Police Systems and Practices Question Set Discuss how temperament can impair communication?

The ability control one's temperament at all times while working as a police officer is crucial to the performance of daily duties, because there are many instances when law enforcement personnel may be provoked to reaction in a purposeful manner. If an officer is unable to refrain from responding to insults in kind, or begins to yell or otherwise express anger, the course of an investigation or civilian interaction will become irrevocably altered. Simply put, ordinary people are less willing to cooperate with police officers and other authority figures who are openly frustrated, angry, spiteful, impatient, or otherwise perturbed -- so it is imperative that maintaining an even-keeled temperament become both a departmental and personal priority.

Discuss how failure of supervisors to act can impede future communication from subordinates.

A police officer's locker room is like any other close-knit environment involving a stratified grouping of personnel, and a certain code exists regarding individuals alerting superiors to acts of malfeasance. The prohibition against so-called "snitching" is pervasive and all-encompassing within many police departments, so whenever an officer comes forward to his supervisors to a situation which may require their oversight or intervention, this action is one defined by courage and moral fortitude. By disregarding a claim made by a subordinate, supervisors can effectively impede future communications from occurring simply by breaching the trust of those who came forward. Officers will remain unwilling to communicate with supervisors when their professional risks are not considered worthy of effective action.

3.) Discuss how uniform and grooming standards foster positive nonverbal communication.

The link between an officer's uniform and grooming standards and their ability to effectively utilize nonverbal communication in the field is a matter of perception. When a civilian first encounters an officer, the presence of a meticulously maintained uniform, "high and tight" haircut, and the careful arrangement of insignia all serve to foster an attitude of compliance....

These factors also affect communication between officers, because the group tends to ostracize and invalidate an individual who is slovenly or unkempt in terms of uniform and grooming standards.
4.) Detroit recently filed bankruptcy. Is the police department's collective bargaining agreement unconditionally guaranteed?

Detroit Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr recently authored several letters to the Michigan Employee Relations Commission (MERC), with each asserting that his power allows for the cessation of collective bargaining within Detroit's jurisdiction. In particular, Orr outlined his position that he is under no legal compulsion to engage in collective bargaining or arbitration with public safety employees, a group which covers the police, firefighter and emergency medical responder unions. Orr issued a declaration claiming that Detroit's current state of receivership means that he is no longer subject to Michigan's Public Employment Relations Act -- the 1947 law which devised the legal framework for collective bargaining between unions and local governments.

5.) Define the term "grievance."

When pertaining to a grievance filed by a member of a police union, the term is used to describe any concern, problem or complaint that has been raised regarding conditions or colleague conduct in the workplace. A more clinical definition of the term holds that a grievance is any actual or perceived cause for complaint arising from personal interaction or organizational policy.

6.) Discouraged officers threatened a job action after city council increased employee contributions for health insurance coverage. What are three examples of a job action?

In the context of a worker's union becoming aggrieved by perceived violations of their rights, a job action represents any temporary activity by workers which will lower sales, reduce performance, or otherwise effect executive management. A job action such a as a worker strike or slowdown is typically intended to respond to protest disputed managerial decisions, such as the increase of employee contributions for employer-provided health insurance plans. In the context of a police force, three examples of a job action that have been…