One of the most alarming effects of the aftermath of the September 11 attack has been increased militarization of the police force. The even of the September 11 could have served as a wakening call to our security forces regarding the security state of the nation. In the course of militarizing of the police, there are two aspects that have become very clear. First, the tradition American civil military is being eroded in its functioning as more and more responsibility of enforcing laws is being given to the armed forces. Second, the local police force is emulating and adopting the fighting techniques that are employed by the armed forces. In which way either, it has become very clear that there is increasing assumption of the law enforcement responsibility regardless of whether it was carried out but the police force or the military.
Policing became popular during the 1700s to 1800s. The first ever police force to establish was created by Sir Robert Peel, and it was to enforce laws and to bring justice to the people in society. Over the years,
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The dangers of police militarization are becoming more prevalent and cases of the use of brutal force by police are becoming more common. When it comes to militarizing the police, there are potential pros but very obvious cons. For starters, a militarized police force may be better equipped for drastic situations that may require special types of weapons or vehicles that are immune to bombs. The problem is that there hasn’t been a situation where these weapons and vehicles were needed. Not only that, but just because a police force has military-grade weapons and equipment, does not mean that they are trained well enough to use them. Another issue with having military-grade weapons and equipment is that, to keep them, the police force has to use the equipment in the field within six months of receiving the
8 hours. It is the recommended numbers of hours one should sleep. However, between those 8 hours, something disturbing is happening. Every 8 hours, a police officer kills an American citizen. Only 1% of these police are indicted in killing compared to 90% of American that are hauled off to jail immediately (Cop Crisis). Whether it 's a police officer or an American citizen that commits the crime, there will always be an organization that supports the offender. The International Union of Police Associations is an organization that lobbies for the police department and its affairs. On the other end of the spectrum is the Communities for Police Reform. This organization fights to protects the rights of the average American citizen. Both organizations share the common ground to protect the rights of their members and can work together to reach a point of a compromise.
In Rise of the Warrior Cop, Radley Balko views the steady militarization of the police in the U.S. A detailed history of a dangerous trend, Mr. Balko's book tracks police militarization over the past 50 years, a period that not coincidentally corresponds with the rise of SWAT teams but on purpose. Established in the early 1960s and where mostly used in the bigger cities and used against heavily armed and dangerous criminals. Today SWAT teams are almost common in every city in the country. 80% of towns between 25,000 and 50,000 also have their own SWAT teams. Its not li...
The police was set up originally in 1829 by Robert Peel, who was home secretary at the time. It was created because as society became more complex, they needed a way to deal with civil disorder without using the military (Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime 2014). To date, there are 43 police forces in England and Wales. The police are used “to prevent crime, protect life and
SIR ROBERT PEEL- The founder of the British system of policing, expanded in 1822, “The basic mission for which the police exist is to reduce crime and disorder” 162. Importance- Peel laid the foundation for the police mission statement, which is still in effect today.
Crime is a part of society encompases the news and the public. A variety of studies of media content have estimated that as much as 25 percent of the daily news is devoted to crime (Surette 1992) and that crime is the largest major category of stories in the print and electronic media (Chermak 1994, 103). (Lawrence 18). With crime at an all time high, police are constantly having to deal with more and more issues. This can lead to stressed out and fed up officers, which can lead to poor decisions by an officer. The use of force by police is a highly controversial topic as it raises questions about a government’s ability to use force against its citizens (Lawrence 19). Today’s society is caught up on the ideals of civility and equality before the law, making police use of force a touchy
Police brutality is a very real problem that many Americans face today. The police carry an enormous burden each day. Police work is very stressful and involves many violent and dangerous situations. In many confrontations the police are put in a position in which they may have to use force to control the situation. There are different levels of force and the situation dictates the level use most of the time. The police have very strict rules about police use force and the manner in which they use it. In this paper I will try to explain the many different reason the police cross the line, and the many different people that this type of behavior effects. There are thousands of reports each year of assaults and ill treatment against officers who use excessive force and violate the human rights of their victims. In some cases the police have injured and even killed people through the use of excessive force and brutal treatment. The use of excessive force is a criminal act and I will try and explore the many different factors involved in these situations.
