Policing (Justice Series), 4th edition

Published by Pearson (May 12, 2023) © 2024

  • John L. Worrall University of Texas at Dallas
  • Frank Schmalleger Emeritus, University of North Carolina

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For introductory courses in policing.

Brief. Affordable. Visual.

Policing is a clear, thought-provoking exploration of core concepts, the latest research and current events shaping criminal justice today. As part of the Justice Series, it's built to be affordable without sacrificing academic rigor, and it moves students beyond memorization to true understanding. The concise, conversational writing style keeps student interest and facilitates comprehension.

The 4th Edition has been extensively revised with the latest research and court cases. Changes include coverage of procedural justice, defunding the police and de-escalation. Updated case studies in each chapter highlight the latest issues confronting US police forces.

Hallmark features of this title

A motivating storytelling approach

  • The authors lay a solid historical foundation while staying connected to current events and issues.
  • Chapter-opening vignettes and end-of-chapter case studies address hot topics in policing.
  • Theories and legal issues of policing are introduced throughout. A practical emphasis is maintained with chapters and sections such as “Becoming a Cop” and “A Career in Policing.”

Learning tools

  • Content is organized around key learning objectives for each chapter. At the end of each chapter, an objectives-driven layout ties concepts together.
  • Think About It boxes in each chapter highlight recent events in criminal justice and pose discussion questions.
  • Infographics and flow charts align with the text to promote recall and understanding.

New and updated features of this title

The present and future of policing

  • UPDATED: The state of policing today is captured in updated data on, for example, public perceptions of police (Ch. 2), the role of minorities in policing (Ch. 4) and risks of policing work (Ch. 5).
  • NEW: A new conclusion in the final chapter (Ch. 13) covers the issues of burnout, traumatic stress, compassion fatigue and moral injury in policing, including ways to reduce each.
  • NEW: A new section discusses the possibility of policing eras (Ch. 1) paralleling political, reform and community eras: post-9/11, the information era and the current era, characterized by a crisis of police legitimacy.

Critical events and issues in policing

  • NEW: New chapter-opening stories consider topics such as police use of social media (Ch. 2), the workforce crisis in policing (Ch. 4) and the danger and unpredictability of police work (Ch. 5).
  • NEW: New end-of-chapter cases address topics such as female FBI agents (Ch. 1), police subculture and stress (Ch. 5) and drones in law enforcement (Ch. 7)
  • NEW: New Think About It boxes touch on issues such as the role of COVID-19 in community policing (Ch. 8), ethical challenges of data-driven policing (Ch. 9) and de-escalation in the use of force (Ch. 13).

Features of Pearson+ eTextbook for the 4th Edition

  • Author Explanatory Videos of 2 to 3 minutes each are embedded into the narrative. They offer explanations of and examples for each concept.

PART 1: FOUNDATIONS

  1. Origins and Evolution of American Policing
  2. Policing in the American Context
  3. Law Enforcement Agencies and Their Organization

PART 2: A CAREER IN POLICING

  1. Becoming a Police Officer
  2. Police Subculture
  3. Police Discretion and Behavior

PART 3: ON THE JOB

  1. Core Police Functions
  2. Community Policing and Community Involvement
  3. Policing in the Modern Era

PART 4: LEGAL ISSUES

  1. Policing and the Law
  2. Civil Liability and Accountability

PART 5: CHALLENGES

  1. Deviance, Ethics, and Professionalism
  2. The Use of Force

About our authors

John L. Worrall is professor of criminology and criminal justice at the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD). A Seattle native, both his MA (criminal justice) and PhD (political science) are from Washington State University, where he graduated in 1999. From 1999 to 2006, he was a member of the criminal justice faculty at California State University, San Bernardino. He joined UTD in the fall of 2006.

Dr. Worrall has published articles and book chapters on topics ranging from legal issues in policing to crime measurement. He is also the author or coauthor of numerous textbooks, including Introduction to Criminal Justice (with Larry J. Siegel, 17th ed., Cengage, 2022) and Criminal Procedure: From First Contact to Appeal (7th ed., Pearson, 2024). He is also editor of the journal Police Quarterly and Executive Director of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences.

Frank Schmalleger, PhD, holds degrees from the University of Notre Dame and The Ohio State University, having earned both a master's and a doctorate in sociology with a special emphasis in criminology from The Ohio State University. From 1974 to 1994, Schmalleger taught criminal justice courses at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. For the last 16 of those years, he chaired the university's Department of Sociology, Social Work, and Criminal Justice. In 1991, he was awarded the title Distinguished Professor, and the university named him professor emeritus in 2001.

Dr. Schmalleger is the author of numerous articles and many books, including the widely used Criminal Justice Today (Pearson, 2023), Criminology Today (Pearson, 2021), Criminal Law Today (Pearson, 2022) and Corrections in the 21st Century (with John Smykla, McGraw-Hill, 2021).

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