CHAPTER 16: WHAT RESEARCH TELLS US AND A LOOK TO THE FUTURE
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. The NIJ’s Locally Initiated Research Partnerships in Policing usually involves partnerships between
the local police department or other law enforcement agency and:
a.
elementary schools throughout the state.
b.
a local university.
c.
local community corrections.
d.
national crime prevention organizations such as MADD.
2. Experts in police research have made a number of recommendations to improve police–researcher
coordination. Which of the following is not one of those recommendations -discussed in the text?
a.
Law enforcement agencies should partner with only seasoned researchers to carefully
design research.
b.
Law enforcement agencies should train their leaders in evaluating potential research to
ensure their ability to identify suitable research partners and to recognize relevant
-research topics.
c.
Agencies should establish regular forums through which their own research interests and
priorities are communicated.
d.
Law enforcement agencies should be willing to initiate research partnerships on regional,
national and local levels.
3. What organization is a think tank focusing on issues of crime and justice?
a.
Justice Research Association
b.
Police Foundation
c.
PERF
d.
SEARCH
4. ______________ isomorphism results from professionalism, with influences coming from such
organizations as the Police Executive Research Forum.
a.
Normative
b.
Coercive
c.
Refractive
d.
Mimetic
5. At the heart of experimental design are the experimental and control conditions, which are:
a.
random.
b.
calculated.
c.
intentional.
d.
selective.
6. Most research on community policing strategies shows ______________ effects on crime rates, drug
abuse and trafficking, and fear of crime.
a.
overwhelmingly positive
b.
fairly positive and statistically significant
c.
only modest and statistically insignificant
d.
absolutely no
7. According to the text, to validate an evaluation conducted by survey, ______________ of the
distributed surveys must be returned.
a.
at least 20 percent
b.
at least 60 percent
c.
85 percent
d.
all
8. ______________ isomorphism occurs when an organization copies or imitates another.
a.
Normative
b.
Coercive
c.
Refractive
d.
Mimetic
9. The Police Foundation conducted the classic Kansas City Preventive Patrol Experiment, which showed
that increasing or decreasing the level of routine preventive patrol—the -backbone of police
work—had ______________ on crime, fear of crime, or citizen -satisfaction with police services.
a.
marked positive effect
b.
no appreciable effect
c.
a negative effect
d.
determined that further study was necessary to determine if there was an effect
10. The problems that have been associated with police research have been related to:
a.
the lack of department support of the research.
b.
the lack of community involvement in the research.
c.
the current exclusionary style of conducting research by academics who are more
interested in generating publications than in providing useful information for departments.
d.
none of the above
11. Which organization for law enforcement research is a national membership organization -created by
and for the states, dedicated to improving the criminal justice system through effective application of
information and identification technology?
a.
JRSA
b.
Police Foundation
c.
PERF
d.
SEARCH
12. ______________ isomorphism occurs when organizations adopt something due to pressure either from
the state or other organizations.
a.
Normative
b.
Coercive
c.
Refractive
d.
Mimetic
13. This organization was created in 1979 to enhance law enforcement as a profession and to improve law
enforcement.
a.
IACP
b.
NOBLE
c.
CALEA
d.
PERF
14. To evaluate the effectiveness of specific community policing strategies, police departments should
consider data from all of the following except:
a.
the health care system.
b.
schools.
c.
community surveys.
d.
homeless shelters.
15. According to the text, contrary to conventional wisdom law enforcement is:
a.
not open to research.
b.
predictable.
c.
unpredictable.
d.
open to research.
16. Futurists operate under three fundamental premises. Which of the following is not one of those
principles?
a.
The future is not predictable.
b.
The future is not predetermined.
c.
Future outcomes can be influenced by individual choice.
d.
The future is static.
17. According to the text, all of the following are ways a law enforcement agency can use data from
research except:
a.
to justify equipment purchases.
b.
for grant applications.
c.
for disciplinary decisions.
d.
for hiring decisions.
18. When departments are involved in the creation of surveys, they are more likely to use the research.
This is an example of:
a.
process research.
b.
action research.
c.
partner research.
d.
practical research.
19. The Action Research Model is:
a.
a cyclical, multistep process.
b.
a nomination process for research topics.
c.
a process of development for grant-initiated research.
d.
the implementation process of the research.
