Some Useful Latin Terms and Legal Maxims
Some Useful Latin Terms and Legal Maxims
Some Useful Latin Terms and Legal Maxims
Patrol officers - are uniformed officers assigned to monitor specific geographical areas, that is to move throug
looking out for any signs of problems of any kind.
History of Patrol
1. Ancient China - law enforcement was carried out by prefect.
Prefects were government officials appointed by local magistrates
who reported to higher authorities such as the governors who in
turn were appointed by head of state usually the emperor of the
dynasty.
2. Ancient Greece - publicly owned slaves were used by
magistrates as police.In Athens, a group of 300 Scythian slaves
(rod-bearers) was used to guard public meetings to keep order
and for crowd control and also assisted with
dealing with criminal, handling prisoners and making arrests.
3. Roman empire - the army rather than a dedicated police
organization provided security. Local watchmen were hired by
cities to provide some extra security.Magistrates such as
procurators, fiscals and quaestros investigated crime.
Under the reign of Augustus, 14 wards were created, the wards
were protected by seven squads of 1000 men called vigiles who
acted as firemen and night watchmen. Their duties included
apprehending thieves and robbers and capturing run away slaves.
The vigiles were supported by the urban cohorts
who acted as a heavy duty riot force and praetorian guard if
necessary.
urban cohorts - were created by Augustus to counter balance the enormous power of the praetorian gu
the police force.
vigiles - (watchmen of the city) - were the firefighters and police of ancient Rome.
constable - is a person holding a particular office most commonly in law enforcement. The office of co
different jurisdiction.
Sheriff - is a contraction of the term "shire-reeve" - designated a royal official responsible for keeping
county on behalf of the king.
Reeve - a senior official with local responsibilities under the crown. ex., chief magistrate of a town or
Jury - is a sworn body of people convened to render impartial verdict officially submitted to them by a
judgement.
Henry Fielding - a magistrate educated at Elton college who founded the Bow street runners originall
Statute of Winchester - in 1285, obliged the authorities of every town to keep a watch at the city gate
walkers.
Sir Robert Peel - prime minister of England from Dec. 1834 to April 1835 and again From Aug.1841
help create the modern concept of the police force leading to officers being known as bobbies in Engla
Patrick Colquhoun - (1745 - 1820) - a Scottish merchant and a magistrate who founded the first regu
England, the Thames river police.
August Vollmer - first police chief of Berkeley California. He is sometimes called the father of mode
1. He was the first chief to require that
police officers attain college degrees.
2. First police chief to create a motorized
force placing officers on motorcycles
and cars so that they could patrol broader
areas with greater efficiency .
3. He was also the first to use the lie detector
in police work.
O.W. Wilson - studied under August Vollmer. Became Chief of Police of the Fullerton police departme
the Wichita police department. He introduced the following reforms and innovations:
Community policing - is the process by which an organized group of citizens devoted a time to crime preven
suspecting criminal activities, members are encourage to contact the authorities and not to intervene.
Beat patrol - the deployment of officers in a given community, area or locality to prevent and deter criminal a
services to the community.
Sting Operations - organized groups of detectives who deceived criminals into openly committing illegal acts
activity.
Hotspots of Crime - the view that a significant portion of all police calls in cities typically radiate from a rela
Models of Policing
1. Neighborhood Oriented Policing - a philosophy of
police suggesting that problem solving is best done
at the neighborhood level, where issues originate
not at a far-off central headquarters.
2. Pro Active Policing - aggressive law enforcement
style in which patrol officers take the initiative
against crime instead of waiting for criminal acts to
occur.
3. Problem Oriented Policing - a style of police
management that stresses pro active problem
solving instead of reactive crime fighting.
4.Community Oriented Policing - programs designed
to bring the police and the public closer together
and create more cooperative working environment
between them.
5. Reactive Policing - the opposite of Pro Active
policing where the police wait for crime to occur.
Blue Curtain - describes the secrecy and insulation
from others in society that is a consequence of the police subculture.
Cynicism - the belief that most peoples actions are motivated solely by personal needs and selfishness.
Civilian Review Board - ex. PLEB - organized citizen groups that examine police misconduct.
Deadly Force - police killing of a suspect who resists arrest or presents a danger to an officer or the communi
Booking - the administrative record of an arrest listing the offenders name, address, physical description, date
name of arresting officer. It also include photographing and fingerprinting of the offender.
Line Up - placing a suspect in a group for the purpose of being viewed and identified by a witness.
Stop and Frisk - the situation in which police officers who are suspicious of an individual run their hands ligh
to determine if the person is carrying a concealed weapon. Also called Inquiry of Pat Down.
Foot Patrol - police patrol that takes officer out of cars and puts them in walking beat to strengthen ties with t
Excited Delirium - an overdose of adrenaline that can occur in heated confrontation with the police.
* Patrol reduces crime by creating an impression of
omnipresence.
Responding to Crime - total response time is comprised of four dimensions.
1. Discovery Time - interval between the commission
of the crime and its discovery.
2. Reporting Time - interval between the discovery
of the crime and when it is reported to the police.
3. Processing Time - interval between receiving the
call and dispatching the officers for service.
4. Travel time - the amount of time it takes for the
police to travel to the scene of the crime.
The Phantom Effect - "residual deterrence" most people believe that the police is present even when the are n
Sworn Date - the date that a sworn employee took the oath of office for their position.
Advantages of Foot/Bicycle Patrol
1. Increased personal contact between the police and
citizen.
2. Increased observation ability.
3. Increased ability to gather information
4. Economical