Cop Watch: Spectators, Social Media, and Police Reform (Psychology, Crime, and Justice Series)

In Cop Watch , renowned social psychologist Hans Toch takes stock of the vast changes in police procedures that have occurred over the last half-century by examining the evolving role of spectators to police-citizen interactions. This sympathetic and informed analysis details the concerns of both disgruntled citizens and unsettled police. Their interactions are played out on a broad stage, from 1960s riots and Kerner Commission findings, to 2011 accusations of police brutality in Seattle. In this unflinching examination of the power of the crowd and society to shape police practice, Toch provides a uniquely compelling look at the struggles and complexities of policing in a volatile world. Toch (emeritus, Criminal Justice, U. Of Albany-suny) Reviews The History Of Police Reform Over The Past 50 Years, Stressing The Role Of Citizen Spectators In Shaping Police Practice And Policy, Especially In The Era Of New Digital Communication Such As Social Networking Sites, Cell Phones, And Blogging. The Author Also Draws On His Own Original Research In Crowd Behavior. The First Part Of The Book Relies On Interviews With Real Police Officers In An Anonymous West Coast City From 1967 To 1971, Shedding Light On That City's Experience With Citizen Concerns About Police Brutality And The Subsequent Resistance Of Rank-and-file Police Officers To Reforms. Part 2, The Bulk Of The Book, Examines Accusations Of Police Brutality In Seattle, 2010-1011. The Book Includes An Extensive List Of References, Mainly Online Documentation For The Seattle Section. Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, Or (booknews.com). The Clamorous Chorus -- The Concern With The Injustice Or Unfairness Of Police Interventions -- A Concern About Police Brutality Or Disproportionate Police Response -- Sensing An Unbridgeable Divide -- Rank-and-file Resistance To Community Relations Reforms -- The Birth Of Modern Policing -- A Video Clip In Seattle -- A Posthumous Chorus And Street Justice In Seattle -- Learning To Live With Due Process -- Volatile Scenarios In The Ghetto. Hans Toch. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Contents Foreword Preface Acknowledgments Part I West Coast City, 1967–1971 Chapter 1 The Clamorous Chorus Chapter 2 The Concern With the Injustice or Unfairness of Police Interventions Chapter 3 A Concern About Police Brutality or Disproportional Police Response Chapter 4 Sensing an Unbridgeable Divide Chapter 5 Rank-and-File Resistance to Community-Relations Reforms Part II Seattle, 2010–2011 Chapter 6 The Birth of Modern Policing Chapter 7 A Video Clip in Seattle Chapter 8 A Posthumous Chorus and Street Justice in Seattle Chapter 9 Learning to Live With Due Process Part III Epilogue Chapter 10 Volatile Scenarios in the Ghetto References Index About the Author