Week Five Questions

Community and the Justice System

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1) Community Policing demands that officers examine root causes of problems and to take extra steps to identify the cause of the problem? (True or False)

True - The literature for community policing demands that officers take that extra step to examine what the possible causes or reasons are for identified problems. There is a clear demand for a thorough examination of issues.

2) Is there a risk of circumvention of the constitution with the partnerships between probation and police? (Discuss)

Yes, I believe that there is. The risk is that officers may use the powers of the probation officer to search an individual's residence without going through the search warrant process. Currently some officers use the power of probation officers to search the residences of convicted individuals in order to avoid the need for a warrant. This practice seems practical, but it is seductive and may lead to the suppression of some evidence in high profile cases in the future. It is important for officers (police and probation) to share information with each other. However, it is important that the spirit of the constitution be followed. This is a difficult question and no clear answer exists currently.

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