Sociology: The responsibilities of police as stated by the American Bar Association. Before reading, I would like you to jot down your answers to the guiding questions off the top of your head. Following the reading, I would like you to write a response to your initial thoughts.

Guiding Question 1: What makes the task of formally policing our society complex?

Guiding Question 2: How are the responsibilities of police officers and police forces determined?

Guiding Question 3: What are the major current roles and responsibilities of the police in our society?

American Bar Association Standards on Urban Police Function

PART I. GENERAL PRINCIPLES

Complexity of police task

… (b) To achieve optimum police effectiveness, the police should be recognized as having complex and multiple tasks to perform in addition to identifying and apprehending persons committing serious criminal offenses. Such other police tasks include protection of certain rights such as to speak and to assemble, participation either directly or in conjunction with other public and social agencies in the prevention of criminal and delinquent behavior, maintenance of order and control of pedestrian and vehicular traffic, resolution of conflict, and assistance to citizens in need of help such as the person who is mentally ill, the chronic alcoholic, or the drug addict.

(c) Recommendations made in these standards are based on the view that this diversity of responsibility is likely to continue and, more importantly, that police authority and skills are needed to handle appropriately a wide variety of community problems.

PART II. POLICE OBJECTIVES AND PRIORITIES

Factors accounting for responsibilities given police

The wide range of government tasks currently assigned to police has been given, to a great degree, without any coherent planning by state or local governments of what the overriding objectives or priorities of the police should be. Instead, what police do is determined largely on an ad hoc basis by a number of factors which influence their involvement in responding to various government or community needs. These factors include:

(a) broad legislative mandates to the police;

(b) the authority of the police to use force lawfully;

(c) the investigative ability of the police;

(d) the twenty-four-hour availability of the police;

(e) community pressures on the police; and

(f) court decisions.

Major current responsibilities of police

In assessing appropriate objectives and priorities for police service, local communities should initially recognize that most police agencies are currently given responsibility, by design or default, to:

(a) identify criminal offenders and criminal activity and, where appropriate, to apprehend offenders and participate in subsequent court proceedings;

(b) reduce the opportunities for the commission of some crimes through preventive patrol and other measures;

(c) aid individuals who are in danger of physical harm;

(d) protect constitutional guarantees;

(e) facilitate the movement of people and vehicles;

(f) assist those who cannot care for themselves;

(g) resolve conflict;

(h) identify problems that are potentially serious law enforcement or governmental problems;

(i) create and maintain a feeling of security in the community;

(j)) promote and preserve civil order; and

(k) provide other services on an emergency basis.