Chapter Four: Law

Enforcement
4.1.Defining Policing
Since the mid 1990s, the term Law
enforcement has been used
synonymously with policing.
Most people would say the police are
those given the task of enforcing the
law, and the most common image of
the police is as crime fighters.
4.2 Structure of the Law Enforcement System
Policing in Ethiopia has adopted many aspects of the United
kingdom Model: a focus on crime prevention, visible patrol, and a
quasi military organization.
There are two personnel in policing: Sworn and No-sworn
Personnel.
Sworn Personnel are those entrusted with arrest powers and are
usually referred to as peace officers in the statutes conferring such
powers.
In the language of policing, non sworn police officers are civilians.
Policing in the Ethiopian context is highly localized.
Despite the localized nature of policing, law enforcement agencies
in Ethiopia exist at the Federal, National Regional States, and
Local Levels.
 4.2.1. Local Law Enforcement Agencies
 We can divide local law enforcement agencies
into two broad categories: Zone polices and
police departments
 Zonal polices tend to serve the larger areas
occupied by large amount of people settled to
lead sustainable life, where as police
departments serve smaller, urban areas with
more people
4..2.2. State Law Enforcement Agencies
The roles and missions of state law enforcement
agencies are defined by state law, they are
considerably include motor vehicle law violation
investigation, lower crimes, alcoholic beverage
control, and narcotics enforcement.
The Regional State polices also offer crime lab
services for local police departments.
 4.2.3. Federal Law Enforcement Agencies
 Federal law enforcement agencies deal with
violations of federal statutes.
 The most prominent employers of sworn
police law enforcement officers at the federal
level are the Federal Police Technical and
Tactical Investigation office, the Federal
Police Crime Prevention department, and the
Drug controlling Department at the office of
crime prevention, in the federal police of
Ethiopia.
 4.3. Police Discretion

 Most members of the public believe all or most actions of the

police are dictated by law.

Officers, however, have a high degree of discretion in

their everyday activities that enables them to act in the manner

they judge most appropriate in a given situation.

up to them; they use their own judgment

Why discretion become important to police?

Because there are too many laws for all to be enforced, so police

must choose which ones are most important in the particular

incident.
The legislators who write laws and the police administrators

who develop policies understand that any given situation will

require officers to make the best choices for those involved.

4.3.1. Positive and Negatives of police discretion

One of the greatest benefits of police discretion is that it allows

officers to act in the most just manner in a given situation.

where to focus their energies

Police discretion has many benefits, but there are disadvantages as

well

All professionals who exert discretion are susceptible to the

temptation to abuse that authority.


4.3.2. Influence on the Use of Discretion
The discretionary decisions to stop a vehicle and to
make an arrest are the subject of much research.
Both the seriousness of the offence and the quality of
the evidence influence an officer’s decision to arrest.
Suspects who are male or juvenile are more likely to
be arrested than are females or adults.
For example, Black suspects are significantly more
likely to be arrested than White suspects in US.
 Intoxicated suspects are more likely to be
arrested than those who are sober. Those who
exhibit a negative attitude to police are much
more likely to be arrested.
Finally, with all other variables held constant,
White officers are more likely to arrest than are
Black officers in most of US states.
If the suspect is a black male, however, a black
officer is more likely to arrest than a White
officer.
Officers have generally “working rules” that
influence whom they deem suspicious and,
therefore, how they use their discretion when
deciding whether to stop someone.
If an individual seems like a person who is not
usually in a neighborhood or is in a business
district late at night, for instance, an officer may
become suspicious.
4.3.3. Victims and the Use of Discretion
People generally assume arrest decisions are
based on whether there is sufficient evidence to
indicate a crime occurred.
In fact, police arrest in only about half the cases
in which evidence of a crime is present; the
greatest influence on the decision to arrest is the
victim’s or complainant’s preference for arrest.
 The degree of relationship between the victim
and perpetrator – whether they are family,
friends, acquaintances, or strangers – also
influences arrest decisions.
The closer the relationship between victim and
perpetrator, the less likely an arrest will be
made.
An arrest is more likely when two strangers are
in a physical altercation than when one family
member assaults another.
Unfortunately, this practice puts those who are
the most vulnerable in greatest jeopardy.
Individuals who perpetrate violence against a
stranger, in a bar fight, for instance, usually
never see their victim, so the likelihood of
another conflict is minimal.
4.4.1. Misuse of Authority
Misuse of authority occurs when police disregard
policies, rules, or laws in the performance of their
duty.
Generally those who commit such misuse believe
in a “noble cause” that they claim excuses for
their wrong doing because “the end justify the
means”.
Noble cause is present, for instance, when officers
frame individuals they believe are “dirty,” and
who would be imprisoned but for lack of evidence.
Police may also seek to administer their own “street
justice” through brutal means.
Noble Cause – justification for wrongdoing committed
by an officer based on the premise that the end justifies
the means.
4.4. Abuse of Authority
Probably nothing is more harmful to a law
enforcement agency than the abuse of authority.
Abuse of authority damages both public confidence
in the police and the ability of law enforcement
administrators to control and direct the workforce.
Police officers are uniquely entrusted to protect the
safety and rights of all citizens.
Moreover, police officers are given
special powers and prerogatives – the
authority to investigate people, to deny
them freedom to move about, and to use
force if warranted.
Two types of abuse of authority by the
police are corruption and misuse of
authority. The possibility of personal
gain is what distinguishes the two.
4.4.2. Police Corruption
Corruption is generally defined as the misuse of
authority for personal gain, such as skinning
seized narcotics monies.
Motives are not limited to money, however.
Personal gain may take the form of services
rendered or political influence gained.
A police officer may let a tavern remain open
after the required closing time because a local
Politian is part owner and the officer believes
that “looking the other way” will lead to a
promotion or a better assignment through the
politician’s influence.
Two schools of thought have developed to
explain police corruption:
the first focuses on the police organization,
and the second on the individual.
 Organizational Explanations for Police
Corruption
Organizational explanations of corruption often
attribute it to the police occupational
subculture, especially the “code of silence”.
The code of silence operates not only in police
organizations but also exists as a mechanism of
worker self-protection in virtually every group
that finds itself vulnerable to discipline.
 Officers who adhere to the code of silence are

motivated by fear of being labeled a “rat” and being

ostracized for snitching – and, conceivably, even

being left without aid when endangered in a street

situation.
 Individual Explanations for Police Corruption
Police occupational subculture helps explain
why corruption exists among the rank and file.
It does not, however, explain why some officers
are corrupt and others not.
Individual factors also come into play.
Even the best screening protocol provides only a
snapshot of an officer’s psychological
qualifications at the beginning of his or her
career.
Some corrupt individuals may manage to slip
through the selection screening process.
Other recruits may be impulsive, harbor a sense
of entitlement, lack empathy, or have difficulty
following the rules.
Individuals react differently to the normal day-to-

day events police officers confront, and some turn

to misconduct.

Training police leaders to recognize and address

operational stress before it leads to problems is

crucial.
 4.4.3. Attaining Integrity
The opposite of abuse of authority is integrity,
which in the context of policing refers to moral
principles and professional standards that help
officers resist the temptation to abuse their
rights and privileges.
Integrity can be an attribute of police
organizations as well as of individuals.
Strategies to enhance integrity help reduce
abuse of authority.
Chapter Ends!!!