However, after reading the article the author noted that police are mandated to enforce civilian law and order, investigate crimes, and strictly follow legal procedures even when in pursuit of chronic and dangerous criminals (Kagoro, 2014). Ideally, it has been argued, there should be strict dividing lines between the police and the military; the former for domestic purposes with the latter protecting citizens from external threats (Kagoro, 2014). In his article on the anti-militarization of the police in the United States, Kurt Andrew Schlichter aptly put it that the military is designed, organized, and equipped to execute rapid, violent and efficient obliteration of the “enemy”-whoever the enemy may be ( Kagoro, 2014). However, the law enforcement is usually modeled after the military and in fact there a large number of police officers who are former military personnel. This was a new criticism of police that was unfamiliar to me in the study of criminal justice but, I found it to be a valid point. The idea of changing the focus of policing to be less of a battlefield and more of a community may be a compelling approach to make interaction with citizens less
As taught in the lectures, it is impossible for police officers to win the war against crime without bending the rules, however when the rules are bent so much that it starts to violate t...
...ions where excessive force would be used, because they can be held legally responsible for this. Not only this, but if many different kinds of officers join the force, the community will have a better relationship with the officers that stand to protect it. Lastly, every day people must be educated about how crucial a simple knowledge of the law is, so these people can stand up for themselves in the face of police brutality. "We're not anti-police...we're anti-police brutality".- Al Sharpton. Anytime one hears of brutality, one immediately portrays actions or statements that are unacceptable by any means; something that deserves justice. So why does wearing a uniform give police the right to commit crimes? Ending the excessive use of force by police will permit citizens to live in harmony with law enforcement, allowing for safer, happier and stronger communities.
Stetser, Merle (2001). The Use of Force in Police Control of Violence: Incidents Resulting in Assaults on Officers. New York: LFB Scholarly Publishing L.L.C.
Walker, S., & Katz, C. (2012). Police in America: An Introduction (8th Edition ed.). New York:
Recently in the United States there has been in increase in deaths that have come from police officers using deadly force. The use of force is inevitable as a police officer, many times their own lives or the life’s civilians are at risk when it comes to determine what type of force a officer should use. There are many incidents where police officer have to react in a matter of seconds and has to choose between his own life or that of the individual causing the disturbance. When a Police Officer uses deadly force has caused outraged with the public, stirring up protests and creating a scandal for the police officer and the Police Department. Many do not know when it is right for an officer to use deadly force and what constitutes it, or what happens when the officer does not use the appropriate amount of force that is required to control the situation. There has been many changes in Police Departments around the country to try to reduce the use of deadly force in response to the issues that have occurred because of it.
Since English colonizers were the first to establish an extravagant, European society in North America, it is unsurprising that many of the aspects of the American administration of justice stemmed from its mother country. In England, law enforcement was an unorganized mess until the year 1200 (Schmalleger 137). The police system remained static from 1285 to 1829, until when Sir Robert Peel instituted the modern police force (Schmalleger 139). However, early American law enforcement was bound to be different, due to the differences of American and English life and environment. In the beginning of the colonial law enforcement, towns and cities inaugurated versions of the English day ward and night watch, but these processes did not remain in place for long (Schmalleger 139).
American law enforcement agencies are based off the English models which began in the early 1800’s. In 1829, the English Parliament passed the Metropolitan Police Act (Walker, 1983). Sir Robert Peel who has been credited as the father of modern policing introduced this act to Parliament (Walker, 1983). This act established the London Metropolitan Police which was the model for American policing. This method of policing incorpor...
In the beginning the police were used in order to control free slaves and enforce Jim Crow laws. After that era was over, the police then moved on to control “dangerous classes” which were immigrants, the poor and African Americans .