Pros And Cons Of Vigilantes

Police brutality is becoming a trend in America. Tensions among the public and especially the African American community are rising due to the latest cases of police brutality. Many people believe that we have come far in this society but to be honest Racism is still a factor. The use of brutal and lethal force by some police officers leading to unnecessary deaths have African American parents on edge to send their children outside for anything. Law enforcement and people whom we trust with our lives are the very same to take it. Some people may want to argue that these cases such as the shooting of Michael brown and choking of Eric Garner are isolated incidents. Others would argue that the work of a police officer is too difficult and that sometimes an officer needs to use such force in order to enforce the law and protect him/herself while on duty. Law enforcement proclaims to feel threatened however what about the civilians who feel threatened of becoming the next target or victim of prey. The society is well aware that not all police commit these crimes and that we do still have law abiding officers. However, with the effort from everyone we can eradicate the bad apples and create a safer road for the officers and civilians.

Having had the opportunity to see both sides of the argument play out in the City of Memphis and as a member of the Memphis Police Department. I have become an advocate for requiring entry-level police officers to have at the very minimum an associate degree or the equivalent college credits. The college requirement can only be avoided with military experience. However, my position is not that more education makes you a better police officer or less education makes you a lousy officer. I believe that there should be a “happy medium” when it comes to police work. A good officer will be empathic, fair and in tune with the needs of the community and its members. Requiring a level of education for your entry-level officers speaks volumes about your agency and their dedication to professionalism. The benefits of having a college educated officer have shown to make a difference in the way they do their jobs. An educated police officer is less likely to utilize force when interacting with his co-workers or civilians. A department with educated officers also has shown to see a reduction in misconduct and disciplinary issues(Gómez-Mejía et al., 2016). Some years back the Memphis Police Department had relaxed their

As a whole, society has mixed sentiments regarding vigilantism. However, society, for the most part, has a preconceived notion that vigilante based justice consists of some superhero taking action into their own hands to stop the “bad guys”. Vigilantism should not be confused with a personal duty to investigate crimes happening within one self’s personal community. According to The Free Dictionary, vigilante refers to “a person who is not a member of law enforcement but who pursues and punishes persons suspected of lawbreaking.” Within this definition alone lies the three biggest problems with vigilantism. First, the individual is not a trained professional within law enforcement, therefore; they generally do not know how to properly conduct

Recently we have seen the events of Ferguson, Missouri unfold and it has brought into question the validity of the United States use of paramilitary tactics within the police force. While I will be primarily focusing on Furgeson to grant an easy visual aid to the situation, the true nature of paramilitary tactics is way beyond one incident. First we must look at what paramilitary police action is and what has given them the ability to use such tactics. Then we must look at how the decisions revolving around the allowance of police to use such force, and the instances where they were used have affected society.

The most important thing that a law enforcement officer can do is the right thing. We as officers of the law are suppose to be role models. I have been in law enforcement of almost two years and I have never accepted free stuff from any restaurant or local business. I my self-have always taken my top shirt of or just changed my clothes completely. I do not think that I should get any special treatment from anyone just because I am an officer and what I was sworn to do. So I would like to talk about the pros and cons of officers accepting free meals and coffee, not accepting free meals, higher standards, officers getting sued or the department getting sued, and civil liability.

Even though America is thought to be the land of the free, we still don’t feel as though freedom is ringing throughout the U.S. We often don’t feel safe because of the several examples of police brutality throughout the years. “Police brutality is a daily occurrence across the USA, most of it inflicted in the form of a few extra blows, punches, or kicks during arrests” (Angola, 2013). Police brutality consist of police officers that simply abuse their authority. The American law enforcement has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past few decades. Police officers have more powers than the average citizen; they have the power to arrest, seize property, and use deadly force. You would think that there would be some type of extreme

Protests can start out peaceful but quickly turn violent. Though protests can be amazing and cause social change and change within the government they can also turn violent and leave behind a huge mess. An example of this is the Dakota Access Pipeline protest. It started out as a peaceful protest against the pipeline being built close to Native American land and along the way turned into a violent protest. Everything was going fine and as planned then things started going south. The sheriff’s office said, “According to numerous witnesses within five minutes the crowd of protesters, estimated to be a few hundred people became violent. They stampeded into the construction area with horses, dogs and vehicles” (Peralta). In this case, the protest

