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    Forensic Psychology - Contributions to Policing

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    To truly understand a field of study, you must first understand its place and relevance in history. Although forensic psychology, i.e., the study of psychology as it relates to legal issues, may have begun as early as the 1800s, its impact on police work did not occur until much later. In 1919, Germany recognized the need for psychologists within a police department; however, in the United States, this need was not recognized until 1968 when the Los Angeles Police Department (L.A.P.D.) hired Martin Reiser, EdD. Dr. Reiser, who has become known as the "Father of Police Psychology," emphasized that police psychologists need to understand the inner workings of the police department and must speak in a way that police could relate to. He also understood the bureaucracy of the police department and warned psychologists that any new programs may take a long time to implement. As a result of Reiser's knowledge of forensic psychology, his perseverance, and his ability to be accepted into the world of the L.A.P.D., he successfully worked as a police psychologist for many years and wrote numerous books and articles on the topic of police psychology. Since then, other psychologists have made great strides in working and developing programs within police departments.

    The connection between forensic psychology and police psychology is still being fostered, primarily because police psychology itself is a newer branch of forensic psychology. Police psychology focuses on police professionals and organizations and on the needs of both in order to solve cases and provide better training. Over the years, most police departments began hiring part-time forensic psychology consultants as opposed to full-time employees in an effort to address specific issues relevant to police work. These psychology professionals are schooled in forensic psychology and can apply different areas of study to the needs of police professionals.
    , consider the specific areas within the field of forensic psychology that are relevant to police work and how they have impacted the field of police work.

    Select two contributions that forensic psychology has made to the field of police work. Think about how these contributions have impacted the field of police work and why.

    a description of two forensic psychology contributions to police work. Then, evaluate the impact of each contribution to the field of police work. Be specific and provide examples.

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    Solution Preview

    Forensic Psychology in Police Practice

    Forensic psychology according to the APA (Ward, 2013), "is the application of clinical specialties to the legal arena. This definition emphasizes the application of clinical psychology to the forensic setting." This means that clinical specialties and experimental/academic specialities in psychology are applied within legal institutions in the context of, and for the purposes of the law including assessment, treatment and evaluation. Broadly, it is also accepted that psychological research and experimentation as well as innovation in cognitive psychology and social psychology is applied in the legal arena as is utilised in statement validity analysis as used by the police to determine witness statement validity and memory (i.e. false memories, flashbulb memory) research as is utilised in legal psychology. According to Fulero and Wrightsman (2008), "psychology can play a significant role in almost every aspect of police work, from selection of recruits, through the training of police and other law enforcement officers, to the evaluation of their performance. Forensic psychologists can assist in responding to the major ...

    Solution Summary

    The solution provides information, assitance and advise in tackling the task (see above) on the topic of psychology's contribution in police work and policing. Resources are listed for further exploration of the topic.

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