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Police in America
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Police in America

Third Edition
Available with:
Learning platform
January 2024 | 568 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
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Grounded in evidence-based research, Police in America, Third Edition provides a comprehensive and realistic introduction to modern-day policing in the United States. Written in a conversational tone and designed to be reader-friendly, this text helps students grasp best practices in everyday policing and encourages them to think critically about common misconceptions of police work. Author Steven G. Brandl draws from his experience with law enforcement to emphasize the positive aspects of policing while addressing its controversies and tackling topics centered on one pivotal question: "What is good policing?" Discussions of discretion, police use of force, and tough ethical and moral dilemmas offer students a deeper look into the complex issues of policing, prompting them to think more broadly about its impact on society.
 
Part I: Foundations for The Study of The Police
 
Chapter 1: An Introduction to The Police in America
Police Spotlight: What It Takes to Be a Good Police Officer

 
Introduction

 
The Challenge of Policing a Free Society

 
Police Accountability in a Free Society

 
The Controversies and Difficulties of Policing

 
The Police Are Expected to Prevent and Solve Crime

 
Ethics and Morals in Policing

 
 
Chapter 2: The History of The Police in America
Police Spotlight: Policing in the Early Days According to The First One Hundred Years, a publication of the Milwaukee Police Department

 
Why Study the History of the Police?

 
Policing Colonial America

 
The First American Police Departments: The Political Era of Policing

 
Early 1900s to 1960s: The Reform Era of Policing

 
The 1970s to the Present: The Community Problem-Solving Era of Policing

 
 
Chapter 3: The Characteristics and Structure of Police Organizations
Police Spotlight: Police Salaries and the Possible Consequences

 
Characteristics of Police Organizations

 
The Challenges of Managing Police Organizations

 
The Structure of Police Departments

 
Major Operating Units in Police Departments

 
Types and Levels of Law Enforcement Agencies

 
 
Chapter 4: The Role of The Police
Police Spotlight: “Scoop and Run” in Philadelphia

 
Events of the Early 2020s and the Role of the Police

 
The Police Enforce the Law

 
The Police Control Crime

 
The Police Deal With Situations Where Force May Need To Be Used

 
The Police Respond to People in Need

 
The Police Handle Time-Pressing Situations

 
The Police Enforce the Law, Maintain Order, and Provide Services

 
 
Part II: Police Work
 
Chapter 5: Police Recruitment, Selection, And Training
Police Spotlight: “30 × 30 Initiative”

 
The Relationship Between Effective Policing and the Recruitment, Selection, and Training of Police Officers

 
The Recruitment of Police Officers

 
The Selection of Police Officers

 
Minimum Qualifications for Police Officers

 
Selection Procedures for Police Officers

 
The Outcomes of the Recruitment and Selection of Police Officers: Diversity

 
Police Officer Training

 
 
Chapter 6: Police Patrol
Police Spotlight: The Reemergence of Foot Patrol

 
Police Patrol and Call Priority

 
Managing Calls for Service

 
Preventive Patrol

 
Hot Spot Policing

 
Police Crackdowns

 
Police Stops of Citizens as a Strategy

 
One- and Two-Officer Squads

 
Foot Patrol

 
Offender-Focused Strategies

 
 
Chapter 7: Crime Detection and Investigation
Police Spotlight: Sources of Evidence in a Multiple-Homicide Investigation

 
Criminal Investigation Defined

 
Types of Criminal Investigations

 
How Are Crimes Solved?

 
Forms and Types of Evidence in Criminal Investigations

 
 
Chapter 8: Police Discretion and Its Control
Police Spotlight: Ethics, Policy, and Discretion

 
Discretion Defined

 
Factors That Influence the Discretion of Police Officers

 
How Is Police Discretion Best Controlled?

 
 
Chapter 9: The Law of Search, Seizure, And Self-Incrimination
Police Spotlight: Riley v. California (2014)

 
Basic Legal Terminology and Concepts

 
Arrest, Custody, Stops, and Encounters

 
The Law of Search and Seizure: The Fourth Amendment

 
The Search Warrant Requirement and Its Exceptions

 
The Exclusionary Rule

 
The Controversy of “No-Knock” Warrants

 
The Law of Self-Incrimination: The Fifth and Sixth Amendments

 
The Content and Waiver of Miranda Warnings

 
 
Part III: The Hazards of Police Work
 
Chapter 10: Health and Safety Issues in Police Work
Police Spotlight: Officer Wellness and Fitness Resources Available to Police Officers

 
What Is Stress and Why Is It Important?

