Makayla Harris
Ms. Susic
Research paper
5 June 2015
The duties of a police officer are to protect the people around them and their property. They also patrol areas they are assigned, make arrests , respond to 911 calls, also known as emergency situations, testify in court situations, directing traffic, and most recently dealing with riots. As a police officer you leave your family to protect others but in more recent situations they have been taking away loved ones who do not deserve for their lives to be taken so shortly. It seems as if every day police officers abuse their powers more and more and they most definitely take their weapons for granted. Officers spend many hours learning how to use their police equipment. They are taught armed and unarmed methods of self-protection, methods on how to capture suspects, and how to confront and control individuals and chaotic crowds. They learn how to use their baton, handcuffs, even their vehicle to handle a situation in the correct manner. The Constitution command limits on how far police can go in trying to enforce the law but they do not proceed to those limits, they go above and beyond in most cases.
“The civil liability for police abuse of authority was created in 1871 and started out with the Ku Klux Klan Act. In 1961.” (www.law.freeadvice.com) The government created a new law that involved checking the abuse of citizens by police officers. It all started out with an African-American family who were the
The role of police officers is very significant to American history. Police work toward protecting citizens’ rights and helping America become the land of the free. The United States of America is built from the U.S. Constitution Bill of Rights and police play a major role in making sure American rights are met. Evolution has changed many of American history for the better; policing is part of those changes. As new issues in society arise, police must change and adapt to protect and serve the public.
For as long as there have been Police Officers society has had to deal with misconduct and corruption in the institution. Through the nineteenth century, police officers became muscle employers used to violently end strikes. The rough police officiating and the racist Klu Klux Klan prompted the Civil Rights Act of 1871. The “anti-Klan bill”, intended to enforce both the Fourteenth Amendment and the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which was the first federal law passed defining United States citizenship and affirm that all citizens are equally protected by the law. The 1871 Civil Rights Act, “Section 1983 makes an officer liable for deliberately depriving any citizen of the United States of his or her Constitutional Rights.”(Prusinski,
Officers are just protecting themselves. Tamir Rice a twelve-year-old black boy was shot and killed. Tamir rice of ohio was carrying a toy gun and aimed it at police. He was then shot by the officer(Ochs p3). If a person no matter what age is going to raise a gun at a cop the the cop is going to react by drawing his weapon.John Crawford of ohio was also shot by police. John walked into walmart carrying an air rifle police arrived and told him to put it down he did not so he was shot (Ochs ). If a person is carrying around a gun the police are not going to mess around they are going to take care of the threat. 38-year-old Richard Ramirez was gunned down by police. He was sitting in his car and reached down at his waistband the officer then
Police have many roles to take on an everyday basis. The main goal for an officer is to keep criminals off the streets and to try and maintain a safe environment for people to live. Many people disagree with some of the decisions officers make to enforce these rules and causes a lot of controversy. Today many people don't respect our police officers because of actions made by others. A major issue today is police use of force, stop and frisk.
Have you ever asked yourself what it would be like to become a police officer. Becoming a police officer isn’t an easy take because they have to risk their life everyday to protect and serve the community. They have to go through the dangers of arresting criminals when there is a chance that they could die. However, in today’s society only a small amount of police officers actually serve their community and protect citizens from danger. Right now, most police officers abuse their power to the point where they don’t seem to care for the safety of the community. They would usually arrest innocent people, make accusations, and even use their power as a source to show their dominance. If you think about, whenever you are stuck in traffic some
Police Officers worldwide are becoming way too powerful, to be “protecting” and “looking out” for we the peoples best interests. First, let 's start out with a word for word definition of Police Power and their responsibilities. “In United States constitutional law, police power is the capacity of the states to regulate behavior and enforce order within their territory for the betterment of the health, safety, morals, and general welfare of their inhabitants.” But yet the cops are the ones killing unarmed, or no imminent threat to them or others. Now, I’m not a genius but I know that isn 't, part of protecting our health, safety, and to be shot by the ones who are suppose to protect us. In 2015 a shocking number of 1140 people were shot and KILLED by our police force according to The Counted. The police are suppose to be looking after us, protecting us
Have you ever asked yourself what it would be like to become a police officer. Becoming a police officer isn’t an easy take because they have to risk their life everyday to protect and serve the community. They have to go through the dangers of arresting criminals when there is a chance that they could die. However, in today’s society only a small amount of the police officers actually serves their community and protect citizens from danger. Right now, most police officers abuse their power to the point where they don’t seem to care for the safety of the community. They would usually arrest innocent people, make accusations, and even use their power as a source to show their dominance. If you think about, whenever you are stuck in traffic
Police officers are often viewed as oppressors and unjust by the community, when in reality they are just doing their jobs. The job of a police officer is to apprehend criminals and detect crime, and the maintenance of public order and to the extend and complication of this duty police officers often need to make split second decision that is not often view by the public as what we call “self-defense” which is a right we all have as human beings and stated in the Universal Declaration of
