Includes bibliographical references (p. 332-392) and index.

1. Introduction -- 2. Criminal justice research on police -- 3. The nature of policing in the United States -- 4. Explaining police behavior : people and situations -- 5. Explaining police behavior : organizations and context -- 6. The effectiveness of police activities in reducing crime, disorder, and fear -- 7. Lawful policing -- 8. Police fairness : legitimacy as the consent of the public -- 9. The future of policing research.

"Fairness and Effectiveness in Policing explores police work in the new century. It replaces myths with research findings and provides recommendations for updated policy and practices to guide it. The book provides answers to the most basic question: What do police do? It reviews how police work is organized, explores the expanding responsibilities of police, examines the increasing diversity among police employees and discusses the complex interactions between officers and citizens. It also addresses such topics as community policing, use of force, racial profiling, and evaluates the success of common police techniques, such as focusing on crime "hot spots." It goes on to look at the issue of legitimacy - how the public gets information about police work, how police are viewed by different groups, and how police can gain community trust."--BOOK JACKET.