The way police handles combating crime and brutality most attempts to redeem police image would involve education for both public and the police on the effectiveness crime control measures. The police are subject to moral temptations that can affect the way a job is done, the temptations can outweigh their paycheck this is a difficult position for any officer. The police deals with major drug dealing, gang bangers even white collar
Police have two types of perceptions of the police mission, either a crime fighter or public servant. Police perception of themselves as crime fighters leads to certain decisions in their use of force, definition of duty, and their use of deception. If one views police as crime fighters these assumptions may include; criminals are the enemy and are different from good people, the police are the arm that fights the enemy using any means to get the job done, good people accept and understand that police are in a war and must be allowed deference in their decision making because they are the experts and only they know the enemy. The book states the definition of public servants as “professionals who are paid by the public and whose jobs entail pursuing the public good. If one views police as public servants, other assumptions include; criminals are people too just like the rest of us they shop, pay taxes, and have a family, police have limited ability to affect crime rates because the history of law enforcement originates in order maintenance, not crime control, and lastly they assume that police as public servants serve all people, including criminals meaning to not judge on decisions about an individual not being able to receive services.
1. Stop and Frisk on the Streets: Police officers have the authority to make a stop and searches of individuals in the streets. In the Terry v. Ohio (1968) the Court upheld the stop and frisk procedure when a police officer believed the person might be suspicious. The Court requires specific facts to exist in each situation in order for a stop and frisk to be permissible. A police officer is entitled for the protection of themselves and others in area to conduct a careful limited search of outer clothing.
Could be considered the conservative approach to the crime prevention module. Supporters prefer the “assembly line” (Worral p.14) method to expedite alleged criminals through the means of plea bargains to not clog up the courtrooms, which can be tied with quantity over quality. For example, meeting citation quotas or setting up DUI check points, which in essence is for the benefit of public safety; but can also be seeing as a way to increase revenue. One issue at the current moment would be the need for cameras on the uniforms of officers policing the street. The Due Process model would say that it is needed to make sure that officers properly follow procedures while questioning or detaining suspect on the street, in the case that something gets out of hand, a jury can see what actually happened.
An integral component to the infrastructure of government is law enforcement. In recent years, police actions, particularly police abuse has come into view of a wide, public and critical eye. While citizens worry about protecting themselves from criminals, it has now been shown that they must also keep a watchful eye on those who are supposed to protect and serve. This paper will discuss the types of police abuse prevalent today, including the use of firearms and recovery of private information. I will also discuss what and how citizens’ rights are taken advantage of by the police.
Police force protects our rights as citizens, enforces the law, and it helps shape a society to make moral and ethical decisions. However, one may argue that the use of police force can be too extreme and that it strips citizens of their rights. This issue leads to an important question, should we expand or reduce the use of police force? According to a news article, “The police can be described as a constituted body of persons that are empowered by the state to enforce the law, limit civil disorder, and protect property” (news.linktv.org). Law enforcement constitutes the part of the policing activity itself.
(18) The powers of the police to stop and search a person on the street are stated under S1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 which states that an officer can stop and search someone and their vehicle in a public place if they have reasonable grounds for suspecting that they are carrying a prohibited article such as a knife or drugs. A public place has a wide definition as it can be a street or a car park. Reasonable suspicion has been defined by Code of Practice A which states that the police officer has to have facts, information and intelligence. It also states that reasonable suspicion isn't based on personal factors such as hair colour, a person's age or race. In the case of Samuels (1999), courts held that Samuels' conduct of walking slowly, looking into houses and looking at the officers, was not grounds for 'reasonable suspicion'.
As far as follow up to investigations, when a crime is committed and there are loose ends on the investigation, they may have to do a follow up, and that is when the reactive comes into effect. The difference between a proactive and reactive is, instead of responding to a call, the officer is out on the streets acting on their own initiative to gather information about crimes in the area they patrol, and how to suppress it. An example of this is the officer, getting out there, and meeting people in the community, so that they build a rapport, and make the community members want to help solve crimes, and give information on people who are bad for the community. If the functions of a police agency are limited in communities, I believe there would be more crime and issues at hand. Just a handful of local police or community agencies are not equipped to handle certain issues.
Police Powers Stop and question It’s one of the basic powers that police have. They can stop you at any time and ask you what you are doing here and why you are in this area or where you are going to. However you don’t have to answer any of those questions. Stop and search This is one of the most important powers of the police force and those include stopping persons and vehicles if they have reasonable grounds to suspect that you are carrying for example illegal drugs, a weapon or something that could be used in committing a crime. You can also be searched without ‘reasonable grounds’ if it has been approved by a senior officer and this can happen if you’re suspected of being in a specific location or area and if you’re carrying a weapon or have used one.
Methods to prevent corruption will then be explored, such as more rigorous recruitment procedures and the reinforcement of the motivation to do what is right. Lastly, it will be explored why in fact it is so hard to reduce corruption in the police force and subsequently why it will never go away. Before it can be examined why police corruption occurs, it must first be defined, what police corruption means, as there are many widely accepted definitions. Punch as cited in Palmer (1992: 103) defines corruption as, “When an officer receives or is promised significant advantage or reward…for doing something that he is under a duty to do anyway, that he is under a duty not to do, for exercising legitimate discretion for improper reasons and for employing illegal means to achieve approved goals.” Barker and Wells as cited in Palmer (1992:104) offer a similar definition, “Police corruption is any prescribed act which involves the misuse of the officer’s official position for actual or expected material reward or gain.” (For a more detailed explanation of corruption, see Ivkovic 2003:595). As a part of their job, police are given a number of rights and powers, such as the ability to exercise discretion.