Rise of the Warrior Cop, by Radley Balko, centers around police in the United States and how it has gone through militarization throughout the years. Militarization is a process in which the police departments take on tactics that are similar to the tactics used by the military. Police forces were initially made to make our environment a safer place to live in. In this book, Balko explains how that has changed. Practices of policing first began when people would get hired, unofficially, to keep slaves under control and catch them if they try to run away. These people were sometimes known as slave catchers. Soon it evolved into formal policing, allowing police to catch criminals and make the neighborhood safe. However, today it is not so much about catching criminals; it involves a lot of violence and Balko questions whether this is even constitutional. In his writing, Balko brings awareness to the horrible tactics police are using in today’s society and how we could fix it. To begin with, Balko talks about how our police forces have intensified over the years. He introduces trends that have been continuing on for a very long time. These trends include police becoming more violent and using way more force. This is especially seen in the SWAT team. The SWAT team was initially created because of the killings in Austin, “[it] marked the birth date of the modern police SWAT concept. Since that day, almost every police department in the United States has formed a special response
If you grew up in an average middle-class town in the United States you were probably raised on the premise that the police were there to protect and fight crime, however, in many of today’s urban centers throughout the country, the tension between the police and the citizens has a very different relationship. The term ‘police’ brings many images to mind, while the objective of the police is to prevent and detect crime, this is far from the way so many Americans feel. Far from the original purpose of the police, the use of brutal and sometimes lethal force has evoked questions regarding the skewed system and the relationship between both in the communities. Ta-Nehisi Coates explores the issue in the article, The Paranoid Style of American Policing, often bringing up complex issues, and effectively brings the issues to life through anecdotes. Coates presents a logical, thought out and well-executed argument surrounding the cracked police system in America. Due to the well-supported thesis, the structure of the argument, and lack of fallacies, Coates position is adequately supported through the use
In the film, Do Not Resist, Craig Atkinson illustrates the use of military weapons being issued to police; in addition, the differences of “Warrior” and “Guardian” mentalities in law enforcement. A warrior mentality, as described in Atkinson’s film, is referred to the mental tendencies of soldiers, focusing more on protection. Warrior mentality in officers is used to combat extreme situations, like terrorists attacks or hostage situations. On the other hand, guardian mentalities are focused more on serving the community more than protecting. Law enforcement officers have both the warrior and guardian concepts, some officers have more warrior than guardian while others have guardian more than warrior. It is important to understand the difference between the mentalities. To understand we see which communities have higher crime rates than others and see the kind of funds spent on weaponizing police. With those factors one can deduce what law enforcement stations have the ‘warrior’ persona. At what point do we say “enough is enough”, and take away big brother’s toys? As a nation, we’re only strong united. As the great JFK so powerfully said during the Civil War, “United we stand, divided we fall.” Our division of law enforcers, people of color, political affiliation, and other factors will be this society's inevitable downfall. Today’s society’s annihilation is inevitable because we do not have the proper leaders to guide this nation into prosperity.
Police brutality is in the spotlight these days. With new technology such as cell phones and the internet, we can barely go online without seeing something new in the headlines about the violence being perpetrated about the forces protecting our cities. In a radio interview for NPR on April 30, 2015 titled “’Baltimore Sun’ Probe Exposes ‘Disturbing Pattern’ of Police Brutality”, Renee Montagne interviews Mark Puente, who was assigned to research police brutality through the years. This interview speaks the facts about relevant issue of police brutality with visceral accounts that are credible and eye-opening into the actions of America’s ‘men in uniform’ through the years.
The ‘War on cops’ some say that there is a war waging on America's police officers , and others believe otherwise. Thomas Sowell's article “The War On Cops” is on his perspective that there is a war on cops “occurring across the country” and that there are those who generate an acrid atmosphere of “blind hatred”. Clayton Jenkins article “ My Police Academy Teaches the ‘War on Cops’ Myth” , is on Jenkins considers the ‘War on Cops’ to be an inaccurate response to recent police killings , that there is not enough evidence to even support the idea. Upon my assessment of both essays I believe that there isn't a ‘War on cops’- but there is a distrust between people of color and the police, because of the aftermath of the ‘war on drugs’.
