An enormous benefit that we Americans take for granted is the law enforcement that governs the daily actions of the people. Throughout history, safety has been a key factor in the core of governing bodies. Citizens do not generally want random thieves breaking into their houses without being prosecuted. However in the last decade or so, the police force of America has been under fire from several groups that believe law enforcement should take a step towards the sideline in the daily lives of Americans. Some groups like Cop Block, or the Black Lives Matter Movement have actively protested in their use by calling them racist and unprofessional. I can sympathize with their aversion towards the police because the media and the internet seem like …show more content…
People in their communities are having a tougher and tougher time putting faith into their law enforcement agencies. The cause of this largely due to the recent negative media portrayal of policemen. However, it is true that officers are not required to be trained in public relations to be qualified for the job. An example of this issue is the stereotype that police officers are racist and will write up anyone that is not from their ethnic background. And while this may be true for a few bad apples, the large majority of policemen are good, hardworking people. Philip Swarts writes about a meeting for the presidential task force in Washington where the concept of a better relationship between police officers and their community was highlighted. The mayor of Baltimore says in this meeting “Police ‘“need to learn more than logistics of policing but also the broader significance of their role in society,”’ (Swarts). Their role includes being more approachable and friendly in their environment. And this behavior is need now more than ever as the nation has become less trusting of our law enforcement in the recent years. “Police need better training to improve community relations and defuse the sorts of deadly, racially charged confrontations that have divided the nation for months.” (Swarts). The issue is not completely the officers fault either. Civic engagement in America has been in decline for several years now, so even with more training in public relations, officers might still run into a brick wall due to negative media. However, it does not matter how the media degrades our law enforcement as it is still their highest priority to protect and serve the people of this
This paper was written to discuss the hot button topic, “Black Lives Matter.” Specifically, in regard to law enforcement. This has been an ongoing and controversial issue ever since the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting of Trayvon Martin. This is when the movement “Black Lives Matter,” was born, with the belief that blacks are treated unfairly by law enforcement. I, however, do not believe that blacks are treated any more unfairly by law enforcement than any other race.
Is it true that excessive force is one of the most used forms of police misconduct? Are unarmed African Americans more likely to get killed during an encounter with police officers than any other race? Yes, both of these shockingly horrifying facts are true. So why are police officers abusing their powers and creating fearful environments when they should be making people feel safe in their communities. Who can we turn to on this earth to keep us safe if everyone and thing seems to be corrupt? When did police brutality become a thing in the U.S.? What exactly are we dealing with and what can we, as a nation, be doing to solve this awful conflict evolving quickly in the U.S.
In America, police brutality affects and victimizes people of color mentally and socially. Social injustice has become a major issue, which involved the principle of white supremacy vs minorities. The current police brutality that has been occurring is culturally disconnecting ethnicities from one another. According to Cincinnati Police Chief Jeffrey Blackwell, “…the cultural disconnect is very real; you have the weight of generations of abuse on African Americans,” (Flatow, 2016). For example, over the past four years, there have been countless acts of police brutality. The three key deaths of Eric Garner, Philando Castile, and Alton Sterling have become the face of police brutality in the year 2016. People knew that it was unequal treatment of black people by police in the United States and they made it known by creating #BlackLivesMatter.
Police brutality among all races needs to stop. Movements like Black Lives Matter focus in on only one race; however police brutality happens among all ethnic groups. Police brutality can sometimes shut out people who are not of the African American race. If more people supported the all lives matter movement, this could truly bring the discussion of police brutality to the table. It can be more difficult to do this when we focus on just one community of individuals. The only way to fix the downside that we face is requiring all police officers in the United States to wear body cameras. This solution would create less he said she said and more facts in situations where people are killed by police officers no matter what color they are.
The United States criminal justice system constantly violates human rights. These rights belong to justify every person in America and should not be used to tear one another down for what their beliefs are. Likewise, freedom of speech is so ingrained in the constitution that it should be more widely embraced. The protection of religion, speech, and expression is a critical part of America’s political system. The strong, direct link between freedom and democracy is unbreakable and is an important part in governing ourselves. It states that Congress is prohibited in creating laws against people’s belief’s; yet, it is regularly denied to anyone who talks back to the law. Furthermore, this country supports the death penalty. While some individuals
These changes have manifested both positive and negative reverberations in the way we perform our job. Police officials have contemplated for years over the key to maintaining a positive image for their organization. Unfortunately, several incidents in the past years have altered society's perception of police in some communities. Police in America are no longer strangers to innovation born of scandal.
