Policing our Communities On April 4, 2015, a black man was pulled over for a burned-out taillight in North Charleston, South Carolina. Upon being stopped the man occupying the vehicle exits it and enters into a physical altercation with the police officer. The two men begin to fight when suddenly the perpetrator breaks free and begins running away from the officer. As he gets further from the officer something falls to the ground. Soon after the officer fires his weapon, striking and killing the man. The words shots fired ring out across the radio. The man killed that day was Mr. Walter Scott, an unarmed 50-year-old father of four. The man held accountable for his death, North Charleston police officer Michael Thomas Slager. At face …show more content…
Altercations and shootings like the Scott case are happening all over the country, they are being fueled by emotion, the media, and distrust. When something between a citizen and an officer happens often times the first instinct is for the public to respond with anger instead of an open-minded approach. Examples of this can be seen through condemning the police immediately and sometimes through violence. Often times these outbreaks of anger are linked to lack of knowledge regarding the situation and making general assumptions.
Law enforcement has tried to combat this issue by making departments more transparent and making info more accessible to the public. A vital part to establishing this transparency is found in the internal affairs division on a department (ICMA). When there are complaints brought against a department or officer, the internal affairs unit is a non-bias party to assess the facts and complaints to help bring about a solution. It is imperative that internal affairs do this by sharing openly with the public what they are investigating, why, and what they are finding. When this is done in a timely manner after a complaint is filed the community will have better faith that the internal affairs unit is “corrupt” and they are just protecting their own (Firescience). When departments
The Associations of Chiefs of Police created this website as a police informational site. It is an educational site that explains the hiring process, basic requirements, training and academy life, and skills candidates should process. The site also offer a virtual ride along. I can use this site to explain the training and academy life of a cadet.
There are many factors that contribute to today’s American policing. Once such factor that contribute tremendously to today’s policing came in 1829 when Sir Robert Peel’s concept of policing came into effect. This would change the way policing would be performed in not only England, but the United States (U.S) and around the world. Another huge factor that impacts policing is the relationship the U.S. Government has with policing. These factors affect every policing organization in the U.S.
Many people know of the police officers of today’s world and that it is their job to enforce the laws set by their government, but not many people know the history of your typical everyday United States police officer or how they came about. The idea for neither your everyday police officer nor his or her department they work for or how a police department operates, originated in the United States. Over the years though America has made changes and adapted its system over the years to make it more suitable for its countries beliefs and practices.
In the last three decades, several concepts have been advanced to organize efforts to improve policing. Among them have been team policing, neighborhood policing, community policing, zero-tolerance policing and problem-oriented policing. Herman Goldstein was the first to propose problem-oriented policing in 1979. Problem-oriented policing is a policing strategy that involves the identification and analysis of specific crime and disorder problems, in order to develop effective response strategies in conjunction with ongoing assessment. The emphasis in problem-oriented policing is on directing attention to the broad range of problems the community expects the police to handle–the problems that constitute the business of the police and on
Community policing is explained as a collaboration of community and the police working together to help identify and solve criminal activities. Additionally, the whole concept behind it is to promote public safety and to enhance the quality of life within the neighborhoods in which we reside in. Community policing is composed of two major components which are community partnership and problem solving. Community policing is a program that was initially started in the 1940’s. All of the support that was released for this program was materialized actually in the 1980’s. One of the main goals if not the most important goal was to bring in the law enforcement closer to their local public to help
“From that point on,” after witnessing the body—and Mamie’s courage—“Mississippi began to move” (Bush 3). On July 2nd 1964, John F. Kennedy signed the civil rights act into law. Now, This was meant to be a turning point in history and the act of gunning down a black youth became a staple case of racism considering it was the case that led to the enactment of the Civil Rights Act. However, within the emergence of this new racism, “African American males between the ages of 15 and 34 comprised more than 15% of all deaths logged in 2015 by investigation into the use of deadly force by police” (Swaine 1) even though African American males only make up 2% of the population. From Emmett Till’s gunning down in 1955 to Walter Scott’s in 2015, we are witnessing history repeat itself when America can clearly see, “of course the evidence is not there, but we are still claiming skin color was not a factor” (Crump 2). The city of North Charleston, S.C., was all too willing to accept the officer’s version of events, even though the physical evidence clearly showed that the officer had landed four out of eight bullets in Scott’s
Community oriented policing is a policing strategy based on the notion that community interaction and support can help control crime and reduce fear, with community members helping to identify suspects, detain vandals and bring problems to the attention of police. It is a philosophy that combines traditional aspects of law enforcement with prevention measures, problem-solving, community engagement, and community partnerships (Ref. 1).
