Exploring the geography of suicide threats and suicide attempts: An application of Risk Terrain Modeling

The purpose of this research is twofold: first, the spatial distribution of 911 emergency calls for service to the police for suicides in progress and threats of suicide in the City of Detroit, Michigan will be explored to determine whether these events exhibit different patterns of spatial clustering. Second, this research will explore the utility of Risk Terrain Modeling (RTM) to assist in our understanding of the locations of calls for service to the police related to suicide threats and suicides in progress. The results suggest that these events are different social phenomenon, both with respect to the spatial clustering of these events as well as qualitative differences in the environmental factors that may contribute to their occurrence

Are Citizen Complaints Just Another Measure of Officer Productivity? An Analysis of Citizen Complaints and Officer Activity Measures

The purpose of this research is to explore the relationship between the number of citizen allegations of misconduct an officer receives and the officer\u27s official measures of productivity. Using data provided from a large municipal agency in the Southeastern United States as a database, the relationships between both number and type of citizen complaints and the number of arrests, traffic citations, field interview reports, and other productivity measures were explored. Officers with higher numbers of citizen complaints were found to engage in higher levels of productivity. Significant relationships were also found between the types of activities an officer engaged in and the type of citizen allegation

Exploring Gender Differences in Citizen Allegations of Misconduct: An Analysis of a Municipal Police Department

Complaints that have been filed with the internal affairs office of a large police department in the Southeast were examined over a three year period. Possible differences between the male and female officers named in the allegations of misconduct were explored in the following areas: overall number of complaints; characteristics of the officer (age, race, and tenure); characteristics of the complaint; and characteristics of the citizen. While male officers were overrepresented in the allegations of misconduct, there were no significant differences found in the other areas of interest

Police misconduct and malpractice: a critical analysis of citizens’ complaints

In this research several hypotheses suggested by conflict theory were tested in the analysis of official complaints lodged against a large police department in the southeastern United States. It was hypothesized that citizens with less power and fewer resources would be more likely than more powerful, more affluent citizens to file complaints of misconduct and to allege more serious forms of misconduct, and would be less likely to have their complaints sustained by police investigators. The first two hypotheses were supported; results for the third were mixed

Predicting citizen race in allegations of misconduct against the police

Official complaints that have been filed with the internal affairs office of a large police department in the Southeast were examined over a three-year period. Using logistic regression, three areas were used to predict the race of the citizen filing the complaint: characteristics of the officer (age, tenure, race, and gender); characteristics of the complaint (initiation circumstance, complaint type, and number of officers at the scene); and reaction of the department (substantiation rate and sanctions). A number of the variables were found to be significant predictors of citizen race, including officer age and tenure, complaint type and initiation, number of officers at the scene, and substantiation of the complaint. The relationship between substantiation and citizen race was found to be spurious; when controlling for complaint type, the relationship was no longer significant

Social learning theory and academic dishonesty

Using a longitudinal self‐report survey of undergraduate students, social learning concepts were evaluated for the possible effects on various forms of academic dishonesty. The acceptance of definitions favorable to academic dishonesty was found to be a significant predictor of student involvement in deviant activity, as was the degree of involvement of the peer group in questionable acts. Mixed results were found for measures of differential reinforcement

Predicting officer race in internal and external allegations of misconduct

This study was undertaken to explore possible racial differences in the types of complaints that officers receive, the disposition of the complaints by the internal affairs investigators, and the ultimate disciplinary action. The complaints that were filed with the internal affairs office of a large municipal police agency in the Southeastern United States over a three year period (1995–1997) were used as a data base. A variety of complaint types were considered in this analysis, including those internally and externally initiated, as well as force and non‐force allegations. While significant differences based on the race of the officer were found in the types of complaints and the disposition of the allegation, no significant differences were found in the disciplinary action given to the officer

Integrating service learning in undergraduate criminal justice courses: Bringing academics to life

This article provides an overview of the goals and elements of various service learning techniques. The author discusses benefits to students, the community and the university, and offers practical suggestions for incorporating direct service learning projects into undergraduate criminal justice courses