The rise in violent conflicts between the citizens of the United States and the police is the issue that I want to solve. Due to my own age, race and gender, I am very well aware that I may be personally and directly impacted by this issue. The interaction between people of color and law enforcement in America is a key aspect of this larger issue. This issue has two main viewpoints: (1) that of people of color and, (2) that of law enforcement. While these two viewpoints overlap and intersect at several points, I believe them to be separate problems, each caused by different things. However, I do believe the problem needs to be addressed from a broader perspective.
Over the past few years there has been a stark increase in violent altercations in which polices are involved, quite a few of them resulting in the deaths of the party not in uniform. I believe that the two biggest reasons for these conflicts are a lack of communication between the
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People are made uncomfortable being confronted by authorities, making interaction with police officers tense from the very beginning. Another reason people are uncomfortable with the police is because they do not know them. To the average person, police officers represent this looming faceless force of power, waiting to find a reason to come after them. Frequently, the first time someone interacts with a police officer in their community is when they are being pulled over for a traffic violation. This establishes a lack of relatability with the police officers and dehumanizes them. For that reason, I believe that one way to improve police relations in local communities would be by having the police more socially active in communities, as opposed to only interacting when problems arise. This would put a face behind the actions of the police and improve their relationships with the people they
The issue group I’ve been assigned to weighs in on race relations and law enforcement. My specific stakeholder involves cops perceptive. There have been many cases where cops feel attacked, and are feared by the public for many reasons. I want to know what the police in general think about this subject that has been so prominent in our lives and in the media lately. In my rhetorical analysis essay I will be going in depth on a video showing police officers trying to find common ground with ex felons.
Leaving many of them not wanting them to be around or not giving them a chance to be friends even when they are not in uniform. Most of the issues are started within the cities where law enforcement may seem a little stricter. When working with one agency such as the highway patrol you see a little more of the conflict that exists between the various agencies. Such as city police and sheriffs, especially in how they all respond to each other and whether they can agree on the same
This has been a huge problem with police and citizens for decades with the mistrust of police, especially in urban areas where there is a lot of racial tensions. And according to Ariel, Farrar, and Sutherland (2014), theorized that since there is that “big brother” concept with someone always overlooking the police and citizens, which lead to police tending to be more civil and try to be less aggressive. Also, the citizens tend to be me more respectful and comply more to police when the police officers show more respect to the citizens during their interactions. Otu, (2016), also theorized that the quality of policing builds a better relationship with citizens and police which reduces the need of excessive force. BWCs also may deter potential offenders who don’t want to be arrested when there is clear evidence against them that they cannot dispute (Ariel, Farrar & Sutherland,
The officers failed to consider the broader context and potential ramifications of their actions. It could be argued that alternatives, such as engaging with the youths, building a rapport and educating them, as well as treating them with respect and fairness, rather than escalating the situation and disparaging the character of the youths, could allow officers to not only comply with policy and legislation, but also more effectively police their community by building positive relationships, channels of communication, and reduction of future crime (Chan, Bargen, Luke and Clancey 1997). However, these alternatives require the appropriate use of discretion which the officers failed to
The US Department of Justice has stated that one way of lessening this tension is implementing a system of community policing where police are more involved with the community and work together to lessen the crime and fear of it in a community. (Community Policing Defined, 2008) A goal set fourth by the Community Orientated Policing Services is "Developing effective systems and tools to prevent and respond to bias-based policing can help law enforcement maintain that mutual trust and respect." (Bias-Based Policing, n.d) The trust in officers and the respect of good behavior is needed in this method. The country needs to be able to trust it officers and make them care about the community they are policing.
Abstract Police departments face increasing criticism from protesters, the media, and the federal government. Many negative personal encounters and officer-involved shootings have stimulated arguments about American law enforcement. These officer involved shootings have caused racial issues across the country. Is reform necessary?
The issue of race within the police force dates back to the 1967 President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice, which considered the lack of minority officers one of the central problems in policing at that time. Almost 50 years later and
Minorities in the community have been subjected to violence by law enforcement in the United States for some time. This violence is called police brutality and it is unacceptable. The job of a police officer is to maintain public order, prevent, and detect crime. They are a part of a dangerous and stressful career that can involve risky situations that must be controlled. Sometimes police are put in situations that excessive force is needed.
One of the greatest challenges law enforcement are facing is providing effective policing for minority communities. Some factors that prevent minorities from gaining access to justice or being taken advantage of certain criminal justice services are language barriers, racial stereotyping, and cultural differences. Since the 30 's and 40 's, and even during the 60 's, civil rights activists damaged the police-minority relations in the United States, believing that police only interest are protecting white communities. A big explanation of why there 's a poor police-minority relations in the United States is racism on the part of the individual officers. Many minorities in the United States have continued to complain about being treated more harshly than whites and the Department of Justice believes that racial profiling and police discrimination will continue to be a big problem.
Furthermore, citizens fear crimes being committed along with the officers that battled the crimes. While the media’s outtake may sometimes be truthful, the situation is worsened on
Other potential problems were unclear definition of goals, the danger of goal displacement, the conflicting demands of control and autonomy, the hazards of success, and the hazards of inflated expectations” (Walker, 1993). Poor communication between departments further widened the rift between civilians and police, while also creating conflict between the officers. Community policing is widely practiced by police forces today, and offers a more “personal” relationship between the officers and the community they are serving. This program illustrates the importance of supportive, nonthreatening interaction between police and the public.
As people would be more comfortable to discuss their issues with member of police from similar background. An example of
According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, departments that serve less than 2,500 people are 84.4% white and departments that serve millions are 53.4% white (as cited in Fifield, 2016). Notably, Over the years, a lack of diversity within law enforcement has become a pertinent issue. Notably, the underrepresentation of minorities within law enforcement influences the relationship between communities and law enforcement by engendering distrust with law enforcement. To say nothing of, underrepresentation of minorities have had many people question whether departments mirror a diverse community. Nevertheless, with that being said, underrepresentation of minorities have generated tension and distrust between communities and law enforcement and many believe that police department need to mirror the race composition within their cities.
Random sample surveys were conducted in Seattle, Washington by telephone, which asked citizen’s various questions concerning their feelings towards police. These questions included their level of happiness in regards to police problem-solving, their views on police hassling citizens, and if they had ever experienced, or perceived to experience racial profiling or bias by law enforcement (Wu, 2014). Of all the citizens that took part in the survey, 64% of African Americans felt that racial profiling was a problem inside their neighborhoods, 28% of Asians, 20% of whites, and 34% of Hispanics agreed (Wu,
When it comes to having and being able to maintain a strong moral code, front line patrol officers are the perfect example of what law enforcement requires. To ensure front line patrol officers maintain a strong moral code, they must be able to keep their integrity on and off duty. Officers should have this characteristic before they are hired and should be open for the police academy to repair and strengthen them. Law enforcement requires not only physical strength within the policing work field but also strength within one’s values and their ethical as well as moral beliefs. ‘’Values is the term given to those ideas, behaviors, and actions that are important to us.