The Nature of Police Work

The myth of police as crime-fighters has been conveyed to the American people through television dramas, comics, and newspaper articles. It conjures up in one's mind an image of a police officer doing a dangerous job that requires him or her to outshoot, outpunch, and outwit dangerous criminals. For most American police, there is little correspondence between this image and reality. In a major metropolitan area (where crime rates are the highest), half of the officers in the local department will not make a felony arrest during a given year.

What do the police really do?

Even though we refer to the police as law enforcement officers, the enforcement of criminal law (in other words, investigating crime and apprehending criminals) is only one of several functions that the police perform. The functions of the American police include providing basic social services, maintaining order, and controlling crime.

In the area of social service, the police help people who need emergency assistance, whether it is giving first aid or finding lost children. Typically, over 50 percent of the telephone calls to the police requesting assistance involve social service as compared with less than 20 percent relating to crime.

Among the order-maintenance activities are traffic control, crowd control, resolving domestic disputes, and moving prostitutes from the streets. The focus of order maintenance is on handling situations to preserve the peace rather than enforcing the letter of the law. The appropriate order-maintenance solution may be making an arrest (for example, in case of domestic violence), but it often consists of some less formal action (for example, getting an illegal panhandler to move on).

In the area of crime control, the police engage in a range of activities, such as patrol and criminal investigation.

Major responsibilities of the police are:

1. To identify criminal offenders and criminal activity and, when appropriate, to apprehend offenders and participate in later court proceedings.

2. To reduce the opportunities for the commission of some crimes through preventive patrol and other measures.

3. To aid individuals who are in danger of physical harm.

4. To protect constitutional guarantees.

5. To facilitate the movement of people and vehicles.

6. To assist those who cannot care for themselves.

7. To resolve conflicts.

8. To identify problems that are potentially serious law enforcement or government problems.

9. To create and maintain a feeling of security in the community.

10. To promote and preserve civil order.

11. To provide other services on an emergency basis.

Several factors shape what the police do. Twenty-four hour availability broadens police contacts with the public. People call the police because there is no other agency available. A disadvantage is that such availability gives police a heavy workload.

The authority to use force stamps police work with a uniqueness that sets it apart from other lines of work. Force includes the right to use deadly force, to arrest people, and to use physical force. Whatever aspect of the police mission is emphasized - whether it involves checking on suspicious persons who appear to be out of place or responding to reports of crime - the police have to be willing to threaten force and to back up the threat with action. Discretion leaves an imprint on all areas of policing. Police are often free to choose among alternative courses of action or inaction. They routinely rely on their own experience, training, common sense, and judgment to make decisions involving the life and liberty of citizens. Examples of discretionary decision making include decisions involving arrests, traffic tickets, deadly force, and domestic abuse. In each of these situations, officers determine whether or not to invoke the power of the law.

Слова к тексту 1:

1. to convey [kənˊveɪ] - передавать

2. to conjure up [ˊkʌnʤə] - вызывать в воображении

3. to outshoot - превзойти в стрельбе

4. to outpunch [ˊautpʌnʧ] - превзойти в силе

5. to outwit - перехитрить

6. crime rate - уровень преступности

7. emergency assistance [ɪˊmə:ʤənsɪ] - срочная помощь

8. appropriate [əˊprəuprɪɪt] - подходящий, соответствующий

9. panhandler ['pænˏhændlə] - нищий, попрошайка

10. to participate [pa:ˊtɪsɪpeɪt] - принимать участие, участвовать

11. to reduce - сокращать

12. to facilitate [fəˊsɪlɪteɪt] - облегчать, содействовать

13. availability [əˏveɪləˊbɪlɪtɪ] - годность, наличие

14.to broaden police contacts [ˊbrɔ:dn] - расширять контакты полиции

15. a heavy workload [ˊwə:kləud] - тяжелая нагрузка

16. to stamp police work with a uniqueness [ju:ˊni:knɪs] - характеризовать работу полиции уникальностью

17. to use deadly force - применять оружие на поражение

18. discretion [disˊkreʃən] - свобода действий, усмотрение

19.to leave an imprint on [ˊɪmprɪnt] - оставлять отпечаток

20. to invoke [ɪnˊvəuk] - призывать, взывать

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