A Report On The Albuquerque Police Department

Police accountability is relevant to the Los Angeles county because there have been many incidents that have resulted in use-of-force both unnecessary and excessive police-civilian shootings. To increase police accountability, I propose that this

An example is the Danziger Bridge shooting, a police officer was apparently shot while on duty patrolling, and as a result police fired at anyone who they thought the shooter was. The officers ended up killing two victims and injuring four all unarmed. A representation of this is problems oriented policing, the police are going off of assumptions. Considering the fact that the NOPD assumed that Danziger Bridge was a target spot for crime, it was not and, it did not solve any crime all it creates conflict. No given evidence around the time in New Orleans, but police quickly jump up and patrolled the area. Many area that didn’t need any type of patrolling at all. What could have solved this situation in New Orleans is if they had proper social control between the two and also if they were to analyze figure out where the crimes were accruing before the hurricane, locate the area of the highest area for crime and then find ways to target

“When you have police officers who abuse citizens, you erode public confidence in law enforcement. That makes the job of good police officers unsafe.” (Berry) Recently police brutality has become an alarming issue in society. At the end of 2015, thousands of deaths resulted in accusing victims dying in police custody. Individuals in communities across the state are beginning to lose faith in law enforcement in their ability to properly do their jobs. Providing police officers with extensive and innovative training to give them the adequate length of experience and training will decrease police brutality.

However, it may have a different effect on individuals who may have a mental illness, high school drop outs, are alone or have a hatred towards the government or any group of individuals. A way to prevent violent crimes or shootings is to extend the jail sentence for any crimes involving violence or shootings. This will allow a person to think twice before they do something irrational depending on their drives or intentions. 
 Using a well known social issue as an example such as Ferguson, it shows how even people of authority violate rules and take part in violent crimes. Having guns less available to people will help prevent crimes as well. In reference to the violation of authority power, officers for example should have more training and should be encouraged not to resort to violence unless it is absolutely essential for the safety of others. A reduction of racial profiling will reduce the violent acts towards police officers and also reduce the hatred towards the government system. The system should enforce equality rather than accepting white privilege. Society should not have people of colour stopped on the streets because of the assumption of wrong doing

The topic of police in general, and the brutal beatings, shootings, and arrests that have occurred over the past couple of years in the United States has hit the media full force, leaving many wondering what actions should be taken to keep the peace. Many question the system as a whole, and the training police officers receive, as well as their mental health. Across the borders, police are trained differently and follow various policies that may seem ridiculous or foreign, however, when comparing and contrasting two police systems, the similarities may be alarming, and the differences may be great, but knowing the strengths and weakness of each different system, can help towards progressing to have a better system and better training for police officers.

Before taking this course in Criminal Justice Ethics, I thought police officers were using too much excessive deadly force when handling situations. I believed that all the officer-related shootings were unnecessary and it seemed to be happening more often and more than we would like. My first thoughts were that police officers were shooting, because the person had a weapon and they were concerned for their safety or because of their race. But that wasn’t always the case. Although, some of the officer-related shooting were justified and some were not. It was, however, revealed in one of our lessons that there were many officers who experienced a condition called Perceptual Distortion. It’s a disorder that occurs when a person’s response varies from how it is seen by that person. The studies showed that officers involved in officer-related shootings, were not fully aware of what

Police Department’s approach to active shooters and the response to those incidents have changed drastically over the last (2) decades. To put it differently, Police Administrators now realize that the original tactics used to respond to active shooter incidents weren’t the best options available. It is best to first realize what the actual definition of an “active shooter” is. The agreed-upon definition of an “active shooter” by US government agencies is “an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area” (“Active Shooter,” 2013). Additionally, it goes on to tell some of the reasons why an active shooter incident is so difficult to respond to. Specifically, the unpredictability and how brief the incidents themselves typically are (“Active Shooter,” 2013).

The Albuquerque police department explains that the recent increases of officer involved shootings are due to the increase of police assaults (Galvan A1). Police Chief Ray Schultz said another common factor that the recent shootings had in common is that “The propensity for the person involved to have some type of mental health history or issue” (qtd. in Tomlin par. 21). In no way do the Albuquerque police think that shooting people is the right thing to do, rather, sometimes necessary when you believe your own life and the lives of others are in danger.

Ware (2014) states a militarized police organization causes chaos by making aggressive attempts to intimidate and draw battle lines. Stating military hardware on neighborhood streets signal an escalation of violence. Peak (2012) believes it cultivates the “us vs them” mentalities and hinders the intellectual and creative thinking process in officers. On the other hand, some people feel as though a militarized law enforcement agency is beneficial. One of the highest concerns the general public has is corruption within law enforcement agencies. Quasi-military authoritarian style allows leaders to maintain control of their staff; enforcing obedience to authority. Policing is a dangerous occupation; one you might find yourself placed in a situation where you may legally have to take the life of another human being. Having a well-disciplined agency can minimize critical, even fatal

The article summarizes the questionable police department training by teaching the police officers to shoot first before ask questions under questionable circumstances. This article also raises the issue of the validity of the research done by Dr. Lewinski supporting police shooting. Dr. Lewinski is a psychologist and an expert in police shooting research and has testified in numerous police shooting cases. For Dr. Lewinski, the officer’s motive for shooting an unarmed person was to self-defense and the act was very appropriate and reasonable. However, the question raises is whether the act was necessary for the police officers to shoot the individual in the back, and the video footage, witness testimony and forensic evidence challenges the police officer’s testimony. Yet, Dr. Lewinski was able to apply his theory and help to acquit the officers in all the cases.

A possible solution to shootings is more police training so they can respond to incidents similar to the Orleans shooting.

This article talks about how the trial of Officer Forcillo, who is charged for killing Sammy Yatim. The court heard that police officers are taught they can only use lethal force when an officer as good reason to believe that there is probable risk of death or serious injury. It was also stated that officers have training in how to deal with high risk situations without resulting to lethal force. The officers are also trained to recognize people with mental illness and how to react appropriately in those situations. The officers say that the problem is that they have very limited time (sometimes a matter of seconds) to make the decision on whether to use lethal force or not. They also say that the officer’s perception can vary on whether they feel in imminent danger or not.

Police Agencies in modern society are a part of the American fabric to serve and protect the American public. The United States currently have more than 15,000 police agencies, (Walker & Katz, 2011). Police Departments across the United States face similar critical issues policing. All police officers face dangers in the job of policing the dangers can emanate from internal and external origins. Police officers have continued to evolve to serve communities by finding better less than lethal alternatives to weapons used. In addition, police departments have continued to keep up with

Policing relies on the public trust, police legitimacy and accountability, which can be destroyed by unjustifiable police shootings (Squires and Kennninson, 2010). Within this country, there is a recognition that the police do not always adhere to the rule of law (Newburn and Reiner, 2012: 809), which has led to consistent public outrage at the lack of effectiveness and legitimacy the police has maintained. Therefore the deliberate decision to enforce police to attend to the streets unarmed was employed to reassure the public that the police were not to be feared (Waddington and Wright, 2010). Ultimately, concerns derive from the belief that the police are completely ineffective when dealing with gun crimes (Farrell, 1992: 20). However,

In his article "Lack of Skills Leads to Violence", James J. Fyfe states that with "training...more comparable to that provided social workers, schoolteachers, psychologists and lawyers", police would become more adept at preventing violence. I believe this to be true, yet I think that many police departments confuse quantity with quality, and divert funding to the wrong places in an effort to better themselves. Training needs to be at the forefront of any reform. A police force that is educated and experienced, with knowledge of the community will be much more successful at preventing violence.