Intergroup Perception

There are many key issues that have to be considered by law enforcement agencies when building relationships with the communities they serve. First and for most they have to adequately and fairly address complaints made by members of the community. The police have to provide the same service to minority communities as they would provide a predominately white community. The effect of providing good service could mean that the community will slowly build their trust with police officers. In the long run this will reduce tensions and build trust between the two groups. By building trust the police know they can count on the community when it comes to crime prevention. Reducing the publics fear of crime translates to increased cooperation between

Because of exceptional results akin to those of the Rialto study, Birmingham police Chief, A.C. Roper plans to equip every officer in Birmingham with a body camera. Since the behavior of the police are so much better, there will be more diversity within the police force. Therefore, the police force’s public image would alleviate, and more people would be willing to join the police force. Diversity will increase the placement of trust in the police force. Diversity will allow the agency to converse more effectively with minority communities. Diversity will allow the police to understand racial perspectives through communication with other police officers. People would believe that their interactions with the police are not based on racial

The task force has several recommendation for how to build up trust and legitimacy. The first recommendation calls for police to change their mindset. Police need to not be seen as an occupying force. A citizen, Rufus Scales, who was affected by the racial profiling stated in the New York Times article that “whenever one of them is near, I don’t feel comfortable. I don’t feel safe.” As a member of the community he does not view the police a guardian but that they are against him. To fix this issue the police need to adopt a guardian mindset.

As difficult as their job may be, and as big a toll as it may take on them emotionally, it is important to bear in mind that police officers are normal human beings with normal brains and mental processes. Consequently, they are prone to make the same stereotype-biased judgments the rest of us are. Because they are often operating under conditions of uncertainty, high discretion, and stress and threat, the pervasive stereotypes linking Blacks and Latinos with violence, crime, and even specifically weapons are likely to cause them to make misattributions in seeking to disambiguate the intentions and behaviors of citizens. This can lead to racially disparate rates of stops, searches, arrests, and use of force. Several interventions that aim to reduce bias or discriminatory behavior at the individual level warrant further investigation in the policing context. Nonnegative intergroup contact is especially promising given its strong evidence base and that it could be achieved through

This paper provides an overview of the problems facing the police in their efforts to improve relations with minority communities in the United States, as well as a survey of previous research and existing literature on cultural diversity

There is recent controversy over police use of force, especially in minority communities such as in African American communities, Hispanic communities, and other publics with large populations of minorities. Increased levels of force among these communities have created challenges for police departments. These challenges include a lack of trust from the community towards law enforcement officers and an absence of respect creating situations that lead to police use of force. There are already various programs in place that attempt to decrease this challenge by educating the public, respecting one another, and giving those who were on the wrong track second chances. A combination of these solutions and the implementation of more of them would decrease the number of contacts between police and minorities that lead to the use of force (Roberg & Novak, 2014).

One of the most polarizing policy issues in the United States is the process of using race, ethnicity, and/or national origin by law enforcement as a chief predictor of criminal behavior. In the presence of social media and modern technological innovation, there has been increased documentation on the very problematic ways in which police officers use their position of authority against minorities. The countless cases of murder and police brutality have prompted national dialogue regarding to what extent race should be used in methods of policing. Against a troubled backdrop of incessant clashes with minorities and law enforcement, navigating the situation requires a degree of care that does not diminish the

A perception that police target members of specific ethnic or racial groups creates a deep divide between the police and the communities we serve. But as an officer who has spent a lot of time patrolling the city's streets, I just don't think the perception is accurate (Dutta

"Relations between the police and minority groups are a continuing problem in many multiracial societies. Surveys consistently document racial differences in perceptions of the police, with minorities more likely than whites to harbor negative views." (Weitzer and Tuch, Race and Perceptions of Police Misconduct, 2004)

Cooperation from members of the public is important in order for police officers to effectively fight crime within the community. In order to obtain cooperation from members of the public, police officers must gain their trust and confidence. It has been known that African Americans and Hispanics have lower levels of trust and confidence in police because of racial disparities and racial profiling. This paper will discuss the public opinion of police by different ethnic groups and how racial minorities hold lower levels of trust and confidence in police.

In order to bridge the gap between police officers and the community, trust needs to be established. The community needs to feel secure that the officers are there to serve and protect them from harm. Ozkan, Worrall, and Piqueri (2016) article called " Does Minority Representation in Police Agencies Reduce Assaults on the Police?" analyzed the hypothesis that minority representation in the police departments is inversely associated with assaults against the police (p. 402). For this study, data was collected from several official databases such as 2007-2009 Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA), 2000 Census, 2007 Uniform Crime Reports Offenses Known as Clearances by Arrest (UCR), and the 2007 Law Enforcement Management and Administrative

It has been consistently shown in research that minorities are more likely to be mistreated by the police compared to other people (Dunnaville, 2000). Recent incidents have seen the police use excessive force on people and mistreat minorities. As such, the legitimacy of the police has been put under scrutiny and questioned. Many communities in the United States have demonstrated in reaction to recent incidents of police misconduct and excessive use of force. The people have lost trust in the police because of these issues. The police force has been accused of mistreating people, sexual harassment, violent and careless arrests among people particularly the minorities. As demonstrated in the movie ‘Policing the Police’ police officers are seen mistreating people for instance the scene where the police sexually harassed a teenager by touching sensitive areas. Community members are not willing to trust or work with the police to fight crime. As such, it is critical for the police agencies and department to make improving police-community relationship a top police priority. Policies should be developed that will strengthen the mutual trust between the police and the community. This relationship is critical because the police depend on information from the community to fight crime in the society.

The Thin Blue Line of Sub-culture Police officers everyday are involved in their own sub-culture, which shapes their behaviour and attitude towards society. This sub-culture is made through the bond shared through serving the community and looking out for one another day in and day out while performing his/her duties as law enforcement officers. Sticking together allows them to conquer their battles against any hardships or crisis situations faced in their day-to-day agenda. The us versus them mentality, which police officers have been labeled with raises suspicion on how law enforcement officers truly feel about the sub-culture and the community, which they serve.

The Metropolitan Police Service covers the jurisdiction of Greater London within the United Kingdom over 1, 578km squared, with a population of 7.2 million people (MPS 2016). There is over 31, 000 officers employed within this service with 13, 000 police staff, 2,600 community support officers and roughly 5, 100 volunteers (MPS 2016). On the 1st of December 2009, The Metropolitan Police Service implemented the ‘Diversity and Equality Strategy’ that correlates with The Equality Act 2010.The objectives of this strategy are to improve victim satisfaction (especially for those of minority groups), foster good community relations, decrease any unlawful discrimination or harassment and enhance equality opportunities between groups who share particular

In a national Institute of Justice study it was found that interactions with police are the factors that most influence public opinion. (Factors That Influence, 2007) Interactions were defines as “person to person”