| The Idea of Police Contributor(s): Klockars, Carl B. (Author) |
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ISBN: 0803921799 ISBN-13: 9780803921795 Publisher: Sage Publications, Inc OUR PRICE: $90.25 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: January 1985 Annotation: What is the best way to define the police? Why do we have police at all? In modern democracies like the United States and Great Britain, why is most policing done by employees of the state? What is the relationship between police and the law? What makes a good police officer? In addressing these questions, Klockars makes the reader look at the idea of police from a new perspective. First he explains how any definition of police must include the reality of coercive force--the fact that police officers everywhere have the right to "forcibly compel other people to do something." Next he describes the evolution of the police in the United States vis-a-vis the police in Great Britain. After exploring the role of the detective, he highlights the moral conflicts and issues of discretion that police officers face daily. Finally, Klockars examines what makes a good police officer. "An informative introductory resource. . . may prove valuable even to graduate students." --The Social Science Journal |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Political Science | Law Enforcement - Social Science | Criminology |
| Dewey: 363.2 |
| LCCN: 84026205 |
| Series: Law and Criminal Justice Series |
| Physical Information: 0.51" H x 5.56" W x 8.56" (0.55 lbs) 160 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: The Idea of Police is one of the core texts in its series. Written by a leading criminologist in a highly readable, fluid style, it is intended as an introductory text on police. Klockars defines the police in terms of their right to use coercive force. He then describes the comparative evolution of the British and US police forces, providing readers with the historical background to the current state of the police. The moral conflicts and issues of discretion that policemen must cope with are explored and, lastly, he looks at two questions: What makes a good police officer? And what type of organizational, political, and social environment encourages good policework? |
Contributor Bio(s): Klockars, Carl B.: - Carl B. Klockars is a Professor of Criminal Justice and Sociology at the University of Delaware. A criminologist of more than thirty years experience, Prof. Klockars is the author of five books, more than fifty scholarly articles, and numerous professional papers. He has served as nationally-elected vice-president of the Police Section of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences and was three times elected by the members of the American Society of Criminology to serve on its Executive Board. He has also served as a lobbyist for the Maryland Sheriffs Association and as an expert witness in cases alleging police misconduct. Prof. Klockars has been a pioneer in building collaborative research relationships between police and academics. He has written extensively on professional crime, criminological theory, the moral dilemmas of policing and police use of force. With colleagues he has recently completed a study with police agencies in Charleston, S.C., Charlotte-Mecklenburg, N.C., and St. Petersburg, FL that seeks to understand the mechanisms through which police agencies may create organizational environments that enhance and encourage integrity. |
