Police Enforcement : The City Of Green Gate Police Department Essay

Police use of deadly force in the United States has been growing at a rapid pace due to several incidents that have taken place over the last few years. The biggest question today remains why has this been such a relevant topic across the U.S. lately? The use of deadly force is specifically important because it directly affects the publics’ attitudes and behaviors towards the police and government. Some will blame police policies, some will blame abuse of power, and some even claim the use of deadly force is necessary to in order to properly defend themselves. The use of deadly force continues to increase due to lack of what the true definition of “use of force” and what actually means. This lack of definition creates

In recent years and in light of recent tragedies, police actions, specifically police brutality, has come into view of a large, public and rather critical eye. The power to take life rests in the final stage of the criminal justice system. However, the controversy lies where due process does not. While the use of deadly force is defined and limited by departmental policies, it remains an act guided chiefly by the judgment of individual officers in pressure situations. (Goldkamp 1976, 169). Many current studies have emphasized the racial disparities in minority deaths, primarily black Americans, killed by police through means of deadly force. The history of occurrences reveals the forlorn truth that police reforms only receive attention in wake of highly publicized episodes of police misconduct. The notorious 1992 Los Angeles riots brought the matter to mass public attention and prompted improved law enforcement policy. Significant local reforms resulted, for instance, ending the policy of lifetime terms for police chiefs. Additionally, on a broader platform, in 1994, Congress approved provisions to the Crime Control Act in effort to tackle police abuse in a more structured way.

The use of deadly force by police officers is a very important subject in today’s society. Many consider the use of deadly force excessive in most cases. However, there are many aspects to look at when considering this topic, such as: Why was deadly force required? When did the officer feel it necessary to apply deadly force? What will be the implications for the officer after the fact? How does the use of deadly force affect society as a whole?

Even though the masses have trouble understanding why and when it is justifiable for a police officer to use deadly force, people need to look at things from the perspective of someone who is present in conditions of extreme necessity and has no solution other than to kill a person or a group in order to save him or herself or others.

Citizen contacts with police officers have been found to influence general satisfaction with the police. Negative contacts

Officers have become heavily criticized for using lethal force in altercations that less lethal could have possibly been used. With officer involved shooting on the rise society wants us to re-examine other alternatives. There will be times that an officer must use their duty weapon, but many of the recent shootings could have been avoided with the use of less lethal tools. Lethal force often affects the department’s image negatively and brings un-wanted media attention; it can be hard to rebuild the trust with the community. When officers deploy less lethal tactics it is often overlooked by any media attention and any civil issues. In an effort to help department’s combat un-wanted lethal encounters, this research will

In a matter of 630ms an officer is confronted with the decision to open fire on a suspect or proceed with caution. Police officers are trained to deal with a broad range of circumstances, including minor traffic violations to hostile shoot outs. Additionally, they are trained to deal with a wide range of people from compliant to aggressive and to act accordingly in each condition. The decision to use lethal force is supposed to be restricted to situations in which an officer feels threatened. However, in light of recent officer involved shootings, civilians have begun to think

This paper will differentiate between reasonable force and excessive force. I will describe when excessive force turns into police brutality and how the police culture can influence police brutality. I will discuss some of the many negative repercussions that excessive force / police brutality have on the law enforcement officers, agency, city, community and profession.

For the purpose of this paper, the center of the discussion will be on how these police departments have been defective as well as deficient in using deadly force as well as police

Police officers have a responsibility of serving and protecting the city that they serve and work for. In some of the calls officers get dispatched to they might be required to use some type of deadly force in order to apprehend the suspect and handle a call. However, deadly use of force doesn’t occur as often as the media says it does. Unfortunately, in the event that police officers use a type of force to subdue a suspect, the officer will be judged and the suspect might claim police brutality. In addition, there are many myths that have been created when it comes to police officers using deadly force. The first is that police officers only use deadly force when coming in to contact with African-Americans. The second is that police officers

Protecting and serving is the promise guaranteed by police officers, who put their lives in potential danger daily. Police officer’s right to use lethal force is being questioned due to a current bad reputation. A few negative cases should not triumph the countless positive things that police officers do for their community. A police officer who cannot use lethal force cannot easily protect the public and themselves in a dangerous situation. Police officers deserve the right to use lethal force to protect themselves, maintain public safety, and for an intimidation effect.

The deadly mix consists of the circumstances that brought the officer and offender together and the rapidly changing interaction of the officer and the offender (Pinizzotto et al., 2012). The deadly mix takes into account for both situational and attitudinal factors. A survey was used with a total of 295 law enforcement officers responding to the survey (Pinizzotto et al., 2012). The survey questions addressed the officers about their experiences with the use of force over their careers. The results showed that 96% of the surveyed officers had drawn their gun at least once per year (Pinizzotto et al., 2012). Additionally, 70% of the officers surveyed claimed they had been in a situation where they could have legally pulled the trigger but chose not to (Pinizzotto et al., 2012). The strengths of this study would be that it’s a preliminary exploration into a relatively new concept. Although deadly forced has been studied extensively, the restraint on the use of deadly force has been scarcely studied. The preliminary status of the study could also be considered a weakness because of its newness as a concept. Another weakness would include the issues commonly associated with using self-report

What is the definition of COP? “Citizen on Patrol” Do cops really understand the definition of COP? The quote: “to protect and to serve” became the official motto of the LAPD police academy in 1963; the motto was printed on every police vehicle in Los Angeles. Fast forward to March 3, 1991, the brutal beating of Rodney King by white LAPD officers. The beating was captured on video tape in all of its horror, and the cops were still acquitted! Who are the cops protecting? Who are the cops serving? It clearly isn’t the community the police are serving or protecting. Instead, of saving lives, they are taking lives. Perhaps, you would think citizens would need protection from the car jackers, armed robbers and gang members. This scenario has happened to several acquaintances. If you drive an expensive luxury car in Los Angeles, like a Maserati, Bentley or Range Rover; nine times out of ten you will be stopped by the police and asked: is this your car? I need to see your registration, license and insurance. The cops automatically assume the car is stolen, or you acquired the vehicle thru some nefarious or illegal actions. A Black person can’t possibly afford or deserve a car like this. Unfortunately, the citizens of the communities need protection from their so called police. Who is going to protect us from the rogue, racist and scary cop? Certainly, not the cop car dash cam, video recorder or camera phone! Indeed, cops have a dangerous job; they risk their lives every day

The use of excessive force by police officers is a topic that continues to make headlines and a study that needs to be done. Although much research has gone into this topic there still is no consensus on why the use of excessive force occurs. Some studies suggest lack of training and/or problems with organization policy/procedures. Law enforcement officers are authorized to use force when necessary, but when the level of force is excessive, however, the actions of the police come under scrutiny. The resulting effects can include; public outrage, scandal, negative reputation for not only the officer but the law enforcement community, and criminal considerations. Although there’s is no concrete definition of excessive force, police

Police brutality is an old problem that has been around in this country for many years. Unfortunately, civilians have experienced it in their thousands, suffering varying degrees of damages, ranging from injuries or even loss of their lives at the hands of the brutal police. Even more disheartening is the fact that numerous officers in the American police force believe that their brutal and hostile tactics are contributing and giving justice to society, which is their basic role in the world (Vila and Morris 29). However, the