T.J.

PERRY

REBECCA AGOSTA
ENGLISH 1103 MARCH 28, 2014

LIFE BEHIND THE BADGE ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

SWALES
Swales, John . "The Concept of Discourse Community." Writing about Writing. Boston: Bedford/St.
Martin's, 2011. 467-478. Print.

In this reading, Swales outlines what he believes to be the six defining characteristics of a
discourse community. A discourse community has an agreed set of common goals, mechanisms for intercommunication, and a threshold level of members with a suitable degree of relevance and expertise. A discourse community also uses its participatory mechanisms to provide information and feedback, and utilizes and hence possesses one or more genres to further its aims as well as some specific lexis. Swales doesnt out right define discourse community, but uses the six characteristics to do so. These characteristics helped to identify the aspects of the law enforcement community that made it a discourse community. Each of those six aspects can be seen in law enforcement, give or take a couple. Law enforcement officers have a set of common goals, intercommunication methods, novices and masters, they use their mechanisms to provide information, as well as possess genres and lexis to further their goals.

ARTIFACT: 10 CODE LIST

Kline, Charley. "Official Ten-Code List." Official Ten-Code List. N.p., n.d. Web. Mar. 2014. <http://spiffy.ci.uiuc.edu/~kline/Stuff/ten-codes.html>. 25

These codes are used as a form of communication between police officers and dispatch. They use these codes as a form of shorthand over the radio to communicate in as an effective manner as possible. There are codes for everything from a prison break to livestock on the highway. As mentioned by Swales, one of the core components of a discourse community is a unique form of communication used by those in the community. Its something that sets that community apart from others. This set of codes demonstrates that unique form of communication in that not everyone in the world can understand that a 10-34 is code for a riot. Depending on the codes that each division uses it can set them apart from each other as well. Its not like the FBI is going to use the code for livestock on the highway.

OBSERVATION: ON PATROL WITH NEWTON COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE

On Patrol with Newton County Sheriff's Office. Youtube. N.p., n.d.
Web. 26 Mar. 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGIXX_LKO3Y>.

OBSERVATION ANNOTATION

The video showed a day on patrol with Newton County police officers. On this particular patrol, the group of officers in the video participate in a traffic check to look for any drunk drivers or drivers under any influence. It was like being on an actual ride along, since I wasnt able to do one myself in time. Seeing the situations depicted in the video from the side of the cops helps to depict what the articles and books say. It shows the real side of policing with no drama. This video helped give me a sort of first hand account of a day in the life of a police officer. I was able to see details and observe events that may not end up in an article or book.

SECONDARY SOURCE
Baker, Mark. Cops: Their Lives in Their Own Words. New York: Simon and Schuster,
1985. Print.

This book is a collection of real cops stories that are put into categories that
illustrate particular aspects of the job. The fact that these are real stories adds the emotional and personal aspect that makes it almost like talking to them in person. This book has proven to be an excellent secondary source. I can use the first hand accounts as secondary interviews. I dont necessarily think of this book as a secondary source for the sole reason that its composed of first hand accounts and interviews. I see it as a way to get personal accounts without actually doing the interviewing. These personal accounts will help make sure that the emotional aspect of the law enforcement community is in my genre piece.