as to reduce the risk of violent police- citizen encounters.
Abstract
A presentation of values for good policing focuses on the police role, the police culture, and the development of a set of values for police work. The chapter on contemporary issues in policing and their significance discusses community policing, immigrants and changing demographics, recruitment and selection, training, and policy and accountability. Topics covered in a discussion of effective police leadership are the socialization of police officers, administrative mechanisms that will influence departmental operations, guidance through positive and negative reinforcement, and community education. The concluding chapter presents procedures for effective policing. Two premises underlie the approaches to policing presented in the manual. One is that the police, by virtue of the authority that society vests in them, have overarching responsibility for the outcome of encounters with citizens. The second and main premise is that good policing must consider two equally important factors: the values on which a police department operates and the practices it follows. The guidelines presented in the manual are designed to afford maximum protection to both police officers and citizens. Appendixes provide supplementary information on the police role, community-oriented policing, the use of force and alternatives, citizen complaints and other redress systems, municipal liability, public information, the management of potentially violent circumstances, and areas of special concern. A 30-item bibliography