NCJ Number
154859
Date Published
Unknown
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This article evaluates operations of the uniformed police of the city of Bonn which involved the management of conflict situations.
Abstract
Data for this study were obtained from participant observation, and were categorized according to areas of conflict and conflict management strategies. The percentage of cases in which the situation was dealt with passively (cooling off the conflict, downgrading the conflict potential, and delegating the final resolution to other institutions) was greater than those involving active intervention by the police themselves. This was also true for those situations in which the parties to the conflict expected the active participation of the police (domestic conflicts, conflicts involving physical attacks). Reactive behavior (answering an emergency call) characterizes more than 90 percent of police activity relating to criminal prosecution, and was accorded a greater priority than proactive behavior for purposes of this study. The authors suggest that further research should investigate the factors upon which the different strategies of the police are dependent. In addition, further studies must clarify when and on what ground restorative justice is achieved and why the police frequently merely employ passive strategies. Table, figures