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An Introduction to American Policing

Author(s): Dennis J. Stevens, PhD, University of North Carolina - Charlotte , Belmont Abbey College
Details:
  • ISBN-13: 9780763748937
  • ISBN-10:0763748935
  • Paperback    610 pages      © 2009
Price: International Sales $137.95 US List
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Overview

An Introduction to American Policing demonstrates the quest to maintain both public safety and freedom by providing a balanced yet critical investigation of police history and theory. It connects criminal justice, criminology, and law enforcement knowledge to the progress of the police community. Case studies, narratives from violators, and current research coverage help students recognize the central theories and practical (documented) realities of American law enforcement. Students are encouraged to consider the way some believe policing "should be" while examining evidence about the "way it is." This text will also provide a current description of local and state police organization partnerships with federal organizations and of the efforts accomplished by federal law enforcement agencies including the Department of Homeland Securities (DHS). An Introduction to American Policing helps students learn good judgment and combines scholarly theory with practical police experience to equip your students with the information they need to become successful police officers.

ShowKey Features

Combines theory and practical experiences from workers on the job

Discusses how officers balance policing in today’s complex world and with their lives at home with loved ones

Each chapter includes learning objectives, key terms, introductions and summaries, discussion questions, and case studies about real-life application by college students adapted from actual events!

Tons of photos and illustrations

“You are the Police Officer” case studies provide real-life application

Promotes “evidence policing” concepts (scientific methods of discovery) linked to policing policy

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ShowTable of Contents

Part 1: Fundamentals of Policing 

 

Chapter 1: Police: The Essentials   

Chapter 2: Historical Accounts of American Police

Chapter 3: Broken Windows, Fear, and Community Policing

Chapter 4: Modern Policing, Quality of Life Initiatives, and Privatization

Chapter 5: Local Police and Federal Enforcement Agencies

 

Part 2: Police Organizations, Management, and Police Officers

 

Chapter 6: Police Organizations  

Chapter 7: Police Management and Leadership  

Chapter 8: Hiring and Training of Police Officers

 

Part 3: Police Work

 

Chapter 9: Patrol: On the Job

Chapter 10: The Role of Police Officers 

Chapter 11: Crime Scene Investigations (CSI)

Chapter 12: Proactive Strategies: Undercover, STING, Gangs, and Drugs

 

Part 4: Third Millennium Challenges 

 

Chapter 13: Police Subculture, Discretion, and Wrongful Acts

Chapter 14: Police Accountability and Civil Liabilities

Chapter 15: Police Officer Stress

 

 


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ShowAbout the Author(s)

Dennis J. Stevens, PhD-University of North Carolina - Charlotte , Belmont Abbey College

Dr. Dennis J. Stevens received a Ph.D. from Loyola University of Chicago in 1991. Formally, he held the position of director of the Ph.D. CJ program at University of Southern Mississippi and associate professor at the University of Massachusetts Boston and Salem State College and director of a criminal justice program in North Carolina. In addition to teaching traditional students, he has taught and counseled law enforcement and correctional officers at law academies such as the North Carolina Justice Academy and the Boston Police Academy and felons at maximum custody penitentiaries such as Attica in New York, Eastern and NC Women’s Institute in North Carolina, Stateville and Joliet near Chicago, and MCI Framingham (women) in Massachusetts. Stevens has published several books and almost 100 scholarly and popular literature articles. He has led group intervention groups for sexually abusive parents in New York, North Carolina, and South Carolina and has lead group crisis sessions among New Orleans and Jefferson Parish officers after Hurricane Katrina.

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ShowReviews

  • "Policing in America has changed significantly since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and Dennis J. Stevens' new book, An Introduction to American Policing, brings a fresh and much needed perspective to the study of the police in the United States. Everything that's important for beginning students of law enforcement to know is here -- along with so much more. I'm sure this book will find a loyal following among both students and instructors of criminal justice."
                                                ~Frank Schmalleger, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of North Carolina

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ShowAppropriate Courses

This text is ideal for Introduction to Policing and Introduction to Law Enforcement courses.

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