20. Experiments in criminal justice raise ethical as well as ______________ issues.
a.
quality
b.
objectivity
c.
subjectivity
d.
privacy
21. According to the text, what do most experts believe will have the most profound impact on the
collective ability of the federal, state, and local governments to protect the United States?
a.
asymmetric threats
b.
technological innovations
c.
domestic terrorism
d.
global terrorism
22. According to the text, which of these community policing tenets are of increased importance when
facing budget cuts that reduce the number of officers on the street?
a.
community partnerships
b.
organizational transformation
c.
problem solving
d.
All are correct.
23. One of the best models for police–researcher alliance is an action research approach. This approach
was first used by Lewin in what decade?
a.
1970s
b.
1960s
c.
1950s
d.
1940s
24. Which research foundation has created a center for survey research?
a.
JRSA
b.
Police Foundation
c.
PERF
d.
SEARCH
25. According to the text, surveys can be conducted:
a.
in person.
b.
on the phone.
c.
by mail.
d.
all of the above
26. Criminologist Larry Sherman proposed a new model of law enforcement called:
a.
action policing.
b.
community-based policing.
c.
evidence-based policing.
d.
none of the above
27. According to the text, this research method emphasizes full participation in the research by everyone
directly affected by the process and results:
a.
partnership research.
b.
random assignment.
c.
action research.
d.
experimental design.
28. According to the text, this research method involves the random assignment of individuals to
experimental (treatment) and control (no treatment) conditions:
a.
partnership research.
b.
random assignment.
c.
action research.
d.
experimental design.
TRUE/FALSE
1. Crime statistics are the only way to sufficiently evaluate the effectiveness of the community policing
strategy.
2. Assistance in experiments in criminal justice is available through the NIJ’s Locally Initiated Research
Partnerships in Policing.
3. Much of what is known about community policing derives from case studies of community policing
practices in cities throughout the country.
4. A new model of law enforcement proposed in 1998 by Larry Sherman is called -community-oriented
policing.
5. Research has shed little light on the types of community policing activities in which various
departments across the country are engaged.
6. Experiments in criminal justice raise both ethical and privacy issues.
7. The COPS Office has increased the number of sworn officers per capita by 3 percent -nationwide and
has also had a significant effect on the adoption of new and effective police practices.
8. According to the text, when reading case studies, one can have reasonable confidence about the kinds
of steps taken by the police in a neighborhood to provide accessibility, improve responsiveness, and
increase communication with residents.
9. Mimetic isomorphism occurs when an organization copies or imitates another organization.
10. Surveys may be used to determine what citizens believe are a neighborhood’s main -problems.
11. According to the text, even the most well-intentioned witnesses can identify the wrong -person or fail
to identify the perpetrator of a crime.
12. In the NIJ’s Locally Initiated Research Partnerships in Policing, partners share responsibility
throughout the entire project, jointly selecting an area of interest and collaborating on the research
design, implementation and interpretation of findings.
13. Globalization and the trend toward a decreasingly networked world economy will become more
pronounced within the next 5 years.
14. As pointed out in the text, contrary to conventional wisdom, law enforcement agencies are actually
quite open to the research process.
15. As stated by the authors, most experts believe that technological innovation will have the most
profound impact on the collective ability of the federal, state and local governments to protect the
United States.
SHORT ANSWER
1. In reality, ______________ is more a philosophy than a model to use when confronted with an issue
or problem.
2. ____________ isomorphism occurs when an organization copies or imitates another.
3. ______________ isomorphism occurs when organizations adopt something as a result of pressure
either from the state or other organizations.
4. ______________ isomorphism results from professionalism, with influences coming from such
organizations as PERF and IACP.
5. ______________ means “similar in structural characteristics” and results in a one-size-fits-all
approach to community policing.
6. ______________ research emphasizes full participation by everyone directly affected by the process
and results.
7. The effectiveness of community policing is often measured using ______________ for a given
jurisdiction.
8. According to the American Judicature Society, ______________ by eyewitness was the -leading cause
of wrongful conviction in more than 75 percent the first 183 DNA -exonerations in the United States.
9. Hundreds of agencies across the United States and Canada have become ______________ and more
are going through the process every year.
10. At the heart of ______________ is the random assignment of individuals to experimental and control
conditions.
ESSAY
1. Discuss the impact of the economic downturn on policing in the United States and the varied responses
by the law enforcement community.
2. Illustrate and explain the Action Research Model, labeling each step.
3. What role should research play in community policing?
4. Discuss the Schuster’s research on eyewitness testimony and how DNA testing has -influenced
convictions.
5. Describe how futurists work. What will their role be in policing?