Arranged thematically, the text covers standard topics in the policing field, such as stress, education and training, professional ethics, community policing, and the use of force. The text goes further than traditional texts by covering contemporary policing topics, such as women in policing, minority groups, criminal analysis, and technological changes. The focus is on problems and issues female police officers have faced, the status and recruitment of minority group members in police forces, changes and patterns in the recruitment and retention of police personnel, efforts and improvements associated with preparing police officers to perform their job tasks, police professionalism and ethics, and issues surrounding violence and the use of force. Ways in which technological advances such as computers, weaponry, and communication devices have added new dimensions to policing are examined. Discussion questions are included at the end of each chapter. References, tables, and figures