U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Prescribed Roles of Police in a Free Society: Analyzing State Legal Codes

NCJ Number
148619
Journal
Justice Quarterly Volume: 10 Issue: 4 Dated: (December 1993) Pages: 683-695
Author(s)
V S Burton Jr; J Frank; R H Langworthy; T A Barker
Date Published
1993
Length
13 pages
Annotation
The 1991 legal codes of all 50 States were examined to determine the roles and responsibilities that State legislatures require of police.
Abstract
The State laws were analyzed through an assessment of State constitutions, laws, case law, and opinions of attorneys general. Results revealed that State legislatures require 16 tasks of police; the exact number and type of tasks vary form State to State. The law enforcement tasks include enforcing criminal laws, arresting, detecting and preventing crime, enforcing traffic laws, search and seizure, executing warrants, issuing citations, and prosecuting offenders. Peacekeeping tasks include preserving peace, suppressing riots, protecting life, upholding law and order and protecting morals. The service task consists of assisting citizens. The analysis revealed that law enforcement is the most prevalent role, followed by peacekeeping and service roles. Figure, table, footnotes, case citation, and 43 references

Downloads

No download available

Availability