Racially Biased Policing Analysis

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.

Racial profiling, stereotyping, and different styles of policing has led to the disproportionate targeting of minorities by law enforcement agencies. Warren et al. (2006) notes that law enforcement often use two forms of racial profiling. One is defined by Warren et al. (2006) as out of place profiling. This particular form of racial profiling targets an individual if they do not match the general make up of a certain community. Another method of racial profiling Warren et al. (2006) explains is drug interdiction profiles, which encourage officers to target drug traffickers using their racial background to make traffic stops and search their vehicles for contraband. Furthermore, Terrill and Reisig (2003) findings

Implicit biases can lead to race-based policing even without making a conscious decision to do so. Evidence proves that African Americans and Latinos are stopped for traffic offenses more frequently than Whites even though they do not commit more traffic offenses than Whites. (Richardson, 2015) One study revealed that police “officers were more likely to see weapons in the hands of unarmed Black individuals than in the hands of unarmed White individuals as a result of implicit bias” (Richardson). These discoveries mirror studies indicating that racial biases lead people to interpret the actions of Black individuals more suspiciously than they would interpret the same actions if they were performed by White individuals. (Richardson)

Since a very young age we have been taught to put our trust into police officers. If we are in distress, they are always there to help since it is their job to protect and serve the common citizen. So what happens when the individuals we are supposed to trust to bring justice are the ones causing the injustice we see in the news? Recently, several police officers have been under fire for their excessive use of force. The number of casualties caused by police officers in the recent years have citizens demanding a reform in the system that officers work under.

Many places such as Chicago and New York experience racial profiling and lack of trust in the governed community. Even in Civil Court cases, it’s not always the people’s fault. The ones who govern the streets, falsely accused the people. The majority of people who are racially profiled are African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and other minority ethnic groups. Little of the media cover these unheard confrontations. As a police officer, their job is to be equal

Despite the fact that some cops may utilize their energy to undermine and behave in any way they if it's not too much trouble there are numerous officers that serve and secure; taking the guarantee that they pledged to truly, which is the thing that larger part of the populace today neglects to figure it out. Verging on consistently, cops are tasked out to restore arrange or recover peace in rushed circumstances and are confronted with the test to utilize power without it being viewed as a "lowlife" or danger to the group or far more terrible accused of a wrongdoing of Police mercilessness. More regularly than any other time in recent memory, daily papers, sites, and TV have dialed in on these

The constant derogatory comments and attention police departments have gotten lately can have a negative impact on their ability to perform their job and have a positive relationship with the community. According to the Procedural Justice Theory, “the legitimacy and trust are largely based on perceptions of procedural fairness—believing that the police treat citizens with fairness and respect…” (Hohl, 2011). The media does a good job at attacking the legitimacy of the police and their ability to perform their job in a fair and consistent manner. Per the Procedural Justice Theory, with the fairness of the polices actions in question, the trust towards police gets tarnished and disintegrates.

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.

First, if news stations are being biased against officers, they usually then will hesitate in using necessary force. A survey done said that 86% of the officers in big departments have become less willing to stop and question suspicious persons. They feel this way because of high profile incidents reported on news stations. It also showed that 85% of the officers were more hesitant to use necessary force. 95% of officers have become more concerned with their safety. We need to fix this so that the people who keep us safe can also feel safe and have hope that they can return to their families after their shift is over.

Interactions between police and the public is based how respectful each group is towards each other. However, research also shows that sometimes an officer's conduct and actions are critical to perceptions of police legitimacy. Having good communication skills as well as listening to citizens instead of controlling authority to scare them is the correct response without being cynical to the situation. For example; Officers are more likely to profile predominately minority areas and ultimately will make the most traffic stops in these areas which will determine most of their decision making (Petrocelli et al, 2002, p. 8). Police who are patrolling these areas will always be suspicious in their surroundings because it is a dangerous job and they

Whenever I watch the news it's only for a mere second . It seems as though the news starts off with a crime that is so mind blowing it just changes the whole outlook. It's very disturbing to see how people act towards one another and also how they react to authority in such a negative way . The news and entertainment media play a huge role in the public perception of violent crimes in the U.S. With all of the corrupt people that choose to live their lifestyles in the streets or any type of dismay there may be , People can take a small situation and blow it all out of proportion, all due to the negative report from the news or social media. The expectations of the public in the ways in which police do their jobs are for them to protect and

It is very interesting how people call upon the police and then get mad when it isn't going the way they believe it should. When the police come regardless of the situation they have to protect and serve the community if they like cops or not. If a cop is "dirty" he will be found and then have to own what he/she has done. Though majority of the time it's the person trying to get a cop in trouble or fail to comply. Anymore as you stated about the media, that honestly is the reason why they are being scrutinized so much. If you look back a few years back the police weren't the talk amongst the average joe, but now you see them being down graded in comments, threads, videos, news, and in person. Majority of the cops do care about their community

One of the biggest questions we face today involves the perception of the police? What is the perception of how we look at our officials in law enforcement? Is this something that’s based on personal experiences? Is it media driven? Over the last year, we’ve had to examples in the media that pertains to this discussion. In Ferguson, MO there was the Michael Brown case involving the shooting of an unarmed man by police officer Darrin Wilson. There was the death of Eric Garner involving the New York Police Department. Depending on what media news outlet you’ve watched, the reader was given different point of views. On some news channels, the media outlets played the role that the person killed was committing no crime. On another

There is a perception of distrust between law enforcement and the community. This distrust stems directly from the dangerous words police use when communicating with the community. (Willis, 2015, p.) Simply choosing better words can help build relationships between law enforcement and the community. It is necessary for law enforcement to have trust with their community. There are many things that hinge on the police-community relationships, the ability of law enforcement to perform their duties, are the most important. Law enforcement must be willing to rely on the public to observe the law. They must always demonstrate absolute impartiality to the law.

While many members of the police force are being portrayed as racist, the media contributes to the racial assumptions through various negative proclamations against officers. Newspapers, radio stations, news channels, and other forms of media all decipher situations in any manner they deem necessary in order to appeal to their target audiences. The various types of interpretations by the media often includes negative portrayals of members of police departments by allowing them to appear as racist, as well as murderous, individuals. Mark Aitken writes that officers are feeling displeased with the media’s coverage of law enforcement by only reporting the mistakes made by policemen, which provides civilians with the idea that all law officers are only contributing to society in a negative manner (Aitken). To further clarify, while many officers are responsible for providing safety through various dangerous and complex tasks, there are numerous ways an officer can be unsuccessful. While several members of law enforcement are put into violent situations, they are often limited with the amount of time they have to make a decision. As a result of this lack of time, as well as many other factors, many officers rely purely upon instinct and reaction within their field of work. These instincts and reactions have allowed members of law enforcement to make certain choices that can be perceived as errors. Regardless of the situation, the media will only discuss the mistakes made by a