Police Propospension

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.

Society in general have showed the distrust, protests and many questions for the like hood of the police profession. The reputation of the police profession is that of the 6 pillars of policing in the modern world as outlined by the President’s Task Force on the 21st Century Policing, which sought to recommend steps forward. Under the banners of ‘Building Trust and Legitimacy’, ‘Policy and Oversight’, ‘Technology and Social Media’, ‘Community Policing and Crime Reduction’, ‘Officer Training and Education’, and ‘Officer Safety and Wellness’ – here are concise definitions for each one and what they mean for American policing ("Final report of the resident’s task force on 21st century policing," 2015).

The study shows, “This shift in discourse has been motivated by two factors—first, the recognition by public officials that increases in the professionalism of the police and dramatic declines in the rate of crime have not led to increases in police legitimacy, and second, greater awareness of the limits of the dominant coercive model of policing and of the benefits of an alternative and more consensual model based on public trust and confidence in the police and legal system.” Tyler, Tom R., et al. "The Impact of Psychological Science on Policing in the United States." Psychological Science in the Public Interest, vol. 16, no. 3, Dec. 2015, pp. 75-109. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1177/1529100615617791. There are also statements of how a police officer’s behavior has effects on the community and how the perceive the

The term “Police Officer” by definition is [1]“ :a person whose job is to enforce laws, investigate crimes, and make arrests”.[1] For such a straight-forward position there is quite a massive amount of stigma attached to the title. Police officers are supposed to be seen has community heroes or helpers, but it seems as the year 2016 continues the general public have manifested a resentful standing towards the law enforcement system. There are many factors that play into these emotions, but the reoccurring problem is the presence of police brutality.

The media has portrayed Officers in a new light. Rather than protective guardians, they are now unstable, power-fueled workers of the law. It is their choice what they will do with the duty of enforcing the law. Anyone can fall victim to Police Brutality. However, America’s social and economic society is improving at an alarming rate. America is at a time now where peaceful protests and the like are promoted, while aggressive out lashes, unlawful activities, and excessive force is frowned upon. The economy today is a result of the hard work of ancestors who protested and ensured a better future. In the future, it is possible that Officers will no longer be stereotyped as abusive, or unlawful. A united front is required for this future, where there are no more sides, violence, or

Police officers are individuals who enforce the law upon their community to ensure that their citizens remain safe. In the past couple of years, officers of the law have been involved in acts of brutality that seem to go beyond the proper measurements of protection for their citizens. Policemen are supposed to protect their citizens from danger and from harm, not impose a threat on them. The fact that officers have a history of abusing their power indicates that their trust amongst the community has been corrupted. Those who have been affected of police brutality feel as though they have been deceived. They no longer feel that police officers will protect them, but rather abuse them, and that is a problem. We have began to live in a community in which an individual feels frightened when seeing a cop, rather than feeling protected. Some individuals may argue that police brutality is not a problem due to the fact that it is not consistent enough to catch the attention of needing a solution. However, that idea means little when the level of brutality has led to the death of several innocent victims in some cases. We must not wait for there to be a pattern of death at the hands of police officials to consider this a problem. One death indicates that preventive measures must be taken to ensure that these officers are no longer put in the position to abuse their power to begin with.

Lack of training and policing standards are closely linked to the myriad problems bedeviling police work, especially in small departments (Brodeur, 2010). All over the country, police departments report cases of officers being caught in uncompromising and unprofessional situations, resulting in disciplinary actions such as redeployment, suspension or sacking. These cases of unprofessionalism have led to questions being asked about policing, occasioned by recurring series of questionable and controversial encounters with police officers (Brodeur, 2010). The consequence of such encounters is increasing public distrust in law enforcement agencies.

Police brutality and office involved shootings have sparked national debate and created a strain between police officers and citizens. Recently, there have been more home videos that display acts of aggression by police officers. These police officers often use excessive forces or a condescending tone towards people of color which is why there needs to be a better way to mend police and civilian relationship. People should be able to trust the police in their communities rather than fear them.

