Case Studies with Questions and Answers
Chapter 04: Police in America
Larry has enjoyed his seven year career as a police officer for a large urban city. He feels fortunate to have worked on a small team of officers operating out of a police substation which was strategically placed in a high crime area of the city. This team has a focus on foot patrols, meeting the neighborhood members on an informal basis. Over the past several years, this has created a level of trust between the police and community that does not exist in other parts of the city. This type of assignment seems natural to Larry, as he feels drawn to help the neighborhood residents with seemingly mundane activities, such as checking to make sure the elderly residents have their heating and grocery needs accounted for. Periodically, Larry and his fellow officers will organize a neighborhood meeting in which all of the community members are allowed to speak freely about crime in the area and their needs from the police department. At each of these meetings, Larry is conscious of how much more personally fulfilling these tasks are than the regular patrol duties which he was assigned to as a rookie officer. Indeed, crime has decreased substantially since the substation had been placed at this location. Further, the clearance rate for crime in the area has increased by over two-thirds due to the increased cohesion of the community. Community members not only feel more free to report crimes to the police, they have also created a community watch program that discourages criminal activity from occurring.