Police, Part 4
Question 1: Discuss the role of police department detective work.
Answer 1: The role of the police department detective force (as opposed to police patrol units) is to:Ascertain the identity of and apprehend criminalsCollect evidence in a criminal proceedingFind witnessesRecover stolen propertyIn small police departments, the patrolling officers may perform detective duties or the detective department may consist of a single detective. In larger departments, the detective department may be broken down into specialized squads, handling specific types of cases: homicide, burglaries, or sex crimes. Detective units may also be broken down by geographical area. Very large police departments may have detective units specializing in bunco (con artists) and drug crimes. Ad hoc detective units may be put together for important cases.
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Question 2: Define SWAT team.
Answer 2: A SWAT team (an acronym for Special Weapons and Tactics) is a specialized police unit that adopts military tactics and applies them to unusually dangerous situations, such as terrorist acts and hijackings. In addition to SWAT teams, such units may be called Emergency Response Teams (ERT) or Tactical Neutralization Teams (TNT). SWAT teams can range in size from small two-person teams to forces of more than 100 officers. There is controversy surrounding the tendency of some police forces to adopt SWAT tactics and equipment for routine police community patrol work where it may not be appropriate. The first SWAT team was organized in 1964 by the Philadelphia Police Department.
Question 3: Define show up and lineup.
Answer 3: In police terminology, a show up occurs when a crime victim is introduced one by one to a group of individuals and asked to identify which, if any, is the perpetrator. In a lineup, a victim is asked to pick the perpetrator out of an assembled group of people, often lined up in a row (hence the term lineup). These are considered a form of non-testimonial evidence and are acceptable to the Supreme Court as admissible evidence under some, but not all, circumstances. For instance, the police may not suggest to the victim which individual in the group they believe to be the perpetrator. The high court has also ruled that an indicted suspect has a right to have an attorney present during a lineup or show up.
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