Historically there has been conflict between the american police force and members of minority groups. In recent years this conflict has moved into the eye of the public, through the media attention given to events like Ferguson. Outrage and unrest ensued and the backlash from these events were felt all over the US if not internationally. The result of these events lead to politicians and the police pledging reforms to improve the relations between law enforcement and members of minority groups. However many still believe that nothing has changed and that law enforcement is still more likely to use excessive force when dealing with members of those minority groups. Research has started to be conducted on this issue and many try to find solutions. This paper will provide a literary review of the current literature regarding this topic and will further provide some ways in which the relationship between law enforcement and the public can be improved.
Schultz, D., Stewart, G. C., & Samuelson, C. (2014, August 27). A long, powerful history: How we militarized the police. Retrieved May 4, 2018, from https://www.minnpost.com/community-voices/2014/08/long-powerful-history-how-we-militarized-police Shinkman, P. D. (2014, August 14). Ferguson and the Militarization of Police. Retrieved May 4, 2018, from https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/08/14/ferguson-and-the-shocking-nature-of-us-police-militarization Wallace-Wells, B. (2014, August 14).
The topic of police in general, and the brutal beatings, shootings, and arrests that have occurred over the past couple of years in the United States has hit the media full force, leaving many wondering what actions should be taken to keep the peace. Many question the system as a whole, and the training police officers receive, as well as their mental health. Across the borders, police are trained differently and follow various policies that may seem ridiculous or foreign, however, when comparing and contrasting two police systems, the similarities may be alarming, and the differences may be great, but knowing the strengths and weakness of each different system, can help towards progressing to have a better system and better training for police officers.
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.
“Today in the wake of 9/11 and the impact of threat of terrorism, every major police department in the United States has a SWAT team, and many smaller jurisdictions have jointed together to make multi-jurisdictional unit. Every state police department also has a SWAT team, along with several federal agencies including the FBI Hostage Rescue Team, which employs a SWAT unit into each of its 56 field offices. The National Tactical Officers Association (NTOA) estimates that there are nearly 1,500 SWAT teams in police agencies across the United States, conducting between 50,000 and 75,000 call-outs per year, as compared to 3,000 times a year in the 1980s” (Swanson & Territo, 2012).
Police Academy and policing are some of the most controversial things in today 's world. This particularly pertains to our society, in which it seems that there is a different incident involving the police every week. It is extremely controversial, the media uses its power of manipulation to “expose” the police often abusing their power. This is leading to a division of our nation. There is a large clash of who 's to blame in this situation, we can even see this in class based on the various opinions of my fellow students.Some of my classmates and many others blame things like police academy, methods of policing, and the cultural separation between police and the community. I interviewed somebody who lived through both. He was in the police force for 21 years and continued on to teach and direct police academy for 25 years.
Since the dawn of human kind, there has been some form of policing; whether that policing is based on taking revenge or the maintenance of public order and upholding the laws of the land. Although 200 years have passed, policing policies fundamentally has not changed. In this essay, I will be writing on early policing before the 19th century, policing in the 19th century, how policing evolved in America, policing now, and then compare the similarities and differences between today’s policing policies and those of the 19th century.
The militarization of the police is becoming more and more prevalent issue in our society. There are positives and negatives to this issue, but in my opinion it is a negative occurrence. Excessive use of force further divides police and community, which eventually may lead to severe consequences that may be irreparable.
The public impression of police use of force, as brutality, in modern day policing continues to be a sensitive issue for law enforcement agencies across the nation. Police agencies across the United States deal with accusations of misuse of force on
Ware (2014) states a militarized police organization causes chaos by making aggressive attempts to intimidate and draw battle lines. Stating military hardware on neighborhood streets signal an escalation of violence. Peak (2012) believes it cultivates the “us vs them” mentalities and hinders the intellectual and creative thinking process in officers. On the other hand, some people feel as though a militarized law enforcement agency is beneficial. One of the highest concerns the general public has is corruption within law enforcement agencies. Quasi-military authoritarian style allows leaders to maintain control of their staff; enforcing obedience to authority. Policing is a dangerous occupation; one you might find yourself placed in a situation where you may legally have to take the life of another human being. Having a well-disciplined agency can minimize critical, even fatal
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