POLS 352 - Policing in America

Government Resources

Government resources to search for data and statistics.

Data

Specific Criminal Justice statistics and data from government sources.

California Data and Resources

Databases

Each of these databases provide scholarly information regarding policing, law enforcement, criminal justice and other related topics.  If available, be sure to select the "peer reviewed" option when searching.

Searching

When searching databases, statistics, or other data driven website content, remember:

  •  Databases search for exactly what you type.  Use keywords, not complete thoughts. 
    • Search: polic* and "forensic evidence"
    • Asterisks * search all variations of the keyword: police, policing, policed
    • Quotes "" keep the keywords together.
  • Use alternative terms:
    • From the above example, alternatives could include:
      • "crime scene*" and evidence
      • "crime scene*" and evidence and police
  • Instead of using AND to add terms, also use OR to make a more robust search.
    • OR is used for alternative terms in the same search.
      • "crime scene" and evidence OR procedure and police

Legal Sources

These databases provide the full text of court cases, codes, and laws.

Books!?!!

The library also has books.  Search the catalog for keywords to find books.  Policing/Criminal Justice books will generally be in the HV6000-9000 range.

Meriam Library | CSU, Chico