Police Reform

Catalog description

This course introduces students to concept of legitimacy in policing and the related reform efforts implemented in police departments throughout the United States in recent years. New technological capabilities have increased public expectations of transparency and efficiency in policing while raising concerns about privacy and due process rights. This course will equip students to understand the issues at stake in the contemporary policy debates surrounding policing and the foundational scholarly knowledge underpinning those debates. The profession of policing will discussed in detail concerning its organizational structure, functional purpose, the normative expectations of citizens who rely on the police for protection, and the effects of 21st century technology on policing practice. The course also focusses on specific controversies and reform efforts from present and recent past. Students will examine the trajectories of several cities that have gone through extensive police reforms and evaluate the impact and promise of specific policy choices.