Throughout the last one hundred and fifty years, there has been a history of tension and conflict between the police and minority communities in the United States. In principle, the police exist to enforce the law and protect all citizens regardless of race or ethnic background, yet police departments across the country have been repeatedly accused of targeting and harassing racial minorities, and of failing to root out racist attitudes and practices within their ranks. In recent years, high profile cases such as the beating of Rodney King in Los Angles and the assault on Abner Louima in New York have only served to heighten concerns over the mistreatment of minorities by the police, resulting in widespread calls for major legal and institutional reforms. The recent shootings of Michael Brown, Ezell Ford, Eric Garner, and Terrance Crutcher underscore the danger Black men and boys face when they cross paths with law enforcement officers. In the absence of a coordinated national strategy, state and local police departments have largely been left to develop their own solutions to the problems of policing minority communities and improving cultural sensitivity amongst their officers. Many departments have sought to reform recruitment and selection policies in the hope of attracting greater numbers of minority applicants, while others have instituted diversity training and education programs aimed at improving police understanding of minority cultures and communities. To date, however, these efforts have yielded mixed results. Some departments have achieved notable successes, but on the whole, relations between the police and minority communities across the country remain strained. of cultural diversity and the police.
Although many may find community policing and problem-oriented policing to fall in the same category, there is (surprisingly) a difference between the two. For one, community policing has many definitions. For some, it means instituting foot and bicycle patrols and doing acts pertaining to the ideal bond between police officers and their community. While for others it means maintaining order and cleaning up neighborhoods in desperate need of repair (Dunham & Alpert, 2005). However, an idyllic definition of community policing is altering the traditional definition of crime control to community problem-solving and promising to transform the way police do their job. Within the past two decades, there has been much research on community
Police departments undergo an immense amount of scrutiny. Many members of society question their motives, if they are performing their jobs adequately, and if they are using police discretion appropriately. Over the years there have been many cases that have involved members of law enforcement or the entire police department, that have placed law enforcement in a negative light. This negative light is attention that neither society nor the police departments will benefit from. One major case that has been in the media is the case of Kelly Thomas. Kelly Thomas was beaten and eventually died from injuries he had sustained from local law enforcement. This case is a major case because it brings awareness to society about police overstepping their boundaries, the lack of training police officers receive with dealing with the mentally ill, and how the mentally ill are treated in the criminal justice system.
Police Departments are continuing to evolve to try to stay ahead if the criminal. Police technology is most influential changes relative to modern policing. Police agencies are using modern technology such as internet to convey information to the public, smart phones with the capacity to communicate with others from the field, and mobile computers to retrieve information, (Grant & Terry, 2012). Because police officers have mobile computers while in the field,
On the matter of community policing, I believe that the police force plays a big role. This is based on implementing the various strategies geared towards achieving an effective community policing. Taking a closer look at crime, it is widely evident that crime cases in any given society cannot be solved by any single individual alone. This calls for aid in order to curb the vice. Not to mention the complexity of crime, the police should no be left alone to deal with the matter. The community and police thus need to work together to deal with criminal activities. This will necessitate splitting of the crime matter into smaller areas that are easy to manage. The police officers are then set to work in these areas. The police therefore work
These days, police are often stereotyped as aggressive, corrupt beings. The growing hatred for police officers widens the divide between citizens and law enforcement, causing tension and intensely aggressive feelings on both ends. The recent shootings of young African-American men have also added to the societal hatred of law enforcement. Through media exposure, these shootings have been portrayed as cruel, often times revealing the victim to be an unarmed man.
Community policing is a relatively new model of service delivery that is employed by the majority of police forces across Canada. Community policing however, is not a “new” approach, it is more correctly a renewal or re-emergence of the old approach developed in Metropolitan London (Leighton & Normandeau, p.21).
Instances of Police Brutality and Abuse of Power have increased in the news since the March 1991 of Rodney King by the Los Angeles Police Department. However, since the 90's, this abuse has escalated to murder. On April 5, 2015, in North Charleston, South Carolina Patrolman Michael Slager pulled over Walter Scott for driving with a broken brake light. Scott then fled the scene on foot and was fatally shot eight times. Slager was charged with murder after cellphone footage proved he shot Scott as he was fleeing the scene (Swaine). In May of 2017, Slager pled guilty to the use of excessive force and awaits sentencing (Balchunas). With the escalation of racial tension in this country, it is vital that police brutality be dealt with. It is important for every person in this country to feel safe and protected by police forces.