Force Modifications In The Era Of Cameraphones And Youtube By Gregory Roy Brown

Communication between law enforcement and civilians has grown ever so further apart as time has gone on. Brutal shootings and violence on both sides are broadcasted in the media, making their communication that much worse. Civilians fear law enforcement due their assortment of defensive weaponry and the “legal authority to use coercive force” (Giles et al., 3). Police officers live with the constant fear that they might not make it back home to their families. To break the communication boundaries, law enforcement and the civilians will have to repair the broken trust and work together to improve our society.

Law enforcement is a popular topic among various social media websites. These websites display videos of police officers misusing their power, disregarding constitutional rights, and using excessive force. The police force swore to uphold the law, not abuse it. The news can often promote allowable accounts of police violence (Hirschfield). Citizens may become concerned when they find out about these incidents. Certain citizens may feel the need to stand up to law enforcement and protest by means of violence or peace. A protest can put civilian and police officer’s lives in danger and at times cause both parties to engage in combat. Police force then becomes necessary because the officers are exercising self-defense (Harmon). The civilians will then be apprehended and face full responsibility for their illegal actions. The civilians may feel that the law is unfair because they are the one who is sitting in the jail cell. These situations may be avoided through the use of oversight technology. Police violence can be reduced

Police brutality is a term that defines violence against humanity by law enforcement officers. Police Officers encounter hostile situations on the daily basis forcing them to make instant decisions in order to make an arrest or protect themselves. However some police officers do not hesitate to refer to violence immediately. The use of excessive force against a civilian could or could not be voluntary but should be evaluate by both law enforcement and the public. Over the past couple of years, police actions particularly police brutality, have raise awareness among communities. With devices such as cameras and cell phone those incident have become easily accessible. As the result of police brutality many Americans have no trust in the police. In a study by Gallup’s, Confidence has ranged fairly narrowly between 52% and 64% since 1993. While police in America often have a difficult and thankless job, some of them are guilty of racial profiling. Therefore certain ethnic groups including African-Americans fell targeted and as the result, some resort to protest using social media; other ethnic groups including whites are often negatively engaged with the police, yet social media fails to report this. Finally the role of social media has expended and become more important in policing our society.

We live in a world that has become completely evolved around technology. Therefore, it is no surprise that police body cameras have become a common recommendation in order to reduce police misconduct. Like everything, the use of police body cameras has its pros and cons. Police body cameras can assure accurate statements made by both civilians and police officers themselves. Instead of listening to “he said, she said” these cameras will allow truthful statements and conversations to divulge what really occurred. These cameras almost became a “fear factor” for both police officers and civilians. Of course, when people know they are being filmed they are on their best behavior and less likely to perform in unacceptable activity. A police department in

Police and media relations are mutually beneficial when the police receive a positive image from the media’s reporting of their actions and, in return, the media receives information in a timely manner, thereby providing them with increased ratings. Criticism develops as the public begins to see that the police may not be as effective as the media portrays them to be. The media tends to play both sides of the fence with regard to the way in which they portray police in television crime dramas and how they are portrayed in daily news articles. This brings about criticism from the public when police are shown to be ineffective or incompetent, which then causes law enforcement to lose the public’s favorable view.

The biggest obstacle facing officers in the 21st century is simply the rise of technology. Officers depend on technology to complete their everyday duties, shooting radar, typing reports, getting dispatched, running plates. There is no denying technology is a vital and crucial part to policing, a necessary evil. However, now more than ever police officers have to deal with cameras being shoved in their faces, either via a cell phone or dash camera etc, and the ensuing onslaught being posted to FaceBook or other social media outlets, and then being crucified for doing their job to the best of their abilities and to the fullest extent of the law. They live in fear of being chastised for simply carrying out their duties. Technology has given power and a platform to groups such as Black Lives Matter (BLM) to spread their hate speech and to call for the massacre of

With technology advancing, we are able to use technology to monitor and examine. As the encounters with officers that may result in violent outbursts, civilians are concerned with police brutality and their rights. Body-worn video video devices as tools can be an insurance for the compliance of the fourth amendment. The sole reason for favor of police body cams are due to the unbiased record of what exactly occurred during an officer 's interaction. With this, testimonies cannot be distorted since there would be a new way to assert evidence.

