Police psychology: overview and applications

Police Psychology

The job of a police officer is and has always been one of the most demanding jobs ever to have existed, as it involves normal people having to deal with and fight against injustice and what generally is defined as abnormal behavior. While the general public is mostly police officers as supernatural beings and takes them for granted, they actually are simple people that have enthusiastically performed harsh training in order to reach their goal of dedicating their lives to protect righteousness. Given the fact that police forces often find themselves outnumbered by the large number of crimes happening every day, the police management constantly has to come up with effective methods of dealing with situations asking for its assistance.

In spite of the fact that it is presently one of the hottest topics relating to police forces, terrorism has not always been what it is today. Consequent to the September 11, 2001, the U.S. authorities have started a worldwide war on terrorism. Concomitantly, terrorists grew in numbers, most probably fueled by the WTC events. At the same time, terrorism started to raise the spirits among U.S. citizens, reaching what is usually is the goal of a terrorist: to spread fear among the targeted population. Thus, Americans and soon, other nations, have started to seriously fear that they are likely to become victims of a terrorist attack.

It is not certain whether or not terrorism should receive the attention that it gets from the public. There are a large number of terrorists, and, obviously, the police should be on guard twenty-four/seven watching over the U.S. However, given the fact that terrorist attacks usually differ in gravity, the authorities need to know what amounts of forces they should employ in every call involving a potential case of terrorism.

Considering the fact that Las Vegas is one of the most recognizable cities in the U.S., it would only be logical why terrorists would be interested in the area. Also, because of the fact that money continually flow into the banks and casinos present here, certain people are inclined to do anything in order to illegally get rich over night. In their struggle to obtain wealth, individuals go as far as taking hostages either in exchange for ransom or in order to avoid getting arrested.

Las Vegas is a tourist destination, and with people coming in from all over the world, it is extremely difficult for the police forces to distinguish between harmless people and potential criminals.

U.S. citizens are known to go through very demanding physical and psychological tests in order to become police officers. In addition to the typical tests to which police officers are normally being subjected to, those wanting to get a job in high-risk areas (such as Las Vegas) should receive a more severe treatment, since they have to be prepared for what awaits them in such places.

As an individual with the job of looking over and training police officers in Las Vegas to successfully fight terrorist-related crimes, I would have to instate a series of measures employing the best men in the police force for the job to keep this city terrorist-free. Not only do the police officers have to have physical abilities and psychological training, but they also have to be properly instructed relating to terrorists and how to prevent them from reaching their missions.

The public generally considers that police officers have little to no efficiency when concerning the rise in crime levels. Police forces from around the world have preferred to fight crime more efficiently by employing more and more agents. However, one must take into consideration that not the number is the problem, and that crime would be fought more efficiently if police officers received the proper training suitable for this particular job.

Classic police tactics have limited results and do not generally manage to prevent crimes from happening. Police officers have a history in promoting a rugged and unfriendly image of themselves. Because of this, the public is inclined to believe that it is of little consequence to try and communicate or even collaborate with the police forces. On top of going through severe training exercises putting their minds and bodies to test, the police officers in Las Vegas will also learn to connect with the rest of the people, proving that they are only human and that there is no reason for someone to think differently.

In addition to watching over their normal objectives, such as banks and casinos, police officers have to turn their attention to high-risk areas which provide a favorable environment for terrorist attacks. Targets such as airports, nuclear facilities, and bridges, strategic national resources, need to be recognized for their vulnerability.

Police officers under my control will learn that suspicion is one of the key elements making the difference between successful terrorist attacks and failed terrorist attacks. While some people would certainly consider my training methods to be exaggerated and uncalled for, the results of my efforts will certainly prove otherwise.

Effective training basically involves police officers learning how to detect suspicious behavior coming from anything and anyone that they come across. Most people involved in training police officers tend to forget that the people that they are fighting against are trained to evade situations which can blow their cover. Police officers need to keep a close eye on papers which appear to be fraudulent, as terrorists are experts in counterfeiting documents. Also, they will be instructed in search techniques which will assist them in finding signs of weapons of mass destruction.

Objectivity is one of the main qualities which a police officer needs to have in order to achieve success on a professional level. Even in the extreme cases where the persons involved in the cases that they are investigating are part of their families or close acquaintances, police officers have to keep in mind their mission as being the fight for justice and the prevention of harming people or endangering their lives along with the protection of their property.

Public officials are normally known to have personal bodyguards, since their positions make them vulnerable in front of certain criminals looking for favors. The fact that the local mayor has been recently found dead has alerted everyone in my department, and basically everyone in the police force, considering the fact that he had formerly been the officer in charge of my department. Even if impartiality has to be constantly present in the life of police officers, it is difficult for the members in our police department to avoid having to turn the case into something personal.

My role as a police psychologist does not necessarily involve me doing typical police work in order to find out who the perpetrator is. While the police officers investigating the homicide, from my department, are principally interested in apprehending the criminal, it is possible for them to be slowed down by the fact that they knew the victim in person. Of course, I am also responsible for arresting the person guilty of the crime. However, my job has me performing activities which involve having to assist my colleagues in working to full their potential, uninfluenced by the various factors intervening in the process of solving the case.

Along with categorizing me as a simple officer questioning them, people linked to the case have the tendency to refrain from giving me a detailed explanation of what they know. I need to form special connections with the witnesses involved in the case, so that they would be capable of providing the information that I require. Also, all the persons involved in the case need special counseling from me, so that the condition would affect them as little as possible.

Impartiality plays an even greater role in my job as a police psychologist than it would play in the job of a normal police officer. Aside from the stress coming with the fact that the victim has formerly been the chief of my department, I am pressured by my colleagues letting their feelings come before their principles.

Because of the public profile which the mayor had had, it is difficult for me to create a criminal profile from the beginning of the investigation. There is a wide array of suspects, ranging from a poor unemployed person who is mad because the mayor did not offer him a job, to the wealthy person unsatisfied by the mayor's reluctance to assist him in building a structure which cannot be approved for authorization. However, we generally know that high profile persons are unlikely to be seen walking around the street, interacting with stranger on a daily basis. Thus, it is more probable that the mayor has been assaulted by someone that got the chance of meeting him in person. This assumption is also backed up by the fact that the mayor was only known to be present in public in high profile circles.

Further working in favor of my analysis of the case, it appears that the last person seen with the mayor is someone that also occupies a high place in the city's administration. It is only logical that a large amount of power comes along with high profiles and that this power can be detrimental when it falls into the hands of people more interested in their personal gain than in the well being of their community.

The fact that the mayor died of a single shot in the head influences me in believing that the murder had not been accidental, nor had it been the result of a robbery. It appears that the mayor had been the victim of an execution. Also, the criminal had most probably known whom he was pointing the gun at and why he was doing it. In order to have better chances of solving the case, I have to find out what the motives for the crimes have been, and who could have benefited from the mayor's death.