Police operations: theory, practices, and contemporary issues

Policing Operations:

Hidden Dangers, Real Weapons, and Potential Technologies

Police officers are, undoubtedly, society's primary protectors. These individuals undertake assignments knowing that they could be placed in lethal danger, and do so in order to help complete strangers and keep a community safe. For this reason, police officers ought to be very much admired. Despite the personal and professional satisfaction that comes with being a great police officer, these individuals are also well aware that, as mentioned above, there are various aspects affecting their daily professional routines, many of which are not present in other careers, and many of which involve great risks. Yet despite knowing this, many police officers absolutely love their job. The paragraphs below will thus discuss policing operations in detail in order to better understand this particular and very important field of work. The essay will be separated into five sections focusing on the dangers of policing, various weapons, technology, homeland security issues, and the future of policing.

Dangers of Policing

Many individuals believe, whether from watching films or following reality television shows, that policing holds many physical dangers. While this is true, mental or emotional dangers are much more serious and are often hidden. This section will thus discuss the dangers of policing from both the physical and emotional perspectives. Physical dangers, as is well-known, can involve traffic accidents, shootings and beatings. In short, physical danger is often the result of an unruly criminal who is either pursued or caught, and whose violent nature or inability to control his behavior becomes a serious and potential lethal problem. Many officers are, therefore, wounded or killed in the line of duty, while others are victims of vengeance.

The 'hidden' danger of policing comes from the mental and emotional toll that the job takes upon an officer. According to the New York City Patrolmen's Benevolent Association (NYCPBA), many officers already know that policing is one of the most stressful jobs one can have. This was, however, recently confirmed in a study conducted by the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, which gives further credibility to what officers already know. The study also demonstrated that on the job stress led to a higher propensity for various irregularities and accidents, such as high blood pressure, insomnia, increased levels of destructive hormones, heart problems, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and suicide.

It was, furthermore, specifically stressed that though such problems are common in the general population, they have a much higher incidence within the policing population. Though these problems are quite serious, they can be addressed, especially if emotional problems are recognized and de-stigmatized within the police force. In fact, emotional and psychological problems could be easily addressed, for they would not require the manpower and technological know-how that is required to address potential physical problems and accidents.

Less than Lethal Weapons

Whereas the previous section has focused on the dangers that policemen and women face, this section will focus on the weapons utilized by the force, many of which, in the past, posed lethal dangers to those being pursued. Less than lethal weapons (LTLs) are those weapons utilized either by a police force within a community, or by soldiers in combat, to apprehend potentially dangerous individuals without lethally harming them. The advocates for LTLs, whose voices have been increasing gradually, state that these weapons are just as effective as conventional weapons, especially when seeking to stop civilians from violent actions, and they do not deal unnecessarily violent consequences.

LTLs today include weapons of various capacities. First, one could utilize a type of foam, which has the potential to spread over an area of 400 square meters, and which contains such chemicals as tear gas, to contain a riot. Another LTL is a 'high tech lasso,' which is similar to an ancient gladiator's net. Yet another LTL is composed of microwave waves that can remotely deliver a painful, but harmless, burning sensation on the skin and which, as the weapons described above, could contain or stop a violent occurrence.

Technology Used in Policing

The LTLs described above give examples of just a fraction of the new technology being developed for the police force, and for citizens' protection. Other examples of technology used in policing, for both police and citizen benefits, are laser scanners, various contamination containment apparatus that laser scanners can promote, 3D scanning, and instruments that prevent falsification of evidence and of documents. Laser scanning, for instance, has much utilization, and is quite a comprehensive and helpful technology. For one, it speeds up the mapping of large crime scenes and enables investigators to glean for detail. In another instance, specifically that of minimizing contamination, an individual could also utilize laser scanning in order to see what has been touched and restrict that area for non-contaminated individuals or objects. Laser scanning, lastly, also prevents the falsification of documents by capturing certain images and enabling certain functions that cannot be duplicated.

Issues of Homeland Security and Law Enforcement Relationships

In addition to being utilized by police forces across the nation, the technologies described above can also be connected with and utilized in the case of scenarios arising from or relating to homeland security cases. Though the weapons and issues described above focus mainly on policing, homeland security can become a part of this field. According to experts:

"A great deal of the responsibility for preparing for and responding to terrorist events rests with local police departments. Community policing presents an overarching philosophical orientation that agencies can use to better deal with the threat of terrorist events and the fear that they may create. The community policing philosophy can be roughly divided into three interrelated elements: organizational change, problem solving, and external partnerships. Each element applies to the issues of terrorism prevention and response, as well as to fear."

For the reasons mentioned above by homeland security experts, it is vital for law enforcement agencies to keep close relations with homeland security officers within the proper departments. It is in this way that individuals can work across many areas of society to keep the nation safe from future attacks.

Future of Policing