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Prevention of Police Misconduct/Early Intervention
Length of Seminar:
2.5 Days
Instructor: Steve Rothlein
Course Overview:
Introduction: Outline of
the program...causes and impact of misconduct in a law
enforcement agency...corruption and strategies to prevent
misconduct from invading a police agency including Early
Intervention Systems. History of Police
Misconduct:From the Wickersham Commission in 1931
to recent reports including Rampart and the Department
of Justice Pattern and Practice litigation, law enforcement
agencies have struggled with issues of misconduct...what
are the lessons learned from history including Rodney
King, the Miami River Cops and other major cases that
have tarnished the image of the law enforcement profession.
Ethics in Law Enforcement:What
causes a good officer to make bad decisions...how does
an agency move from being rule-driven to value driven...understanding
police sub-culture and how to manage the culture from the
top to the bottom of the organization.
Police Misconduct:
What defines malfeasance, misfeasance, and nonfeasance
and who is responsible to sanction officers who engage
in inappropriate behavior...the role of supervisors versus
internal affairs...the impact one act of misconduct can
have on a police agency.
Police Sexual Misconduct:
What happens when a police officer uses their position
of authority to exploit citizens for sexual purposes...seven
profiles of this type of behavior will be examined and
strategies for prevention will be discussed.
Early Intervention
Systems: How to implement an Early Intervention
System (EWS)...what are the indicators to build into
a system and what are the appropriate responses once
an officer has been identified...Pro’s and Con’s
of engaging this type of system and strategies for implementation.
Areas of Supervisory
Liability: Failure to train, investigate and direct
law enforcement personnel in an appropriate manner can
leave an agency and involved supervisors exposed to major
liability...this will be fully discussed with solutions
to reduce exposure by taking proactive measures.
Policy Failure:
High liability areas of law enforcement are fertile ground
for misconduct if departmental policy is insufficient...confidential
informants, money seizures, search warrants, off-duty
details and complaint acceptance are all potential problems
if weak policy exists to guide behavior...this will be
discussed with recommendations to strengthen policy.
Police Corruption:
What defines police corruption, how does it spread, and
what types of preventive measures can be implemented
to reduce the opportunity for corruption to thrive...different
concepts will be discussed including “Donut Shop
Ethics” and the consequences of accepting gratuities.
Audits/Stings:
As a preventive measure, how can an agency conduct a sting
on their employees to determine if they are handling
their duties according to established guidelines...what
are the ethical questions and morale issues involved
when engaging this type of management practice...examples
will be given to facilitate discussion of these issues.
Officer Involved
Domestic Violence:
What happens when a police officer is involved in domestic
violence...who should handle these calls...what type of
policy should be in place to ensure the violator is not
given preferential treatment because of their position...recommendations
will be offered to ensure these types of issues are handled
in accordance with model policies.
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