Violent crime has been rising sharply in many American cities after two decades of decline. Homicides jumped nearly 17 percent in 2015 in the largest 50 cities, the biggest one-year increase since 1993. The reason is what Heather Mac Donald first identified nationally as the “Ferguson effect”: Since the 2014 police shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, officers have been backing off of proactive policing, and criminals are becoming emboldened. This book expands on Mac Donald’s groundbreaking and controversial reporting on the Ferguson effect and the criminal-justice system. It deconstructs the central narrative of the Black Lives Matter movement: that racist cops are the greatest threat to young black males. On the contrary, it is criminals and gangbangers who are responsible for the high black homicide death rate. The War on Cops exposes the truth about officer use of force and explodes the conceit of “mass incarceration.” A rigorous analysis of data shows that crime, not race, drives police actions and prison rates. The growth of proactive policing in the 1990s, along with lengthened sentences for violent crime, saved thousands of minority lives. In fact, Mac Donald argues, no government agency is more dedicated to the proposition that “black lives matter” than today’s data-driven, accountable police department. Mac Donald gives voice to the many residents of high-crime neighborhoods who want proactive policing. She warns that race-based attacks on the criminal-justice system, from the White House on down, are eroding the authority of law and putting lives at risk. This book is a call for a more honest and informed debate about policing, crime, and race.

There are more than one million law enforcement officers in the United States. In this book, you will meet police officers from all parts of the country who take their oath seriously, and when confronted with life-threatening circumstances, have acted courageously. You'll read about a patrol officer who, after discovering a house on fire eary one morning, rescued its inhabitants before the fire department could arrive. Imagine the courage required by one state trooper who single-handedly brought five armed robbers to justice in Alaska's wilderness. One stalwart officer used his body to shield a homeless man from an angry armed mob while his partner helped fend off the attackers. Readers will meet one officer who distinguished himself throughout his incredible career with numerous feats of heroism. You'll be touched by the valor of the K-9 officers and their handlers. And of course, there is a powerful piece on police heroism on September 11th. Filled with stories about Americas finest officers, this book is a moving tribute to our country's unsung heroes.

This study investigates issues relative to assessing and addressing risks to officer safety. The study was conducted over a 3-year period and addressed 40 distinct cases of serious assaults on law enforcement officers. The cases involved 52 victim officers and 42 offenders. Routine, repetitive tasks emerged as a continuing threat to officer safety. Traffic stops, searches, and use of handcuffs are examples of tasks that should be second nature to officers but presented problems to the victims in the cases studied. Officers cited training as critical to the actions they took to protect themselves. Post-assault trauma and recovery proved to be areas that perhaps have not received appropriate attention from the law enforcement community. Many of the victim officers in the study displayed an uncommon "will to survive," an attitude many officers attributed to their survival training. This article reports extensive information on the victims, offenders, and incidents studied, and identifies specific areas where law enforcement training and procedures may be improved. Figures, tables, appendixes, references.

Criminal Investigations & Forensic Science

Policing in the United States is at a crossroads; decisions made at this juncture are crucial. With the emergence of evidence-based policing, police leaders can draw on research when making choices about how to police their communities. Who will design the path forward and what will be the new standards for policing? This book brings together two qualified groups to lead the discussion: academics and experienced police professionals. The School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Arizona State University recruited faculty with expertise in policing and police research. This volume draws on that expertise to examine 13 specific areas in policing. Each chapter presents an issue and provides background before reviewing the available research on potential solutions and recommending specific reform measures. Response essays written by a current or former police leader follow each chapter and reflect on the recommendations in the chapter. The 13 chapters and response essays present new thinking about the police, their challenges, and the reforms police agencies should consider adopting. Policy makers, practitioners, educators, researchers, students and anyone interested in the future of policing will find valuable information about: the benefits of adopting evidence-based policing; leading strategic crime-control efforts; instituting procedural justice to enhance police legitimacy; reducing use of force; combatting racially biased policing; establishing civilian oversight; implementing a body-worn camera program; creating sentinel event reviews; developing police-university collaborations; facilitating organizational justice in police departments; improving officer health and wellness; handling protests; and increasing the effectiveness of police responses to sexual assault.

Ambush attacks against law enforcement officers remain a threat to officer safety, with the number of attacks per year holding steady since a decline in the early 1990s and the proportion of fatal attacks on officers attributable to ambushes increasing. Concerns about targeted violence against police are on the rise, while officers must not only be guardians of the public but also be prepared to respond to violence targeting them. This report details findings from four inquiries on the topic: 1. A series of focus groups with police leaders to discuss ambushes, including definitional issues, preparation and protection strategies, and recovery after ambush incidents. 2. A quantitative analysis of environmental (agency and jurisdictional) characteristics associated with increases in the number of ambushes experienced by agencies over a five-year period. 3. A quantitative analysis of ambush incident survivability rates associated with officer, suspect, and incident characteristics. 4. A qualitative and quantitative analysis of organizational learning in the wake of ambush incidents based on survey data collected as part of this study.