DSST Introduction to Law Enforcement flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Frankpledge system

An early English system grouping households into tithings of ten, each responsible for the conduct of its members and required to report offenses to the court.

Metropolitan Police Act 1829

British legislation championed by Sir Robert Peel that created London's professional police force, organized on military-style ranks but dedicated to crime prevention rather than military action.

Peel's principles

Nine guiding ideas attributed to Sir Robert Peel, including that crime prevention is the primary mission, public approval sustains police, and force is a last resort.

Bow Street Runners

An early organized, paid group of London law enforcers associated with Henry Fielding in the mid-eighteenth century, often described as a precursor to professional detective forces.

Wickersham Commission

A 1931 U.S. national commission whose reports documented police misconduct and the failures of Prohibition enforcement, helping to spur police professionalization and reform.

Community policing

A strategy emphasizing citizen partnership, organizational change, and collaborative problem solving, rather than reacting to calls alone, to address the underlying causes of crime.

COMPSTAT

A data-driven management model begun in New York in 1994 that uses crime statistics, mapping, and accountability meetings to deploy resources and evaluate commanders.

Three components of justice

Law enforcement, courts, and corrections, which together process criminal cases from investigation and arrest through adjudication, sentencing, and supervision or incarceration.

Criminal justice funnel

The model showing that of reported crimes, progressively fewer result in arrest, prosecution, conviction, and imprisonment, because cases drop out at each stage.

Felony versus misdemeanor

A felony is generally punishable by more than one year of imprisonment; a misdemeanor by one year or less; an infraction is minor and usually punished by fine only.

Booking

The administrative police process of recording an arrest, capturing identifying information, fingerprints, and photographs, and creating the official arrest record.

Initial appearance

The first court appearance after arrest, where a magistrate informs the defendant of the charges and sets bail or other conditions of release.

Arraignment

A court proceeding where the defendant is formally charged and enters a plea of guilty, not guilty, or nolo contendere, often after plea negotiations.

Probable cause hearing

A preliminary hearing or grand jury review that determines whether sufficient evidence exists to hold a felony defendant for trial.

Probation versus parole

Probation is a sentence served in the community instead of prison; parole is supervised release in the community after serving part of a prison term.

Jail versus prison

Jails hold pretrial detainees and short-term sentenced offenders, usually run by counties; prisons hold sentenced felons, usually run by states or the federal government.

Grand jury versus information

A grand jury indictment is issued by citizens after reviewing evidence; an information is a formal charge filed directly by a prosecutor, used where grand jury review is not required.

Span of control

The number of subordinates a supervisor can effectively direct; narrower spans are used where work is complex, hazardous, or requires close supervision.

Unity of command

The management principle that each officer should report to only one supervisor, preventing conflicting orders and confusion, especially during emergencies.

Sheriff versus police chief

A sheriff is typically an elected county official who runs the jail and serves court process; a police chief is typically appointed to lead a municipal department.

SARA problem-solving model

A four-step community policing method: Scanning to identify problems, Analysis of causes, Response with tailored strategies, and Assessment of results.

Graham v. Connor

A 1989 Supreme Court decision holding that use of force is judged by objective reasonableness from the officer's perspective, considering the crime's severity, immediate threat, and resistance.

U.S. Marshals Service

A federal agency responsible for fugitive apprehension, prisoner transport, court security, and execution of federal court orders and warrants.

Federal Bureau of Investigation

The principal federal investigative agency, with jurisdiction over federal crimes such as kidnapping, bank robbery, terrorism, and civil rights violations.

Chain of command

The formal line of authority running from the chief down through supervisors to officers, ensuring clear responsibility and orderly communication.

Fourth Amendment

Constitutional protection against unreasonable searches and seizures, requiring warrants based on probable cause and particularity, subject to recognized exceptions.

Terry v. Ohio

A 1968 decision permitting a brief investigative stop on reasonable, articulable suspicion and a limited pat-down for weapons when the officer reasonably suspects armed danger.

Exclusionary rule

The doctrine barring use of evidence obtained through unconstitutional searches or seizures in the prosecution's case-in-chief, extended to the states by Mapp v. Ohio.

Miranda v. Arizona

A 1966 decision requiring police to warn suspects before custodial interrogation that they may remain silent, that statements may be used against them, and that counsel is available.

Actus reus and mens rea

The two core elements of a crime: the prohibited act or omission and the guilty mental state, which must concur and cause the resulting harm.

Standards of proof

The ladder of evidentiary thresholds: reasonable suspicion, probable cause, preponderance of the evidence, clear and convincing evidence, and beyond a reasonable doubt.

Gregg v. Georgia

A 1976 decision upholding capital punishment under guided-discretion statutes that direct juries to weigh aggravating and mitigating factors, reinstating the death penalty.