| A | B |
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| chain of command | The unbroken line of authority that extends through all levels of an organization, from the highest to the lowest. |
| community policing | “ A collaborative effort between the police and the community that identifies problems of crime and disorder and involves all elements of the community in the search for solutions to these problems.” |
| CompStat | A crime- analysis and police-management process built on crime mapping that was developed by the New York City Police Department in the mid- 1990s. |
| crime prevention | The anticipation, recognition, and appraisal of a crime risk and the initiation of action to eliminate or reduce it. |
| directed patrol | A police-management strategy designed to increase the productivity of patrol officers through the scientific analysis and evaluation of patrol techniques. |
| evidence- based policing ( EBP) | The use of best available research on the outcomes of police work to implement guidelines and evaluate agencies, units, and officers. |
| Kansas City experiment | The first large-scale scientific study of law enforcement practices. Sponsored by the Police Foundation, it focused on the practice of preventive patrol. |
| Law Enforcement Assistance Administration ( LEAA) | A now-defunct federal agency established under Title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to funnel federal funding to state and local law enforcement agencies. |
| legalistic style | A style of policing marked by a strict concern with enforcing the precise letter of the law. Legalistic departments may take a hands- off approach to disruptive or problematic behavior that does not violate the criminal law. |
| line operations | In police organizations, the field activities or supervisory activities directly related to day- to- day police work. |
| police– community relations ( PCR) | An area of police activity that recognizes the need for the community and the police to work together effectively and that is based on the notion that the police derive their legitimacy from the community they serve. Many police agencies began to explore PCR in the 1960s and 1970s. |
| police discretion | The opportunity of law enforcement officers to exercise choice in their daily activities. |
| police management | The administrative activities of controlling, directing, and coordinating police personnel, resources, and activities in the service of crime prevention, the apprehension of criminals, the recovery of stolen property, and the performance of a variety of regulatory and helping services. |
| police subculture | A particular set of values, beliefs, and acceptable forms of behavior characteristic of American police with which the police profession strives to imbue new recruits. Socialization into the police subculture commences with recruit training and continues thereafter. |
| problem- solving policing | A type of policing that assumes that many crimes are caused by existing social conditions within the community and that crimes can be controlled by uncovering and effectively addressing underlying social problems. This policing makes use of community resources, such as counseling centers, welfare programs, and job-training facilities. It also attempts to involve citizens in crime prevention through education, negotiation, and conflict management. |
| quality- of- life offense | minor violation of the law ( sometimes called a petty crime) that demoralizes community residents and businesspeople. They involve acts that create physical disorder ( for example, excessive noise and vandalism) or that reflect social decay such as panhandling and prostitution). |
| scientific police management | The application of social sciences techniques to the study of police administration for the purpose of increasing effectiveness, reducing the frequency of citizen complaints, and enhancing the efficient use of available resources. |
| service style | A style of policing marked by a concern with helping rather than strict enforcement. Service- oriented police agencies are more likely to take advantage of community resources, such as drug- treatment programs, than are other types of agencies. |
| sheriff | The elected chief officer of a county law enforcement agency. The sheriff is usually responsible for law enforcement in unincorporated areas and for the operation of the county jail. |
| span of control | The number of police personnel or the number of units supervised by a particular officer. |
| staff operations | In police organizations, activities ( such as administration and training) that provide support for line operations. |
| strategic policing | A type of policing that retains the traditional police goal of professional crime fighting but enlarges the enforcement target to include nontraditional kinds of criminals, such as serial offenders, gangs and criminal associations, drug-distribution networks, and sophisticated white- collar and computer criminals. It generally makes use of innovative enforcement techniques, including intelligence operations, undercover stings, electronic surveillance, and sophisticated forensic methods. |
| team policing | The reorganization of conventional patrol strategies into “ an integrated and versatile police team assigned to a fixed district.” |
| watchman style | A style of policing marked by a concern for order maintenance. It is characteristic of lower- class communities where informal police intervention into the lives of residents is employed in the service of keeping the peace. |
