COMM 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 16: Baltimore Police Department, Police Foundation
27 Apr 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Culture and Law Enforcement
How should we understand the violence, counter violence, and civil unrest that
mark the current era in American policing?
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What are the causes of the current racial arrest and concern with law
enforcement?
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Game Theory
What is game theory?
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Who is John Nash?
A beautiful mind
○
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Why is his mind so beautiful?
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Game theory- the study of mathematical models of conflict and cooperation
between intelligent rational decision-makers
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What is the prisoners dilemma?
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Cooperative vs. Non-cooperative games
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Economic principle- You Get What You Reward
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For example, sociologists might study a sport like soccer. Participants must learn
the rules of the game, what behaviors they expect of each other, how to score
points, and what it means to be considered a "good" player
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Game Theory and Communication
How does game theory interact with communication?
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In what ways are the cultural approach to studying both communication and
game theory alike?
Both operate from the premise that reality is socially constructed
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Both assume that organizations have rules and norms of behaviors that
incentivizes and de-incentivizes certain forms of behavior
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Both believe that for change to be successful it must occur on the cultural,
not individual level
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Game Theory, Culture, and Policing
Rather than focus on the characteristics of "bad apple" police officers or angry,
revengeful citizens, we can look at the context in which the violence occurs or at
how individuals within this context interact?
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Policing also has rules and logic that makes certain actions the right things to do
and other actions the wrong thins
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Rules of Policing
How do police officers get rewarded?
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What activities produce desirable results that will earn them notoriety and
promotions?
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What behaviors are not rewarded?
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What do people in high crime areas want?
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What incentives and disincentives exist in for them?
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What are the benefits of them cooperating with police?
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What might be disincentives for them in cooperating with the police?
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Why does tension exist between members of minority communities and police?
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What can be done to solve this problem?
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How can we change the rules of the game?
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Community Policing
The current crisis in American policing requires dismantling the old law
enforcement game and starting anew
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Many police agencies are collaborating with the U.S. Department of Justice and
organizations like the Police Foundation to develop and implement a new game
that redirects the work of the police away from la enforcement "outputs" such
as arrests and drug seizures as a measure of success
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In a recent editorial following the release of the Department of Justice report on
the Baltimore Police Department, Kevin Davis, the new police commissioner,
claimed that "most police officers come to work every day and consistently do
the right thing"
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I agree that the vast majority of police officers want to do the right things
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But what constitutes the "right thing" is contingent to the game being played
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Strong neighborhoods are places where crime rates are low and where
residents and the police work together to keep it that way
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This new approach emphasizes public safety "outcomes" like strong, safe,
thriving neighborhoods
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In Wilmington, Delaware police worked closely with residents to build
relationships through block-by-block organizing, regular neighborhood social
events, and collaborative problem solving
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Surveys of this neighborhood at that time reflected strong support for the police
and the willingness of residents to intervene as needed to prevent crime
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Principles of Community Oriented Policing
Empowerment of the community1.
A belief in a broad police function2.
The reliance of police on citizens for authority, information, and collaboration3.
The application of general knowledge and skill4.
Specific tactics targeted at particular problems rather than general tactics such
as preventative patrol and rapid response
5.
Decentralized authority to better respond to neighborhood needs6.
What roles does communication play in facilitating community policing?
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How can we build trust in communities with law enforcement where it is
currently lacking?
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How can we change the culture of law and order in this country?
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Organizational Culture and Law Enforcement
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
11:37 AM
Document Summary
Game theory- the study of mathematical models of conflict and cooperation between intelligent rational decision-makers. For example, sociologists might study a sport like soccer. Participants must learn the rules of the game, what behaviors they expect of each other, how to score points, and what it means to be considered a good player. Both operate from the premise that reality is socially constructed. Both assume that organizations have rules and norms of behaviors that incentivizes and de-incentivizes certain forms of behavior. Both believe that for change to be successful it must occur on the cultural, not individual level. Policing also has rules and logic that makes certain actions the right things to do and other actions the wrong thins. The current crisis in american policing requires dismantling the old law enforcement game and starting anew. I agree that the vast majority of police officers want to do the right things.