For example, according to Dara lind “Officer’s aren’t supposed to shoot to kill. They’re supposed to do whatever is necessary to disable the threat”(Lind). Whenever an officer gets caught up in a difficult situation where deadly force is needed for the most part officers do shoot to kill because they feel like there life is in danger themselves. Yes like they said they are supposed to do whatever is necessary so therefore if shooting to kill someone is necessary to them then for police officers it is the right thing to do. But in reality in some occasions deadly force by a cop resulting in someone’s death is not needed and there should be other alternatives to handle difficult problems like that. In addition, “Usually, the point from where the officer believes he has to use deadly force to the point where he uses deadly force -- where he pulls
Is people going to forget what happen in Ferguson? How about George Zimmerman being proven not guilty? Or that Eric Garner was screaming “ I can’t breathe” before his death? There are lists of African Americans all over the world who were not given the justice that they deserved. In todays, news African Americans are being treated unfairly compared to any other demographic groups. America is the greatest country in the world, but it is difficult to believe that being in the 21st century racism still does exist. For instance, when it was time to remove the confederate flag, some demographic groups had a hard time letting go. People who argue that “blue lives matter,” which states that police are justified when using force and being unfair. These reasons are not justifiable enough to kill someone. Black Lives Matter alleges that police target and use
Police brutality has become one of the hot topics within the media within the past few years. It’s always been around but its being discussed and speculated now more than ever, because of technology like cell phones, people are able to record what is happening, which furthers the attention of the police’s over excessive force within their communities. Still even with cellphone footage of cops killing these innocent people, they get acquitted and get put on leave from their job with pay until all of it blows over and they begin working again. Some cops believe that because they’re hiding behind a badge, they get a pass at murdering people and call it self-defense and refuse to take responsibility for their actions, which is a technique of neutralization. Minorities, especially African-Americans suffer many injustices from law enforcement especially in terms of being killed, brutalized, and longer jail sentences
“It 's been rough for me trying to find my position in the struggle and where my voice is needed and helpful. You know, I grew up in Philadelphia, and Philadelphia has a really rough police-brutality history. I grew up in a neighborhood where it was very clear that the police were "them" and we were "us".” said famous actor Will Smith. This quotation is very powerful to me, because with Will Smith being at his status where he is today, I would suspect him not to be the “typical” target for police brutality. He is a role model to very many people, and a man who looks like his morals are in the right places, but when he was a kid he still separated himself from the men and women in uniform who were suppose to make him feel safe. Many Americans
We must take actions to reform police behavior! The problem is not the police nor the people of the United States, but the Federal Government system in which we all have to abide by. In order for a police reform to be implemented, the system has to be fixed and reconstructed. The people of the United States want to feel protected by the police, but on the other hand, they receive limited training on how to effectively interact with the people in the community they serve. Police officers are ordained by the power of the government. Police reform should start by giving proper training to new recruits and veterans, enforcing community policing and police accountability.
Police shootings occur all over the world but are a huge problem within the United States. We continue to hear more and more about them. These shootings are making headlines. Front page news it seems almost weekly. All the shootings go one of two ways. Either a Police Officer has been shot or a Police Officer has shot a citizen, but either way the final result is death. Whether an Officer has been shot or an Officer has shot someone these cases seem to be related to one thing, fear. People in today’s society feel as though they can’t trust Police Officers as they are there to hurt and kill them. And Police Officers feel as though they are in danger of doing their everyday duties because people see them as the “bad guys” and want to hurt or kill them. Yes, police brutality and racism still exist, but not all cops are bad. Yes there are still bad citizens in this world that want to kill and harm others, but not all citizens are bad. People seem to react to these shootings by rioting quickly after a police officer has shot and killed someone without
Law enforcement officers recently haven’t gotten the best reputation in the media and among citizens.
Across America, police have been involved in scandals and drugs. They are abusing the power that they have been given. The communities have begun not to trust the police because of their conduct toward the citizens. People have been beaten and harassed by the guys in blue. People in the communities have seen the police push individuals around and take things from individuals for no reason. People receive the wrong message. The public no longer can see a difference between the police and criminals.
Good communication is essential to how well police officers interact with the public because it influences how the public responds to officers. Listening, speaking, writing and focusing on what others say are all ways officers can affect the way the public views them. A lack of these vital communications skills results in poor understanding, an officer not knowing how to proceed, and people who need police assistance giving up. Officers must also consider how communication might affect a community’s reaction. It is obvious that these traits are very important for optimal police work. Experiences show that people react more calmly and cooperatively when police officers treat them well. Therefore, good communication is needed in order to make the jobs of police officers easier and more positive.