The Police Function addresses the complex issues confronting today's police officers. Over the course of the text, readers will become familiar with officers' official responsibilities and the various dynamics that have a profound effect on their abilities to do their jobs. Students will also learn about how officers function and how active police work affects their personalities. The book is organized into fourteen concise chapters covering topics such as patrol and investigative functions, community-oriented policing, police organization and management, organizational ethics, the use of force, and civil liability. There are also chapters devoted to police culture, recruitment, racial profiling, and police misconduct. Two particularly high-interest and unexpected topics are the importance of discretion in police work and how environmental design can support crime prevention. High-interest and engaging, The Police Function gives readers valuable insight into police work and the potential for officers to be truly effective in preventing and reducing crime. The book will be a welcome addition to any course in introductory administration of justice or classes in programs for officer education and training. A former California police officer with 29 years of service, fourteen of them as a sergeant, Arthur Wiechmann earned a master's degree in social science at California State University Fullerton, where he is now a faculty member in the Division of Politics, Administration, and Justice. Professor Wiechmann is also a graduate of the Supervisory Leadership Institute and the Delinquency Control Institute, as well as a nationally certified Drug Recognition Expert Instructor. In addition to his work with CSU Fullerton, he teaches at Fullerton College and writes on community-oriented policing, supervision, and management.