The document outlines homework assignment 1 for CRJ 307, requiring students to read chapter 1 and respond to essay questions about the role of policing in democratic versus totalitarian societies, the importance of the rule of law, and the implications of a fragmented police system. Chapter 1 discusses the relationships between police and democracy, covering various types of policing, the legal framework guiding police activities, and the expectations society has of police behavior. It emphasizes the complexities of policing in the U.S., addressing evolving priorities post-9/11 and the balancing act between law enforcement and social services.

1. Homework Assignment 1
Please read Chapter 1. Then please answer the following essay
questions. Each essay question should be at least one page in
length, double spaced, one inch margins, 12 pt. font, Times New
Roman, APA Format and must include both citations and
references.
Essays:
How is policing different in a free democratic society as
opposed to a totalitarian society?
Why is the rule of law important for policing in a democracy?
The police system in the United States is very fragmented. Do
you think this is a positive or negative feature? Why?
Module 1
CRJ 307: Police, Society, and Community Service
Module 1
Chapter 1 Summary
Chapter 1 focuses on the police and their role in a democracy.
The form of government may dictate the activities and
behaviors of the police. A democracy is concerned with the
rights and freedoms granted to individuals. These rights and
freedoms are outlined in constitutions. Also included in these
constitutions are the duties and limitations of the government.
The police, as representatives of the executive branch of
government, must abide by these limitations. This will act as a
system of checks and balances that prohibit those with power
from abusing it.
In order to be successful, a democratic government is based
upon a consensus. However, it is the police that must respond
when the consensus fails. In an odd way, the police exist
because we realize that our democratic form of government is
going to fail sometimes. If someone takes the property of

2. another, we rely upon the police to return our property and
punish the individual who took it. The police also exist to
remind us that, although we have freedom, it is not an absolute
freedom. There are limitations on that freedom. Sometimes the
police offer this reminder at a time when we would prefer not to
be reminded (e.g., a traffic ticket or arrest).
In the United States, the laws may be categorized as civil law,
criminal law, substantive law, and procedural law. Civil law
addresses the interactions between individuals. Criminal law is
concerned with the relationship between the individual and
government. Substantive laws outline the behaviors that are
required of or prohibited to the individual. The procedural laws
define how the police are to enforce the substantive laws. Some
of the procedural laws are also found in the amendments to the
U.S. Constitution. The amendments state what the police
(government) can and cannot do. They exist to regulate the
behavior of the police, not the citizen.
Because of the events of September 11, 2001, the priorities for
American law enforcement changed. Counterterrorism and
homeland security became top priorities. Federal agencies came
to the forefront of law enforcement. State and local police have
always had the primary responsibilities for law enforcement and
crime control.
In the United States there are four basic types of policing. The
citizen-police officer comes into play when a common citizen
makes an arrest for a felony. Vigilantism may be an example of
the actions of a citizen-police officer. Private police are those
individuals paid to serve a specific purpose. Examples of
private police would include bank guards, mall security, or
department store security. Public police are those individuals
paid by the government to serve the general interests of all
citizens. The municipal police officer is an example of public
police. The final type of policing in the United States is public
police that work in a private capacity. This would include a
public police officer

3. moonlighting
at a club or store.
The police are generally organized along geographic and
political boundaries. All levels of government may have some
type of police agency. At the federal level there are agencies
that are usually specific in their purpose. The Federal Bureau of
Investigation, the U.S. Customs, and the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, and Firearms are examples of federal agencies. State
governments involve state police agencies or highway patrols.
The sheriff's office is present at the county level. The municipal
police officer will handle situations at the city, town, or village
level. Police departments across the country range from over
40,000 officers in New York City to one-officer departments in
the smaller towns and villages. Tribal police, public safety,
consolidation, special-jurisdiction police, contract law
enforcement, and task-force arrangements are additional forms
of policing.
In the performance of the police role there are expectations as
to what the police should do and how they should do it. There
are community expectations concerning this role—society has
expectations of their police officers. But the diversity of the
American society makes it difficult to form uniform
expectations. Therefore, the police role may be seen differently
by different groups in a society.
Police role expectations may come from within the police
organization. These role expectations may be part of the formal
expectations, derived from the administration of the
organization, or part of informal expectations, derived from the
fellow officers and their experiences.
Finally, individual police officers have their expectations. This
would refer to the degree to which their needs are met by the
organization and the job.

4. Should the police emphasize law enforcement or politics? Law
enforcement would be a legalistic approach to policing. Under
this approach, the law is consistently enforced, free from bias,
free from situational influence. The political approach allows
for responsiveness and individualization. The uniqueness of the
situation may be considered under the political approach.
Should the police focus only on crime fighting or also provide
social service? The crime fighter officer is concerned with
investigating crime. The social service officer believes that
there are other activities beyond crime fighting that should be
part of the police officer's attention.
Should policing be proactive or reactive? To be proactive means
that police will be more aggressive and more intrusive—they
will initiate more activities. With being proactive comes the
concern about entrapment. Being reactive may be more in line
with a democracy.
Regardless of the debate, the police are involved in a variety of
activities. Studies have shown that the police are involved in
law enforcement, crime control, order maintenance, and service.
This would include anything from investigating a murder to
directing traffic and responding to calls about barking dogs.