Research and history have taught us that identifying
“problem” police officers early on alerts the police department of the problem
and enables them to intervene and change this type of behavior. This cuts down
on citizen complaints, lawsuits, etc., and helps weed out problem police
officers before it is too late. Many departments describe these programs as
early warning systems.
In a 3-5 page paper using APA format, provide
the following information:
Approximately how many departments currently
have such a system?
What is the average size of these departments?
Choose one or two large police departments that
have such a system (maybe in your local area).
Describe the history of that system (when it
went into effect, was it difficult to enact, etc.).
Attempt to contact an official from the
department and ask about its success and/or failures.
How do these systems work? Be as specific as
possible.
How are problem officers indentified and
monitored?
Is there an intervention process? If so, briefly
explain.
How are officers disiciplined?
Provide any suggestions you may have for
changing the system in one of the departments you selected. What would you do
to make it more beneficial in identifying problem police officers?