Within the past year, law enforcement officers across the nation have come under intense scrutiny for police encounters that have resulted in the use of force and police involved shootings. Every time a person of color is killed by a police officer, the media broadcasts the shooting nationwide, inciting hate, anger and racism. Nothing productive is achieved when the media focuses on officers killing people of color. Instead, trust, faith and respect is lost from the public, and law enforcement officers are feared. People fear that when they encounter the police, they will be shot because of who they are. Sadly, all officers across the nation deal with the harsh scrutiny that has resulted from the actions of few. Majority of officers are good, hard working individuals who would put their life on the line to save and protect human life. Yet, on a daily basis, officers across the nation are disrespected and hated, simply for the job they do and who they represent. Despite recent events, police brutality is not an issue; law enforcement officers are still deserving of the public’s trust and this trust can be rectified with the understanding of use of force, increased community policing and continued use of force training for officers.

America, once considered the land of the free and the home of the brave, is a nation cloaked in fear of those they pay to protect and serve. Police militarization in a post-9/11 era has led to constant tales of abuse of authority by police departments nationwide. The issue is threefold. First, police brutality is growing as a national problem. The people charged with making the streets safer for ordinary citizens are becoming the enemy of the people, the villains, who consider themselves judge, jury, and executioner. Secondly, even the smallest police departments are armed with military grade weaponry. And, thirdly, police regularly violate the civil and human rights of citizens, even committing criminal offenses against them. It is no

Ethics in the criminal justice field, especially law enforcement, must be of the utmost importance as it is closely watched by the public more than any other field. It’s like living in a fish bowl for the police officers as they are watched in every move they make, whether it’s on duty or off duty (Roufa, 2015). Society requires police officers to have values they must live by and these include: “integrity, honesty, hard work, kindness, compassion, empathy, sympathy, justice, and bravery” (Roufa, 2015, para. 13). Police officers must always be ethical, or doing the right thing, based on the above societal values to gain the trust of society (Roufa, 2015). Most police officers are very ethical, but when one does wrong or appears to do wrong, it can completely destroy any trust that the public had in the police. The recent events in Chicago are a good example. A video from 2014 reportedly shows Chicago Officer Jason Van Dyke shooting and killing 17 year old McDonald without provocation (Eversley, 2015). Because of this incident, major rioting has occurred, the police chief has been fired, and the national head of the NAACP was arrested during protests (Eversley, 2015). The few nationwide events, such as this one, are destroying any gains the police have made and the problem will

“Ethical issues regarding corruption and off-duty behavior have become an increasing challenge in criminal justice” (Writing, 1999-2013). Within the criminal justice system, ethics can be complicated by the moral implications of actions. Differences in cultures and different circumstances can affect the individual moral compass. However, all departments of criminal justice operate by a certain code of ethics and by certain standards. But those standards and ethics often become challenged due to issues relating to police brutality, off duty conduct and corruption that we hear about all of the time through the media.

Police officers are supposed to be professional as they represent our country. According to Burns, “Police misconduct is seen as hypocritical in the sense that society puts great trust in officers to enforce the law in a fair and just manner” (Burns, 2013). The community is trained to put trust in the police department; however, some officers are making it hard for individuals to trust them. When police corruption occurs it is to be stopped before hand to develop a better police force.

When you hear the words ‘police officer’, what is the first thing that comes to mind? The people that protect us from the bad guys, right? Well, that might be the stereotypical answer, but is that really what we all think? Most would agree that in today 's society, the words do not have the same positive correlation anymore. It is actually almost the complete opposite. Police officers and others in the criminal justice system have created a poor reputation for themselves from the actions they have taken. Crooked cops seem to be the headliners of countless news stories. Now, that is not to say there are not any stories of people of the law doing their jobs to the best of their abilities, but lately, those stories are like finding a needle in a haystack, abnormal. It is not hard to search for a story on a legal personalities questionable conduct. Now, here 's something to think of: if these are the people that know the ins and outs of the law and are put in their positions to help protect us, why does it seem like us citizens are the victims of their actions in a greater part of these stories? How are we supposed to put our trust in these so-called notable people if they are the ones putting us in danger? The people within our criminal justice system are corrupt by brutality, drugs, money, and just overall abusing their powers.

Police officers have been involved in numerous cases involving force being handled lawfully. There are elements of force such as does an individual have the ability to carry out an action, was there opportunity, and is the officer’s life in peril? Each law enforcement officer is different and so are their decisions about handling various situations. Back in March of 2015 a young woman reported her husband was threatening to kill her and her landlady. Later that evening four patrolmen went to the residence of the suspect Theodore Johnson’s to investigate the claim. Upon arrival while climbing the stairs Officer David Muniz walked around the corner and was hit by a bullet from Mr. Johnson’s weapon. The officer exclaimed that he had been hit and the others now preceded with caution. At this point