Introduction to Policing
Video and Audio Links
Click on the following links. Please note these will open in a new window.
Learning Objectives
2-1: Identify the influence of English roots of policing on American policing
2-2: Describe the influence of technology on the evolution of early American policing
2-3: Summarize the issues facing policing during the Political Era
2-4: Explain the effect on policing of the changes implemented during the Reform Era
2-5: Describe the relationship between the social upheaval of the 1960s and 1970s and the increased emphasis on research on police effectiveness
2-6: Identify aspects of the community policing model and problem-oriented policing
2-7: Evaluate at least three contemporary policing strategies in terms of their effectiveness
2-8: Describe the challenges facing contemporary police departments
Audio Link 1
Vietnam War Protests Speeches and Audios
This History Channel audio recording recounts the police crackdown against anti-war protesters at UC Berkeley in 1964.
- What does this recording reveal about police-community relations during the Era of Social Upheaval?
Audio Link 2
Wisconsin City Serves as Model for Community Policing
This NPR story follows a police department that actively builds relationships and trust with local communities.
- How does this police department build relationship with communities?
- What are the challenges and opportunities with this model?
- How can other police departments adopt similar community policing strategies?
Video Link 1
Are We Safer?
This PBS Frontline Article reviews the Homeland Security Era, including new policing tactics and tensions with civil liberties.
- How can police departments balance counterterrorism efforts with the need to protect civil liberties?
Video Link 2
Can police reform happen in Philadelphia?
This PBS NewsHour video discusses how police killings have harmed relationships with communities and revealed room for reform.
- What opportunities for reform in the Philadelphia Police Department are there, according to this video?
- How is the current need for reform similar or different from the previous Reform Era?
