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).
Conservatism I see as a one track mind, and not open to other possibilities. A police officer that uses his mind in such a way can be lead to being prejudice when approaching justice, or be lead to target on single racial community in the area. In other ways it can lead to certain way he performs his job. He could either be a rule breaker or not want stir away from the rule book. This can also tie into cynicism, in ways that a police officer can approach his job in a cynical way.
The police officer who savagely killed Michael Brown was also involved in other police brutality incidents prior to this one. Friends and family have stated that sometimes it’s how a child is raised and how they view different races and cultures. This statement shows that racism and pre-consumed thoughts of people are not good when you’re an official of the law. Thinking like this has to stop; lifelong learning of race has to be evaluated at the hiring process. Knowing who you have patrolling the streets and protecting the public is very important.
How do we hold ourselves accountable and change what is inhumane and is a disgrace in regards to our Constitution and Declaration of Independence. The police departments have taken the initiative in trying the issues of police brutality. Counseling can help officers by relieving stress that everyday life plus the strenuous hours on the job puts on them. The twelve steps in solving police brutality possessed some very strong suggestions for solving police brutality. The steps consisted of participation from the police and from the people.
RUNNING HEAD: POLICE DEVIANCE Police Deviance and Corruption The main objective in policing is to serve and protect a community and those who live within it, while this is often achieved through ethical practices sometimes it can be a challenge. In an effort to do something worthwhile for a community it can be diluted by to many negative experiences with the public, to little job satisfaction and too much trouble handling the administrative system. Many different factors can lead officers into deviance and corruption within the police system. Some of these include, stress, traumatic experiences, too much bureaucracy etc (Dean & Gottschalk 2010; Rowe 2005; Wilson, Kolennikova, Kosals, Ryvkina & Simagin 2007). In present paper the role of an ethical police officer is investigated and to which extent an officer can degrade this title.
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.
The police are occasionally called upon to force unpopular laws while attempting to foster or maintain public support (Wrobleski & Hess, 2006).” How the police balance these concerns often determines the quality of the relationship that they have with the public. The actions of individual police officers (the use of excessive force), or policies enacted by a department that emphasize the coercive legal authority of the police (zero tolerance policing) may jeopardize public satisfaction. In addition, “the quality of police and community relations often contributes to the ability of the police to accomplish goals of public safety (Wrobleski & Hess, 2006).” When the public is satisfied with and has confidence in the police, they are more likely to contribute information that may assist the police in solving crimes. When community residents trust the police, they are more willing to work collaboratively with the police to make improvements to neighborhoods. Therefore, there are very real and
Officers must use the minimum amount of force necessary when trying to contain a suspect, but that is not always the case. Some officers are seen abusing their power and using excessive force when it is not necessary. How do we determine when the officers have gone over board and it is now police brutality, where do we draw the line? Police brutality is when an officer intentionally uses excessive
Peers Our peers can have a major influence on why we choose to obey the law. For example, a higher rank political figure such as a mayor may fear being ridicule by his peers knowing his status is constantly being observed by his peers. Often times when a teenager is arrested we often witness them crying or upset due to the reason that they realize their parents are going to be made aware of their actions; this reflects the influences that peers have on individuals. Sometimes an angry parent can be more scary then any holding cell. Obligations For man or women who work in the police force they feel a certain obligation to with the law.
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.