Summary: This week we covered the role police in the criminal justice system specifically focusing on police discretion and the impact on marginalized groups. I found throughout this topic it built on my understanding of roles that police have in society, and how police deal with offenders, in particular minor cases before the court process. The works of Chapel and Wilson also broadened my knowledge as they where the studies that concluded that policing is a “vital component of governing a contemporary society” (Palmer, 2012). Our guest lecture Michelle Mullen also gave me a deeper incite not only into her career as a police officer but an insight further into the weeks topics:

With more police department requiring police officers to use body cameras, there has been an improvement with police performance with the community. Police use of force has always been a controversial topic and concern with the community. The fact policing exercising their power to maintain peace, justified or unjustified, could potentially ruin their reputation and trust in the public. A solution to address this issue is requiring police officers to use body cameras as they are able to review the video to correctly determine if the action is proportionate to the situation.

Even though the use of body cams may deter police officers from abusing the law, body cameras also have the ability to keep them safe as well, for the body cameras in Maryland, for example, has kept people from being hostile and breaking the law excessively (“5 ways body-worn cameras have helped police officers, “ 2014). I feel that if people could remain civil as officers continue to do their jobs, the majority would have the ability to live a safe and productive life with their families in the foreseeing

Law enforcement agencies understand that social media can help them as well as cause them more problems, usually by what the law enforcement agencies release to the public which can lead the communities to take justice into their hands, but social media is also increasingly used by criminals and make law enforcement jobs that much harder. According to ("Social Media Is Changing Law,"2016) “Criminals using small mobile devices can create havoc, everything from sending out viruses and accessing protected sites, sending false IDs all that can be done at the speed of fingertips, where in the past it took a lot more time and effort.” Law enforcement is changing with social media and using it to their advantage but so are the criminals. When law enforcement agencies catch on to a new trend that criminals use on social media, they may have already moved on to another chapter in their crime spree. Another problem is that even though a criminal may be using Twitter or Facebook in a law enforcement agency’s jurisdiction, the company operating the platform may be based in another city or even a different country (). This makes it extremely hard for law enforcement to investigate crimes because they are having problems getting the particular information needed to prosecute because they may require a search warrant for a company in another state or country. According to ("Do police need a warrant",2016)

Police interactions with community members has long been a topic of conversation amongst the public, and that has only been amplified over the past year. With the events in Ferguson, more and more Americans have called for better training and insisted that officers be less militaristic. One possible solution to improve the image of the police to the public is community policing. Many departments have adopted it, or claim to follow its principles, but results can be mixed, and total commitment from the entire precinct can be hard to accomplish. With police serving as the most visible form of government, police officers throughout the country could regain some lost trust and good will with their respective

The most urgent problem facing society today is the growing distrust of law enforcement. Recently, there has been a rise in negative outbursts, both vocally and physically, towards the police. People are beginning to see them as being a hindrance rather than a help. My father used to be a police officer and thus has shown me I needed to always respect law enforcement. He has often told me that the job was stressful at times and he did have to make tough choices. People allow themselves to read into a situation that they see in person or just on television; in fact, they do not know the whole story. They are only seeing the arrest, attack, or shooting out of context. Often, the suspect provoked the police officer into doing what he did however

“For decades law enforcement’s relationship with the media was often described as antagonistic, resisted dissemination of information that might threaten and investigation, and could create fear, endanger the public” (). It is important that police do notify the public if a serious crime was happening. When you think of child abductions, Murders, and other serious offenders it is important that someone from a police department stands up and discusses these issues to help find the suspect. The police and the media can work together to find abducted children through AMBER ALLRETS, which is a good aspect the police have or even through the news to find people with outstanding warrants through sketches shown on the news. “Today the police see the many benefits of cooperating with media. The media are often useful vehicle for making public appeals for information important to a case, they promote crime prevention efforts, and they can help to sell the value of agency services to local taxpayers who may be votting on a bond issues. Recognizing the ability of the media”

In almost all societies police is a source of controversy as it constitutes a legitimate force, interposed between the state and the law on one side and citizens on the other. What people think about the police and their work becomes extremely important and can serve as a significant social indicator of the political health of a society as a whole (Benson, 1981 cited by Andreescu & Keeling, 2010, p.1). The manner in which the stakeholders "see" the police can determine the perceived legitimacy of the institution itself, the respect and the citizens’ compliance with the law (Tyler & Huo, 2002), and the quality of their interaction and cooperation with the police as well. The police equally represents a matter of substance and image,