Note: Any quotes are from the book of readings.
You need to read and review two articles from the book of readings, Critical Issues in Policing.
- Police Officers as Warriors or Guardians: Empirical Reality or Intriguing Rhetoric, McLean et al., pages 233 – 257
- Solidarity and the Code of Silence, Alpert et al., pages 300 – 315
The first article is a research article that explores police officers as warriors or guardians. During my career in the justice system, the question of whether police officers should have a warrior or guardian approach to their job offered no easy answer. At the outset, I had second thoughts about this article as I prepared to open this module. It is an academic research paper that relies on quantitative analysis. The math is difficult to follow without the requisite foundation. However, for this review, concentrate on the discussion offered by the authors.
One question the authors attempt to answer is whether the warrior and guardian orientations are empirically distinct. There are three possible answers.
- Officers may be either warriors or guardians. Officers cannot be both.
- In reality, there is no distinction between a warrior and a guardian mindset. They are part of the same construct.
- A warrior and guardian mindset are distinct. However, individual officers can support both constructs.
The warrior mindset approaches police work with an eye on “officer safety and prioritizes crime fighting as a law enforcement officer’s primary mission.” This approach is consistent with the traditional notion of police work and training. According to the article, warrior officers “view their place in society as the line between good and evil.”
The guardian mindset is viewed as an alternative to the warrior orientation. It emphasizes service over crimefighting. There is a direct relationship between the police and the community served, with a goal to build better relationships.
The ultimate goal is to improve law enforcement. Do you favor one approach over the other? Do you believe that, after reading this article, officers can incorporate both mindsets in their work? The answer to both questions and others can inform how police agencies and individual officers are best able to do their job and serve the public.
Despite the heavy emphasis on analysis of data, I hope you find the article interesting and informative.
The Alpert, Noble, and Rojek article on the code of silence is an easier read. The authors take a deep dive into the code of silence that many believe exists within police and law enforcement culture.
The authors start by discussing how a code of silence is not exclusive to police. It is recognized to occur within most professional groups and organizations. However, they recognize that the consequences for a code of silence are often greater for professions like medicine than for college professors. The two major examples used by the authors concern cases from Chicago and one from Miami. It is easy for the reader to understand the scope of the abuse and find it abhorrent.
The authors paint a narrative that places law enforcement officers in a difficult environment. The demands of the job, the organization, and the fear of retaliation impact officers and create an environment where reporting misconduct is discouraged. It is noted that officers have different levels of discomfort when it comes to reporting incidents. The more egregious the incident, the more likely a report is made.
One concern I have is that the examples used in this type of article are the most egregious and obvious. It is difficult for officers and an agency to deal with a claim of misconduct when the misconduct is not clear. Does the mere fact of a report severely impact an officer’s career?
It is an interesting article. The bottom line faced by those reading the article is how to end or at least mitigate the reluctance to come forward.
For this assignment, you must reflect on both articles and tell me what you learned, what you found interesting, and what, if anything, you take away from the articles that you can use or think about using in the future. You have a lot of latitude in completing this assignment. However, I want to read a serious reflection.
Consider that my comments and any quotes are all from the articles or drawn from the articles.
Submit the assignment as a Word/Office document that is equivalent to two to three pages. However, there is no page limit. Outside sources may help to enhance your grade.
Double-space between paragraphs. Single-space between lines within paragraphs. A good assignment starts with an introduction and ends with a summary or conclusion.
Grading will consider content along with grammar, essay format, spelling, use of terminology, paragraph structure, and sentence structure. Submit the Review as a Word/Office document.
Put in the upper left corner your name, course name, Spring 2025, Part I Assignment.
If you use any outside sources, make sure you provide a proper citation.