Chapter 13 Discussion Forum
Part A
1. Visit the website www. policeabuse.comLinks to an external site.. Select one of the many complaints registered on the website by the public about a police officer working for a police agency, and attempt to assess the quality of the complaint. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the complaint.
What did the complainant focus on?
What are the significant issues that the complainant failed to address?
2. Perform an Internet search for the key term “Strip Searches.” Observe the number of results for the search, and read a few articles on this subject.
Does it surprise you that strip searches still occur?
Is this a problem of police abuse?
Chapter 14 Discussion Forum
Part B
1. Do any police departments describe their COMPSTAT programs on their websites? Check the websites of the New York City Police Department, the New Orleans Police Department, and the Minneapolis Police Department for a start. Some police departments use different names to describe themselves (in Minneapolis, for example, it is CODEFOR).
Can you find any other police departments that have similar systems?
Do these police departments describe their systems in detail?
Do they make any claims about their effectiveness?
How much can you really learn about these systems from the information given on these websites?
2. “The Commission to Combat Police Corruption (CCPC) was created in 1995 as a permanent board to monitor and evaluate the anti-corruption programs, activities, commitment, and efforts of the New York City Police Department.” Visit the Commission’s website at Commission to Combat Police Corruption (nyc.gov)Links to an external site. and learn what it is about.
Who formed the Commission, and who are its members?
What is its function?