About National Police Research Platform

The National Police Research Platform is a resource that works to advance the research data and science behind law enforcement in the U.S.A. The system works by implementing a new approach of evaluation and feedback that focuses on organizational excellent across all fronts.

The team managers include veteran police officers, scholars from seven colleges, and the national advisory board affiliations. The national research platform exits in two significant phases, including:

Phase 1 

The first phase involves a platform that works to create and evaluate the suitability of new measurements systems. The measurement systems focus on the welfare of police agencies and the communities they serve. 

It's a phrase that keeps evolving functions crucial for progression in the U.S.A police system. The systems are applicable in various law enforcement agencies, regardless of their mandate. 

Phase 2 

The second phase includes a program featuring unique national samples covering various policing agencies. These can consist of both the sheriff and municipal police agencies. The system also features upto 3,000 officers and some jurisdictions that come from phase 1.

Phase 2 is diverse and contains "the meat" of all functions that this platform has to provide, including:

  • Law enforcement organization survey refers to one aspect of the platform that performs online surveys of law enforcement agencies and their staff. The process can include residents' views, perspectives of organizational excellence, and more.
  • Police community interaction survey: the survey focuses on residents who want the ability to call out the actions of law enforcement officers. The program is active in over 58 cities in the country. It also provides an in-depth report of the findings the department makes.
  • Department characteristics survey: the platform features surveys that evaluate individuals' knowledgeable insight about the policing field. It also includes information on whether agencies adhere to the various innovations that have been available for law enforcement agencies.
  • Participant feedback survey refers to the feedback the platform requires from professionals such as chiefs and sheriffs. It helps to detail the experiences these professionals have encountered with the policing platform and their benefits for the various agencies it serves.

The program started in 2009 and included diverse professionals, including police executives and researchers. The program has also been running with support from two entities of the National Institute of Justice. 

These are the U.S Department of Justice and Office of Justice Programs. These entities collaborated to create a more productive and efficient solution for managing policing activities in the U.S.A. While the initiative aims at providing various policing reforms, it only focuses on specific jurisdictions.

The main base of the project is at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Dennis Rosenbaum is the professional behind this project's successful running and functions. The platform mainly focuses on a specific team of law enforcement professionals, including:

  • New recruits.
  • New supervisors.
  • Police agency staff members.
  • Residents who have encountered law enforcement agencies.

The platform also uses a specific method for data collection: the web-based survey. It's a highly effective approach to reaching people throughout this platform's jurisdictions. It's also an affordable alternative. 

It's an electronic system that will work well with the current police records, including various data types. The system works well to identify the frequency of structural characteristics in the traditional policing agency. These include characteristics, such as agencies that have gang units, official policies, and formal initiatives.

Benefits for Practitioners 

The national police research platform has various benefits for practitioners in the law enforcement field, which can include:

  • Access to in-depth research and measurement resources. The agencies will have the freedom to choose various exciting topics and engage in specific data collection ventures.
  • Improved data sharing between agencies. Administrators and policy creators will find it easy to learn how other similar agencies respond to issues. It will also help accommodate the sharing of ideas that help improve innovations in the law enforcement field.
  • Provides improved organizational excellence. The platform will also be beneficial in identifying and measuring the aspects of excellence that relevant agencies have to respect. It involves extensive documentation of the norms and procedures that such organizations should adopt.

Benefits to Researchers

The platform will provide myriad law enforcement privileges, including:

  • Managing ongoing police research venture. The policing platform will offer new avenues that researchers and practitioners can use for new projects through this venture.
  • Provides answers to essential questions in research. The platform consists of in-depth studies to answer the key challenges agencies face. Researchers will have access to a massive database of data that is important for research purposes.

Police System in the U.S.A

Law enforcement in the U.S.A. features one of the main aspects of the criminal justice system in the U.S.A. The police system serves alongside two major other arms of public safety, including the corrects and courts systems. 

While each arm of the criminal justice system function independently, they still collaborate at various levels. The policing system in the U.S.A consists of over 17,000 agencies that include multiple functions. It has agencies such as the sheriff's office, federal law enforcement agencies, and high patrols.

Aside from regular pci police officers, most states today also employ part-time and secondary offices. It can also include volunteer sheriffs and special duty officers, who assist when police departments have large amounts of work. The state is responsible for allocating budgetary funds in specific portions to all law enforcement agencies across the country.

The variations between federal and state law can be confusing. A good example is that murder is a state crime, while immoral activities are federal crimes. The city police can handle local crime alongside two other agencies. These are the F.B.I., and state police often help handle city police's jurisdiction offenses.

The functions of these agencies are diverse and include all of the following:

  • To investigate any individual or activity that appears suspicious.
  • To provide information to help state and federal prosecutors make decisions.
  • To detain any suspects as they wait for incarceration or punitive action.
  • To operate various detention and correctional facilities in the country.
  • To protect public officials.

Federal

The federal-level policing includes law enforcement agencies who can enforce the law based on the United States Code. The powers in this category also provide enforcement agencies with the authority to implement various legislations at the federal level of the country. The department also consists of the following divisions:

  • United States Marshals Service (U.S.M.S).
  • Federal Bureau of Investigation (F.B.I.).
  • Drug Enforcement Administration (D.E.A.).
  • Federal Bureau of Prisons (B.O.P.).

County

The police departments in this category also go by the term parishes and enforce laws from the sheriff's office. These departments also exist in metropolitan areas or have the powers to implement their powers countrywide. 

Regions with county police and sheriff give different responsibilities to each department. The county police will usually serve functions such as investigations or patrolling activities. However, the sheriff's department will address documentation and protection of the court's role.

Sheriffs' Offices

The sheriffs are law enforcement officers that serve various functions. Usually, sheriffs are individuals who have to acquire such seats through elections. The sheriffs have an encompassing role that includes all three main components of the justice system. 

They also have a massive role in the supervision of police personnel. A sheriff's mandate includes safeguarding the country's jails and ensuring the courts are safe. The department can also serve prisoner transportation, operating crime labs, and general law enforcement activities.

Other

There are various other police departments in the U.S.A, and each has a unique jurisdiction to cover. Usually, these states have to serve special purpose districts that also go by the term special district police. These professionals might also serve as security police in some states. However, regions like California have special district forces that feature fully sworn law enforcement agents.

Police Functions

The police serve three main functions including:

Order Maintenance

It involves the powers police have to maintain the welfare of the society from any activity that falls in the crime category. It can include various issues such as trespassing or even burglaries. The police also handle such cases with high levels of discretion to avoid disturbing other peaceful community areas. However, police should not maintain discretion at the expense of the police's criminal deterrence roles.

Law Enforcement

The powers police have in this category usually include contexts where someone has compromised the law. It will involve identifying the suspect and detaining them until the agents complete all the criminal processing functions. 

General Services

Police agents also have two roles in safeguarding the community. It can include first-aid procedures, such as helping disoriented people and implementing awareness measures. Many police assistance calls usually don't include crimes and sometimes involve basic assistance needs. 

Other Functions 

The police also serve various other vital functions in handling or processing individuals under arrest. Some of these other functions the police service can include:

  • Arrest search assistance, which often occurs through a form data access request. While most states have dedicated websites for accessing such information, some don't. The arrest search forms are usually available upon request or through the department's website.
  • The police also serve the role of taking mugshots of any individual that is under arrest. The mugshot can include fingerprints, portrait photos, and any other important personal detail. The assistance can also be in helping any national law enforcement agency such as the F.B.I in processing criminals.
  • The police can also perform bookings, which involve acquiring personal details about a particular inmate. It can involve details from their I.D cards, mugshots, and access to previous criminal records.