In 2015, the Washington Post reported 987 fatal shootings by on-duty officers in their database (Lowery, 2016). These high numbers along with the role of media, have caused officers to be scrutinized more than ever. Many of the largest police departments were asked to implement new training and implement new policies that would decrease the number of fatal shootings (Lowery, 2016). The reform goals were to decrease the number of shootings that were not a crime, but sparked an outrage in communities (Lowery, 2016). If you look at these goals of reform, it does make sense to try to find ways to decrease deadly shootings that are not necessary. It just does not make sense to me to limit officers so much that they are not effective in stopping crime and we are ultimately ruled by
It seems that in some cases police officers forget this. “Prior to Ferguson, police were politically untouchable.”(Somashekhar et al.) Police officers had not been put under the spot light as much as they have been recently. The law seemed to always be on their side protecting them from all wrong doing. Fortunately, the media has finally given these wrongful acts a place to be investigated. Law enforcement agencies can no longer turn their heads on what is really going on. “Some in law enforcement are troubled by this trend, worried that public sympathy is shifting toward suspects and away from the police who put their lives on the line every day.” Yes it maybe a police officers job to arrest people doing crimes but it is also their job to protect. Just how it may not be fair that they put their lives at risk everyday and are scared to get killed in the line of duty, people should not live everyday scared to go out and be confused for a criminal by an officer just because of their skin color, clothing or location. Police officers have to go into work everyday know g that there will be consequences to there wrongful actions. This will make them think twice before pulling out their guns on innocent people of color. Yes, there are criminals that police need to be careful for but this does not mean that everyone one has to pay the cost. Officers should be charged if proven to be at fault for being involved
Police officers continue to put their lives on the line to protect others. They don’t even know you and everyday they wake up, put on their uniforms, and set out to do whatever it takes to keep you safe. It is not their fault you or someone you know broke the law and got a ticket or was arrested – it's your own fault; you chose to break the law, that police officer was only doing his job. "Police officers take risks and suffer inconveniences to protect the lives, defend civil liberties, secure the safety of fellow citizens, and they endure such risks and tolerate such inconveniences on behalf of strangers."
Cases like the Michael Brown case do not depict all police officers. Regardless of if he shot too quickly, officer Darren Wilson helped police officers attain a bad reputation. Regardless of infamous cases, police officers do help their community and enforce laws. Furthermore, police officers save lives by utilizing lethal force to stop dangerous criminals from fleeing. They maintain the safety of citizens by keeping danger off the streets. The good of the many is valued over the individual, thus lethal force in needed to maintain public
Police officers have been the center of attention for many years now. They appear in the news, on television, you name it. Living in the D.C., Maryland and Virginia (DMV) area, I can proudly say the police force have a great impact on this society. However, whether that impact is villainous or heroic, there is no way to be completely sure. Just like the President of the United States, the police take an oath that goes like this: “On my honor, I will never betray my badge, my integrity, my character, or the public trust. I will always have the courage to hold myself and others accountable for our actions. I will always uphold the Constitution, the community, and the agency I serve, so help me God.” (IACP). With this oath, rest assured that the police’s intentions are not atrocious. Police officers are not superheroes – which would be nice – and they are certainly not perfect. Under that badge and uniform is a human made with flesh and blood just like yourself; and a human who makes lots of mistakes as well. While recognizing that some police abuse their power and recognizing the negative aspects of police force, the bigger picture shows that police officers do more good than harm.
Police officers are required to maintain law and are bound by law themselves. Police functions are about the objective of the police; not what they do. Police provide assistance to the public 24 hours a day 7 days a week. For most people, just knowing that there are police officers driving or walking around it usually makes them feel more secure. Police officers tend to be a positive role model.
What they do or fail to do can affect seriously the span of the damage to life, property, and community spirit. Police officers are required to take an oath when they first join their department. The police oath is a code of ethics. The Law Enforcement Code of Ethics establishes the basic responsibility of a police officer is and I quote: “As a Law Enforcement Officer, my fundamental duty is to serve mankind; to safeguard lives and property; to protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation, and the peaceful against violence or disorder; and to respect the Constitutional rights of all men to liberty, equality and justice. I will constantly strive to achieve these objectives and ideals, dedicating myself before God to my chosen profession…law enforcement.” These are the expectations of the citizens, and when they are abused it threatens the faith of all. The most recent case raising unethical questions may be the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, an unarmed black male shot down by police officers. Another reason might be the rise in reports of suspicious deaths of inmates in custody making headlines across the country. These type of situations bring up difficult questions regarding the limits of police authority, are there some inequalities in the way that law enforcement officers treat certain racial, socioeconomic, or cultural groups? Are the factors, such as whether a citizen is ethnic or white, poor or Middle class, making a difference in the type of treatment one is likely to receive from the