Deviant Behavior in the Movie, Training Day

When enforcing the law, for police officers not two situations they encounter are ever the same, even when examine a large number of situations over an extended period of time. The officers are usually in the

The movie Training Day presents various scenarios of ethical issues and dilemmas. Denzel Washington plays the role of crooked undercover narcotics detective Alonzo Harris, while Ethan Hawke plays new recruit officer Jake Hoyt, who is fighting to do the right thing. Detective Harris believes in street justice while Hoyt disapproves. He exposes officer Hoyt to many situations where he has to decide if he wants to be a part of the team or stand up for justice. Officer Hoyt will have to use his morals and ethical judgment to help him battle through training day.

Law enforcement officers are given much power and authority over one’s civil liberties. Not only do they have a duty but also a responsibility to enforce laws and ordinances in their jurisdiction, maintain order and protect its people. In some cases, the only way to accomplish this is through legitimized use of force. Use of force can best be described as "the amount of effort required by a law enforcement officer to induce compliance of an unwilling subject" (nij.gov, 2012). With that said, law enforcement officers have been given the right to apply only enough force necessary to control a situation, while defending others, preventing escape, during self-defense and while a subject is resisting arrest (Pollock, pp. 234). It is not until that force becomes excessive that it becomes say an issue.

To begin we need to understand the police subculture that is involved throughout the events of Training Day. To do this we look at the characters involved. Jake Hoyt is an officer that is attempting to join the narcotics division of his police service. Throughout the beginning of the movie he is interested in establishing a relationship with his new

Antoine Fuqua’s, Training Day (2001) is an intense movie that follows a rookie police officer Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke), whose dream in life is to become an elite narcotics agent for the LAPD. But before landing this difficult job, Hoyt must prove his worth. Enter the ultimate badass, thirteen-year veteran Detective Sergeant Alonzo Harris (Denzel Washington), who accepts to test Hoyts capabilities by riding with him for a day around the cruel streets of South-Central Los Angeles. This is a crime thriller that depicts a police culture entrenched in corruption and violence. While Training Day is a great movie, it uses storybook stereotypes of black males with strong masculinities to portray what seems to me to be a negative representation of black society in America.

Policemen not only have to follow a set of rules and legislation, but they also must behave in a decent manner while on duty as well as off duty. Unfortunately, nobody is perfect, and police officers also make wrong decisions that could jeopardize the integrity of their police department. Often people do something that they know is wrong. However, they still do it because they feel no harm will come to them or they think nobody would ever find out. For instance, cheating on a test is wrong, but people do it because they think they can get away without the professor finding out.

not be open and admit that they use police discretion. The reasons why this myth exists is solely because of legal issues involved, the police organizations that might be involved and the image that will be portrayed in regards to authority to the rest of the community.

Police officers take an oath to protect and serve the community. The community looks to police as a leader. I believe leaders set the standards, so police officers should be held to higher standards than the general public. Police officers are considered to be at the top of the organization chart. A wise saying states, “If the head (brain) is not working correctly the other parts of the body is lost.” The police are considered to be the head and the community is the other part. How could they enforce the laws that have been set by the government if they had no ethics and morals? There would be complete turmoil through the country.

Police officers in a crime prone region and in areas with extreme rowdy criminal behavior may develop some degree of dislike for the law breakers and their approach to dealing with the criminals may be brutal. In such situations, the police officers enforcing law and order act based on their emotions rather than their professional expectations.

reason to do so. Police hold the responsibility of protecting the citizens of the communities

The Hollywood film Training Day displays multiple ethical dilemmas. The scene takes place in inner city Los Angeles. Denzel Washington plays the character named Alonzo Harris who is a cynical, and self-centered, undercover narcotics agent. Jake Hoyt played by actor Ethan Hawke is a rookie to the department and is motivated to be the best narcotics agent he can be. Hoyt is an honest man full of moral and values. However, in 24-hours he will be faced with a magnitude of ethical decisions and has only the 24-hours to decide his fate.

Special units in police forces are essential to the function of any organization, however some of these special units might evolve into feeling superior to the rest of the agency. The mentality of doing it their own way sets in and more likely than not this behavior is not cohesive with the policies and procedures in place by the agency. Unfortunately, this attitude develops from not being checked, and leads to the unit feeling as though they are untouchable. When not having checks and balances

Police tend to become much more bureaucratic when witnesses, an audience, or the media are present” (http://faculty.ncwc .edu/toconnor/205/205lect09.htm). The final cause of discretion is system variables. This cause deals with how “police tend to become lenient when the court and correctional systems are clogged; how police tend to become strict when the city needs revenue; the size and structure of the department controls individual discretion; how communities that have sufficient social service resources, like de-tox and mental health facilities, allow officers to use more non-arrest options; and the way in which officers are summoned plays a role in how they will act when they get there” (http://faculty.ncwc.edu/toconnor/205/205lect09.htm).

In the United States of America, law enforcement has the ability to make their own judgement, while encountering criminals. Although discretion is at all levels of the police department, law enforcement agencies can easily make unlawful decision. Researchers determined that police officers are prohibited from using offensive language or speaking discourteously, abusing their authority, and using unnecessary force (Carroll, Kovath, & Pereira, 2004). Law enforcement officers are expected to respect their community and ensure that all citizens are kept safe. Some police activity can occur in a private view without supervision from the public, which allow police officers to make a reasonable decision. Police often make quick reaction when it comes

With the legitimate use of force and the confrontational nature of their interaction of community, the police work offers opportunity to officers to abuse their authority when their authority is perceived as being threatened. For example, police have to be suspicious even in regular duties like patrolling the district. They remain suspicious to everyone in the street. Most of the time, police officers work on their own without much monitoring, for instance, no one guide them when they patrol, when they face challenges from the public, they have to make the decision on their own of whether respond to the challenge by abusing their authority. It is the vagueness of their work train the police to be suspicious to any minor change in the surrounding environment in order to maintain the social order. The ambiguities also offer room for them to make choice as well as the possibility of corruption.