Current Issues in Policing

Featuring chapters written by scholars with experience in a wide range of policing-related activities, Current Issues in Policing provides students with diverse perspectives regarding timely issues in policing. Students learn not only about the function of police in society and the operations of a police organization, but also about the most important relate topics within the field, as determined by practitioners working as or with the police. 

The book begins with a brief history of the profession, then examines specific topics, including the intersection of private security and public law enforcement, technology and privacy, use of force, and the importance of quality leadership in law enforcement. Additional chapters address training and education, mental health issues, police-minority relations, police suicide, and the challenge of responding to domestic violence calls. Students read about efforts to humanize the police to improve community relations, the role of body cameras in modern policing, and the threat of criminal manufacturing enterprises. The book concludes with a chapter assessing the future of policing. 

Highlighting the most relevant and timely issues of the profession, Current Issues in Policing is an excellent resource for courses and programs in criminal justice and law enforcement.

Christopher James Utecht is an associate professor of criminal justice at the College of Lake County, where he teaches courses in criminal justice, policing, corrections, ethics in criminal justice, and juvenile delinquency. He has served as a law enforcement officer in Wisconsin for 15 years, attaining the rank of Chief. Professor Utecht holds a master’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Cincinnati and a master’s degree in sociology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.