Police Corruption and Misconduct All over the world many police officers abuse the power they are given. In general the job of police is to protect and serve its citizens, to keep them from harm. But instead there are many officers who do the opposite. According to Pollock (2010), “police corruption does not occur just in the United States” (p. 175). In general, the police comes into contact more often with citizens then any other government official.
Hypothesis of Police Brutality The problems with police brutality are major issues that face both law enforcement and the communities they protect. My hypothesis is that a lifelong learning process which lacked training and accountability contribute to police brutality. Police brutality has been a major issue since the 1900’s and continues to be a issue in today’s society that plagues our communities and people. Police brutality is defined as unwarranted use of force, and other mistreatment of citizens as police officers are challenged everyday their mission is to protect and serve but it seems their mission has become shoot first and ask questions later. When looking into the sociological concepts of police brutality you must look into
To start off the Sean Bell case was an example of Police brutality. Police Brutality is one of the most serious issues of human violation that is unaddressed because of the cover up by fellow police officers during internal investigations. There are many instances when police officers engage in the activities of rough physical behaviors such as shooting, beating, torture and other unnecessary brutal acts among citizens which often result in injury or sometimes even death. Suspects of a crime, the victims, as well as their families, who are seeking justice, are usually disregarded. Usually if not always the people who deserve to be held accountable by the brutal violation of human rights getaway from the due punishment and continue to do their foul crimes (Collins 1).
Violent Crimes and Theories Violent crimes are a major concern for United States citizens. Although there has been a decrease in violent crime, it is still a huge problem nationwide that needs to be under more control. What causes a person to become criminal is a question that many theorists would love to fully understand. In the past, criminologists believed that people were simply born criminals. Today, there are several theories on why people commit crimes.
There has been many a time in my life, as I’m sure there has been in everyone else’s, that being given the second chance has made the difference. But I do believe, however trite this may sound, that if you do an adult crime, you do adult time. Minors that commit certain serious crimes should be tried as adults. Some youths are even known to commit crimes without thought because they know they cannot be tried as adults. Violent, preventable crimes by minors have long plagued America’s larger cities but have scarcely been punished because of the age of the perpetrators.
Law Enforcement is making arrest every minute from different ethnic groups. Law enforcement officer’s relationship with different ethnic groups has been a rocky road for a very long time because of cultural differences and social differences. Sometimes the lines of communication seem to be strained between officers and minorities. Many minorities feel as though the officers patrol their communities with an iron fist instead of with compassion or equality. The police today must contend directly with a number of issues that carry a racial subtext both in fact and in perception: crime, drugs, disorder, civil unrest, and police brutality.
Although police officers are authority figures for which who should be trusted, police officers are not trusted today. There are many police officers who abuse their authority and should be held accountable for their actions. There are many crimes being committed for which excessive force is being used today. The crimes being committed today which may need to use excessive force is need to apprehend criminals who are under the influence of many different drugs such as alcohol, and control dangerous substance. This is place because the tradition of an eye for an eye and tooth for tooth.
Police corruption is a problem that can be traced back to the early days of policing. It is a serious problem within most police forces today, as it is widely know that is it something that is not only hard to calculate, but also hard to reduce and near impossible to eradicate. The following will explore what corruption is defined as and reasons for why police corruption occurs. Reasons that will be covered that can be deemed as the cause of corruption are, the police cultures’ solidarity and loyalty, that a high level of discretion is used, which cannot be monitored, and that there is a corrupt hierarchy within the police force that is difficult to control. 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.
Ethnicity and the Police By CJA344 The police department is leaving a bad impression in many minority communities, because of the corruption and brutality that comes from the police patrolling the areas. The police should leave a positive impression with the communities that they serve, this way the police will be able to ask the community for help when needed. There are a few people in the community that speak highly of the police because they have good experiences with the police and have positive opinions of the police and are more freely to cooperate with the police department. Lack of community support to the police force can lead to more crimes in the communities, as a result of the community the police can be less likely to work up to their full potential. “When crime rate goes up there is a further dip in the public perception of the police resulting in a greater antagonism towards the police on the part of the public “(1985).
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.