Police Communication And Ethical Dilemmas

The building of trust within the community is the cornerstone of a successful police department. A great amount of effort is needed in order to maintain the communities trust. Establishing a trusting relationship between law enforcement and the community has the ability to assist in police officers doing their job more effectively, makes the job safer and helps to decrease litigation issues that have often been an issue for local departments. Unfortunately, decades of mistrust make it difficult to establish trust. This combined with the lack of positive police presence within the community has built a hostile relationship between law enforcement and the community (Skogan, 2005). A large amount of citizens’ interaction with law enforcement is

Individuals often question why police officers take certain actions. A law enforcement officer must follow certain practices when interacting with the public, and individuals need to know how to respond in these situations. When a person is stopped by the police, he or she needs to remain respectful and courteous. Although the person may feel they are being harassed, it likely isn't. Instead, the officer is responding to a complaint lodged by another individual, whether or not there is any basis for this complaint. They are required to do so, even if little information is provided. They have no knowledge of the innocence or guilt of the person being questioned. They are simply doing their job and those being questioned need to remember this.

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.

For the police department to be effective in their varied missions, they depend on the trust and confidence of the community. The public’s trust and confidence are severely reduced when individuals’ civil rights are compromised (International Association of Chiefs of Police, 2006).

Another issue with discretion is the fact that the police have the power to choose when, where, and who they want to use the discretion against. If an officer pulls over a man that is traveling 30 miles per hour over the speed limit, when the officer gets to the window and ask for the drivers ID, the driver then shows his badge. What is an officer to do? Should he cite the officer with a ticket? More the likely the officer will till the driver that he is putting him in a bad position allowing him to leave with a warning. I know that it is in the police's informal code to stick with other officers but where should the line be drawn. If that same driver had been speeding like that through a neighborhood and then hit the child this information could surface and make the whole department look bad. When these types of accidents happen the community will fight against the police department claiming that the

Throughout the American history, law enforcement agencies are required to protect and serve their community. Researchers stated that Sir Robert Peel encouraged police officers to engaged within the community by communicating, providing guidance, and helping them through difficult times (Martin, 2011). The biggest challenge in the criminal justice is the dignity within the police force. Law enforcement officers are the symbol of hope and trust in the community. Law enforcement officers have to gain the trust in the community because residents can help them to solve difficult cases. Police officers are held to a high standard, especially when they use their decision-making tools when encountering a crime scene. Police officers are not aware that

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.

Are our police becoming to militarized in our country, in my opinion yes they are, for they revive army surplus, for they used a bomb disarming drone to take out a suspect in Dallas Texas by attaching a one pound of c4 to the arm of the drone? First we talk about whether the tactic was nescarry for the police to use when all the needed to do was to disable the suspect with a well-placed snipper round to the soldular or arm. Second would be weather this tactic will become a common occurrence or will it become overused like the Taser when it first was introduced to the public. Third would it cause the tactics used by our country’s law enforcement become restricted on when we used them in situations that law enforcement currently uses. Now let find out how well this tactic will affect society and the

There has been a cost to the new strategy, revealed by steady citizen complaints against more aggressive NYPD officers during the past several years and continuing impunity for many officers who commit human rights violations despite the recent reorganization of both the civilian review board and the police department's internal affairs bureau. In August 1997, after the alleged torture of Haitian immigrant Abner Louima by police officers made national headlines and outraged city residents, the anti-crime record of the mayor and police department was tarnished. There are many cases of police using excessive force or corruption within a department and even debates on whether high speed pursuits are necessary(Deshon 2014). Could it be that officers

Unfortunately, these influences also support the also cynical police culture and the police will continue to approach the public with suspicion and the attitude that the public will never understand police work, and people just become part of the problem. In order to better, understand the police culture we must recognize three points, the first is that the culture commonly develops with the pressures of the job, and just as equally, the traditions of the department have an influence of the culture combined with the human response to the problems of police work. Second not all police cultures are the same, as well the cultures within the department divisions, and sections, some of these cultures vary from very cynical to the much less within

Police legitimacy, communication, and trust all tie into community relations. Community relationships between its members and the police are like that of a couple’s relationship. They both have weak and strong connections but to make things work they need the 100% dedication from both parties. Weak ties with police and community relations can result in tension and animosity between both sides causing the relationship to hit an unbalance stage. It is often evaluated that many people do not look at the true benefits of the relationship with police and the community in terms of the positive strengths. There are numerous benefits to having a positive connection with police in any society on multiple different levels.

Even though law enforcement administrators “are constantly striving to preserve a positive, ethical image of their departments to the public they are sworn to serve and protect”(pg. 5), in the law enforcement world today, there are many problems that are occurring within the duties of police officers. These problems vary across a broad board. They may include personal issues that officers may be dealing with on a daily basis at home or issues that arise throughout police departments across the country. From the many problems that we discussed and wrote on the white board in class, I have chose six that I see as the major problems in the law enforcement world. These six problems can be fixed and dealt with if the appropriate actions are

During such embattled times when the public’s confidence in our nation’s law enforcement officers is being sensationalized by media outlets, it is only prudent to embrace a sense of responsibility of refuting these negative stereotypes. By having constructive relations outside of typical police/public investigative encounters, police officers will enjoy an increased sense of trust and standing within the communities they police (President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, 2015). In applying this principle, the Seymour Police Department will see improvements in community relations. By implementing S.O.L.V.E., statistically the number of citizen contacts for the department will compound exponentially revealing a positive outcome for all involved. In committing to this community policing initiative, the Seymour Police Department will serve as a model for other agencies to emulate. The S.O.L.V.E. initiative is a tremendous step toward remaining dedicated to the mission of the Seymour Police Department while providing the highest quality policing service possible to the residents of

The ability to communicate is of primary importance to a law enforcement officer’s safety and ability to serve the community (Giles, 2002). Communication is critical to modern law enforcement agencies at every level, organizationally both vertical and horizontal, from the executive level right down to the line level officer on the street (Dias & Vaughn, 2006, p. 551). Law enforcement officers have a responsibility to communicate effectively, however, there are many impediments to good communication in a law enforcement organization based on the structure itself. When communication does not flow properly among the organization, problems arise leading to chaotic dysfunction (Dias & Vaughn, 2006). Poor communication caused by ridged, formalized structure, is difficult for law enforcement managers to recognize and adapt to when highly structured communication creates gaps between the executive level and line level (Stojkovic, Kalinich, & Klofas, 2014).

For the people of the community to have trust in the officers of the law, change needs to take place. A solution is to allow police officers, one hour a day just to visit their local community. They will have the time to communicate with the members of the community. By doing this, it reinforces the relationship between police officers and the community. Furthermore, if the police officers learn other cultures besides their own, they will have a better understanding of other people's habits, cultures, and customs. It will also improve how the community perceives police officers within their community, and this will help the communities view officers of the