Police Power Essay

Police: Are They Abusing Their Power? What comes to mind when the words “police” and “power” come up? A comforting thought or maybe a hair-raising thought? What really is the job requirement of a police officer? Well, “The duties of a police officer, also known as a law enforcement officer, focus on protecting people and property. They patrol the areas they are assigned, which sometimes include entire jurisdictions, respond to calls, enforce laws, make arrests, issue citations, and occasionally testify in court cases” (How To Become A Police Officer-Criminal Justice USA). Some might say from the description that officers do not do what is listed and others might suggest that they do not do enough. There have been cases, where a police officer

Looking at the point of view from citizens who believe police power is a problem there is lots of talk. There are people that say, “Hypocrites is what police are” (Do The Police Have Too Many Rights?), or even things like “I 've never been arrested or convicted of any crime but I am more afraid of the police than I am of the criminals” (Do The Police Have Too Many Rights?). Families of victims say things like “He was only a kid” (Sowell, The Spectrum), or “he didn’t deserved to be killed” (Sowell, The Spectrum). Citizens are worried about their safety when around police officers. Many thoughts might be running through their minds when either driving by or being stopped by a police officer. Some thoughts might be, “maybe if I act this way or that way, or say this or say that I can avoid an altercation and not end up getting a bs ticket, going to jail or even worse, getting killed!” (Nowlin, Liberty Voice). There have even been theories thrown out for the public to hear. In the article Police Brutality and Abuse of Power the New Norm? Mai Nowlin had said that “Someone once shared a theory that the reason so many officers have abusive personalities is because frequently, the types of people who are attracted to law enforcement are usually types who were bullies to begin with” (Nowlin, Liberty Voice). There are so many different opinions from those who are against the law enforcement that it may be difficult to keep track of what is running through the different minds of