Why aren't detectives more successful at solving crimes? Given their relative lack of success, how do you account for the "detective mystique"? In this essay, share some solutions to make solving crimes more effective.
One of the major reasons why some detectives have difficulties in solving crime is because they lack the necessary skill, particularly the intellectual capacity to perform their job. One of the major challenges of law enforcement agents in solving crimes is the cleverness and cunning of criminals. Although there are many theories and procedures that aims to aid detectives in solving crimes, the successful application of these theories lies primarily on the ingenuity and intellectual capacity of detectives, themselves. It should be noted, for instance, that there are regular crimes that can be easily solved and there are also crimes that pose challenges to detectives. If crimes are always predictable, solving it would be greatly simplified. But such is not always the case. Out of human intellect and creativity, there are times when the crime occurs in ways that could not be precisely predicted by crime theories. In such cases, the chances of solving the crime greatly lies on the discretion and ingenuity of the detective assigned to the case. Seasoned law enforcement officers acknowledge the role of intellect in solving crimes. One police chief, for instance, urged her police officers to “use common sense instead of following a set of complicated rules when tackling crime” (Daily Mail Reporter, 2010).
The ‘detective mystique,’ on the other hand, refers to the “simultaneous and countervailing feelings of attraction and aversion” of the public towards detectives (Henry, 2004, p. 202). This feeling of fascination towards detectives and their work, according to experts, is rooted on the perceived “special knowledge detectives seem to possess about matters of life and death and the secrets of human nature they seem to hold” (Henry, 2004, p. 202). Despite the fact that there are some cases that detectives have difficulty in solving, the notion of ‘detective mystique’ prevails, primarily because of the reinforcement of the media and literature to the detective character. Popular movies and novels, for instance, depict this detective mystique in dramatic ways, which helps develop the public’s perception of the mysteriousness associated with detective work (Henry, 2004, p. 202).
In order to catch a clever criminal, the detective should also be ingenuous and clever enough to know how to act and think like one. But such ability is developed by learning and experience. For the same reason, in order to develop their crime solving skills, detectives should undergo a lifetime learning program in order to hone their skills and provide new knowledge of analyzing and solving crimes.
Aggressive patrol produces arrest and may deter crime, but it also leads to more police intrusion in the lives of citizens. Do you favor its use? How would you balance the competing interests of civil liberties and crime control?
Aggressive patrolling has been proven effective in deterring crime because it increases the likelihood of criminals being caught. Many law enforcers favor aggressive patrolling primarily because it prevents the likelihood of having to deal with more serious crimes. According to experts, there are three elements that need to be present in order for a crime to be committed. These are capability, desire and opportunity (Hazlehurst, n.d.). Obviously, if one of these three elements is missing, a crime could not be consummated. Personally, I do prefer the use of aggressive patrolling because it takes out one of the major elements that impact the commission of crime, which is opportunity. However, it is also important to balance strict policing with the best interest of the public. At times, liberties would have to be sacrificed in order to achieve peace and security. It is, therefore, important to urge people to cooperate with authorities for their own safety. In order for policing to become less intrusive, one possible solution is to use modern surveillance technologies. CCTVs, for example, can be used for clandestine surveillance purposes. In such a way, law enforcement agents can observe a certain area without establishing contact with civilians.
Write a paper on the Kansas City Study from this Module. How has this report affected patrolling strategies?
The Kansas City study or the Kansas City Preventive Patrol Experiment was a landmark study regarding the effectiveness of police patrol presence in preventing crime. It was launched to answer the research question posed by some members of the city’s police forces regarding whether “routine preventive patrol was effective, what the police officers did while on preventive patrol duty, and what effect police visibility had on the community's feelings of security” (Kelling, Pate, Diekman, & Brown, 1974, p. 7). The experiment was conducted by observing police patrol activities in three variations: reactive, control and proactive(Kelling et al., 1974, p. 8). In the reactive variation, the police only responded when there is a call. In the control variation, the police conducts normal patrolling activities while in the proactive variation, the police intensified their patrol activities (Kelling et al., 1974, p. 9).
The major findings of the experiment were remarkable and unexpected; raising major controversies regarding the impact of police patrol activities. According to the study, most people do not notice whenever the level of police visibility changes, which means that increasing or decreasing police visibility has no effect on the perception of security of people in the community that is being served. Similarly, changing the levels of police visibility has no significant impact on the crime rate as what was previously thought. The study showed that efforts to prevent crime and make people feel safer by increasing the level of patrolling activities are futile. The major implication of this study is that police resources can be best applied by diverting it in exploring more productive crime reduction strategies.
As a police chief, what policies and procedures would you institute to guide your officers in handling domestic violence cases? How much discretion would you leave in the officers' hands? How would you respond to pressure form women's rights and men's rights groups?
Domestic violence is a complex issue. It is not like any regular criminal act that can be resolved by normal policing because it involves a deep seated issue that also involves social intervention. As a crime, the police should not neglect domestic violence calls as minor, but should respond with the same eagerness as calls for crimes against persons as domestic violence can easily spiral out of control. However, the police should proceed with caution since there could be biases or prejudices involved, especially when those who respond to the call is not trained to handle such scenarios. The desired outcome for domestic violence cases is to prevent it from happening again while keeping the family intact. It is therefore important to create a specialized force that deals with domestic violence cases. This specialized force should have a background in social services or have received training in family dynamics. Pressure from women and men rights group is irrelevant to the mandate of the police. However, police intervention should only be based on apprehending and preventing domestic violence. After which, it is best practice to have the case handled by social workers, in partnership with community and other government agencies that are more knowledgeable and specialized to handle such cases.
References
Daily Mail Reporter. (2010). Police chief tells officers: Don’t follow the rulesuse your common sense! Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1297074/Police-chief-tells-officers-Dont-follow-rules--use-common-sense.html
Hazlehurst, K. (n.d.). Opportunity and Desire’: Making Prevention Relevant to the Criminal and Social Environment. Retrieved from http://www.aic.gov.au/media_library/publications/proceedings/15/hazlehurst.pdf
Henry, V. (2004). Death Work. Police Trauma and the Psychology of Survival. New York: Oxford University Press.
Kelling, G., Pate, T., Diekman, D., & Brown, C. (1974). THE KANSKS CilY PREVENTIVE PATROL EXPERIMENT: A SUMMARY REPORT. Retrieved from https://blueravenintelligence.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Kansas-Patrol.pdf