You don’t need to carry a gun to be a vigilante. Sometimes, even a sizable club can suffice—such in the case of Buford Pusser, a former professional wrestler whose intolerance of crime led him to become sheriff and fearlessly tackle corruption in his hometown. Pusser’s life story served as an inspiration for the 1973 film Walking Tall that made him a hero across

Human rights are under attack daily by the government. Over the last year there has been a widespread protest movement, a Civil Rights Renaissance if you will, against police brutality and racism in the United States. The police prove the protesters' point by firing tear gas, rubber bullets, and making arrests, showing up to peaceful protests with tanks and assault rifles that were left over from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and given to local police departments. People are frustrated. They are angry, and they are tired. They are heartbroken. Every day there is another black person taken out by police. We remember the names: Mike Brown, Eric Garner, Freddie Gray. Ferguson, New York, and Baltimore became police states. It is appalling. It is disgusting. It is modern-day lynching. There is no respect for humanity anymore, no decency, no justice. "Liberty and justice for all" is a blatant lie in the modern U.S. If it were true, Mike Brown, Freddie Gray, and Eric Garner would still be alive. But they are dead, and for 2 out of the 3, their murderers have faced no charges - not even an indictment, no trial, not even a chance for justice. Even with clear video evidence of murder, as it was in the case of Eric Garner, we still cannot get an indictment from the grand

According to Tom Retterbush of Conspiracy Watch , a survey was conducted and determined that for the 1st time since 9/11, people have been more afraid of the authorities than the criminals that they’re supposed to be arresting. The reason people don’t stand up for themselves against crooked authorities is because of fear. Fear, that is the reason badge abuse thrives in the U.S. In recent events, hundreds of cops dressed in military grade gear have barged in on protests, wrong addresses, etc. Now people might say that police only do that when the problem is major, when it’s necessary for criminals and rioters out there to be intimidated, so that they can be set straight into line, but here’s a great example where that’s not the case. In 2014, the Phonesavanhs, a Georgia family and their baby, fell victims to this during a no-knock house raid by S.W.A.T units. A stun grenade was thrown into their child’s crib, exploding and causing the 3 month-old’s face to be severely injured. The S.W.A.T officers involved weren’t charged for the incident, and even though it might’ve been an accident, the family never received an apology. Now that there is enough to intimidate just about anybody.

America, being founded on doctrine such as The Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, shows how we as a nation hold justice and freedom forefront in our belief system. Having a police force in our country to help the citizens of the United States of America uphold these values, that have been passed down over the generations, the values that our forefathers created for us, is one of the main reasons America is the great nation that it is today. However, in recent news, the measures that our police force have been taking to ensure our civilian safety, and the safety of our values as Americans, has been put under scrutiny. Many people

In recent years, many believe that police brutality and the use of extreme force has become oblivious to the public eye. “Police brutality is the use of excessive and/or unnecessary force by police when dealing with civilians. Excessive use of force means a force well beyond what would be necessary in order to handle a situation.” (Wooden, 185). Members of our nation continue to shelter and protect themselves from criminals, but now they must be aware of the men and women that are supposed to be the “peace keepers”, who protect and serve. The horrific events in the last couple of years involving law enforcement agents that have prompted another go around of national reforms from human rights activists, politicians, and citizens will be discussed within this essay. Minority groups must be able to protect themselves from the police officers taking advantage of their powers as a law enforcement agent. But, with this distinguishable difference in power, the citizens are prominently at a standstill for justice.

A major impetus of the COPS grant program was the enhancement of officer safety. Not

Around the globe, violence and hatred between races, authority, and civilians rage among the streets of our communities. Various chapter-based organizations for certain races have been created such as ¨Black Lives Matter¨ that raise awareness for the many people that have been treated unfairly or have lost their lives for no reason at all. For the most part the biggest problem for these types of organizations are the ones holding the gun, the police. The population is always quick to blame the ones behind the badge, but no one seems to look at the big picture. The popular organization Black Lives matter has made Law Enforcement a staple for fear, and hate for everyone who catches them in the streets. Once, police officers were our heroes and

Do you believe in vigilantism? Do you believe in criminals and outlaws being punished for their crimes in the name of justice? What if you knew someone who was so close to you, you would do whatever it took to find those responsible for the pain they caused and punish them in the name of justice. Would you walk down the path of a vigilante and help bring about an end to their tyranny? Vigilantism can be looked at as crime if you look at it in a negative way, or it can be looked at in a positive way. Many vigilantes help make the world a better place every day by doing away with the evil people in this world who kidnap, rape, murder, and loot people in the streets. Vigilantism is justified because the vigilantes help make the world a better