4 I Police and Law Enforcement—Adult Forensics
carefully chosen because they collectively suggest considerable breadth in forensic
application. In other words, the adult forensic section of policing canvasses a wide
array of law enforcement psychology topics, reflecting the expanse of the field,
Police officers exercise power, authority, and discretion in decision making. Not
only is it important to know where and how this behavior manifests itself, it is
equally significant to assess the thought and perceptual processes (e.g., demeanor
of the suspect) that give rise to police action or inaction. Police officers also, on
occasion, use force. What are the psychological variables that impact the use of it,
arid what "dangerous" circumstances inform an officer's decision to use excessive
and even deadly force?
Law enforcement personnel confront difficult cases where evidence, necessary
for clear and certain conviction, is not always as fully developed as it could be. What
motivates an officer to tamper with evidence? What ethical and/or moral factors
contribute to an officer's understanding of this behavior?
State and federal law enforcement personnel investigate crimes that are commit-
ted by very troubled individuals. This has lead to the criminal profiling of offenders.
What are the personality and behavioral characteristics that officers consider when
evaluating the profile for a serial homicide killer, a mass murderer, a sex offender,
or other seriously disturbed persons? How do these processes contribute to the
apprehension of offenders?
Police officers are responsible for eliciting information from suspects that may re-
sult in a confession. What psychological and sociological techniques, manipulative
or otherwise, do law enforcement personnel employ to arrive at (in-)voluntary
confessions? How, if at all, do officers balance the suspects right against self-
incrimination with the precinct's and/or the public's demand for apprehension
of (factually) guilty criminals during the interviewing phase?
These and other questions are examined in the various sections of Chapter 1.
This chapter, therefore, demonstrates that psychology is very much a part of what
happens in ongoing police practices. Interestingly, however, we know very little
about the extent of its role in routine law enforcement. What we do know suggests
that the implications for officers, for police departments, for suspects/offenders,
for the public at large, and for communities in general are considerable. More re-
search on the identified controversies is needed. Better evaluations of how the adult
forensic arena of policing and psychology interface is essential. These conditions
are necessary if we are to address the problem of crime and the search for justice at
the crossroads of psychology and law enforcement.
POWER, AUTHORITY, AND DISCRETIONARY
DECISION MAKING
Introduction
Effective law enforcement must take into account, and encompass, a wide vari-
ety of processes and decision-making steps. Officers must decide whether to arrest