 
Extraordinary Effects of Stress: Suicide and Early Death

 
What Can Mediate the Effects of Stress?

 
Physical Hazards of Police Work

 
So Is Police Work Dangerous?

 
 
Chapter 11: Police Use of Force
Police Spotlight: Reducing Police Use of Force Through De-escalation

 
Reasonable Force and Use-of-Force Guidelines

 
Variations in Use of Force: Unnecessary Force Versus Brutality

 
Types of Force

 
The Causes of Police Use of Force

 
The Control of Police Use of Force

 
 
Chapter 12: Police Misconduct and Corruption
Police Spotlight: Denver’s Citizen/Police Complaint Mediation Program

 
The Importance of Understanding Police Misconduct and Corruption

 
The Nature and Extent of Police Misconduct and Corruption

 
Causes of Police Misconduct and Corruption

 
The Control of Police Misconduct and Corruption

 
 
Part IV: Police Strategies and The Future of The Police in America
 
Chapter 13: Community and Problem-Oriented Policing
Police Spotlight: Problem-Oriented Policing in Chula Vista

 
The Rise of Community Policing

 
Community Policing: The Details

 
Problem-Oriented Policing: The Details

 
 
Chapter 14: Evidence-Based and Intelligence-Led Policing
Police Spotlight: Smart Policing in the Chicago Police Department

 
Smart Policing

 
Data-Driven and Evidence-Based Policing

 
CompStat

 
Predictive Policing

 
Intelligence-Led Policing

 
 
Chapter 15: Crime, Technology, And the Future of American Policing
Police Spotlight: The Robb Elementary School Shooting1

 
History as a Guide to the Future

 
New Demands on the Police

 
The New Police

 
Technology of Crime Detection and Accountability

 

Supplements

Instructor Resource Site
For additional information, custom options, or to request a personalized walkthrough of these resources, please contact your sales representative.

LMS cartridge included with this title for use in Blackboard, Canvas, Brightspace by Desire2Learn (D2L), and Moodle

The LMS cartridge makes it easy to import this title’s instructor resources into your learning management system (LMS). These resources include:
  • Test banks
  • Editable chapter-specific PowerPoint® slides
  • Lecture notes
Don’t use an LMS platform?

You can still access the online resources for this title via the password-protected Instructor Resource Site.

"The best introduction to policing textbook I’ve found thus far."

Shana Mell
Virginia Commonwealth University

"Well researched, well-written, factual, and unbiased."

Paul Klenowski
Clarion University of PA
Key features
NEW TO THIS EDITION:
  • The new edition is available in Sage Vantage, an intuitive learning platform that integrates quality Sage textbook content with assignable multimedia activities and auto-graded assessments to drive student engagement and ensure accountability. Unparalleled in its ease of use and built for dynamic teaching and learning, Vantage offers customizable LMS integration and best-in-class support.
    • Flashcards and note-taking tools help students better prepare for class.
    • NEW! Audiobook Player allows students to listen to text content, boosting comprehension and retention. It offers flexible, on-the-go access, engaging both reluctant readers and auditory learners, improving the overall reading experience.
    • The Offline Reading option in the Student Dashboard offers greater accessibility to Vantage’s reading content, regardless of where students are or how strong their internet connection may be.
  • Revised figures and statistics provide readers with the most recent insights in the field.
  • Over 100 additional publications are discussed and referenced in this edition.
  • New sections on critical topics such as the debate about "defunding" and "refunding" the police, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, why diversity in police departments is critical, and school and other mass shootings, have been added, while other discussions have been refined for clarity, depth, and brevity.
KEY FEATURES:
  • "Fact or Fiction" sections at the beginning of chapters help students confront misconceptions about policing and assess their knowledge about forthcoming chapter content; accompanying answers appear at the end of chapters.
  • "Good Policing" sections offers examples of police programs, policies, and issues that relate to effective, equitable, and ethical policing to highlight the importance of being a good police officer.
  • "A Question of Ethics" callouts present ethical dilemmas that prompt students to think critically about a particular issue in policing.
  • "Police Spotlights" offer real-world examples to help frame chapter content.
  • "A Question to Consider" callouts pose questions to help students stop and consider the implications of the content for them and the field as a whole.
  • "A Research Question" sections feature a particularly interesting and significant research study relevant to the topic of each chapter so that students can draw evidence-based conclusions about what works in policing.
  • "Technology on the Job" sections examine technology used on the job by the police to familiarize students with key technological advances in policing.
Vantage Reference: 
Police in America - Vantage Learning Platform

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