The USA. Responsibilities of the Police

(Part 1)

Four basic responsibilities of the police are:

· To enforce laws.

· To provide services.

· To prevent crime.

· To preserve peace.

Enforcing laws. In the public mind, the primary role of the police is to enforce society's laws. Police officers also primarily see themselves as crime fighters. In their role as «crime fighters», police officers have a clear mandate to seek out and apprehend those who have violated the law. The crime-fighting responsibility is so dominant that all police activity must often be justified in terms of its law enforcement value.

Providing service. The emphasis on crime fighting and law enforcement tends to overshadow the fact that a great deal of a police officer's time is spent providing services for the community. The motto «To Serve and Protect» has been adopted by thousands of local police departments, and the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics recognizes the duty «to serve the community» in its first sentence. The services that police provide are numerous – performing emergency medical procedures, counseling those involved in domestic disputes, providing directions to tourists, finding lost children, dealing with the problems of the homeless and the mentally ill, and many others. Along with firefighters, police officers are among the first public servants to arrive at disaster scenes to conduct search and rescue operations.

8. Определите тематику текста «А», выбрав из предложенных вариантов 3 правильных, расположите их в последовательном порядке и переведите их.

This text …

· tells how the patronage system affected policing.

· lists five main types of law enforcement agencies.

· tells about the primary role of the police.

· emphasizes that a great deal of their time police officers spend providing services for the community.

· lists basic responsibilities of the police.

· analyzes the importance of private security today.

9. Перепишите вопросы к тексту «А» и письменно ответьте на них.

1. What motto has by American police departments been adopted?

2. What services do police provide for the community?

10. Письменно переведите выделенные абзацы текста «А».

ЗАДАНИЯ К ТЕКСТУ «B».