Summary: Does Minority Representation In Police Assaults

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.

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.

As difficult as their job may be, and as big a toll as it may take on them emotionally, it is important to bear in mind that police officers are normal human beings with normal brains and mental processes. Consequently, they are prone to make the same stereotype-biased judgments the rest of us are. Because they are often operating under conditions of uncertainty, high discretion, and stress and threat, the pervasive stereotypes linking Blacks and Latinos with violence, crime, and even specifically weapons are likely to cause them to make misattributions in seeking to disambiguate the intentions and behaviors of citizens. This can lead to racially disparate rates of stops, searches, arrests, and use of force. Several interventions that aim to reduce bias or discriminatory behavior at the individual level warrant further investigation in the policing context. Nonnegative intergroup contact is especially promising given its strong evidence base and that it could be achieved through

Throughout the last one hundred and fifty years, there has been a history of tension and conflict between the police and minority communities in the United States. In principle, the police exist to enforce the law and protect all citizens regardless of race or ethnic background, yet police departments across the country have been repeatedly accused of targeting and harassing racial minorities, and of failing to root out racist attitudes and practices within their ranks. In recent years, high profile cases such as the beating of Rodney King in Los Angles and the assault on Abner Louima in New York have only served to heighten concerns over the mistreatment of minorities by the police, resulting in widespread calls for major legal and institutional reforms. The recent shootings of Michael Brown, Ezell Ford, Eric Garner, and Terrance Crutcher underscore the danger Black men and boys face when they cross paths with law enforcement officers. In the absence of a coordinated national strategy, state and local police departments have largely been left to develop their own solutions to the problems of policing minority communities and improving cultural sensitivity amongst their officers. Many departments have sought to reform recruitment and selection policies in the hope of attracting greater numbers of minority applicants, while others have instituted diversity training and education programs aimed at improving police understanding of minority cultures and communities. To date, however, these efforts have yielded mixed results. Some departments have achieved notable successes, but on the whole, relations between the police and minority communities across the country remain strained. of cultural diversity and the police.

There is recent controversy over police use of force, especially in minority communities such as in African American communities, Hispanic communities, and other publics with large populations of minorities. Increased levels of force among these communities have created challenges for police departments. These challenges include a lack of trust from the community towards law enforcement officers and an absence of respect creating situations that lead to police use of force. There are already various programs in place that attempt to decrease this challenge by educating the public, respecting one another, and giving those who were on the wrong track second chances. A combination of these solutions and the implementation of more of them would decrease the number of contacts between police and minorities that lead to the use of force (Roberg & Novak, 2014).

A great deal of society views law enforcement officers as heroic and honorable individuals, whose main purpose is to protect and serve the community. For many officers, this description is accurate, however for others; violence and brutality against innocent citizens is part of getting the job done. For years, minorities have fallen victim to police brutality based on racial profiling, stereotypes and other

If all men and women are created equal then why are some people getting treated differently because are there race? I think u.s criminal justice system is focusing more on the color of their skin tone then what the person did.1 in every 15 African Americans and 1 in every 36 Hispanic people go to jail but only 1 in every 106 white person goes to jail. There are 2.3 million people in prison in u.s, African Americans and Hispanic take more than half of that number. Society thinks they are more likely to do drugs or murder someone because of the color of their skin . When a black or Hispanic person is driving there an 80% chance they are going to be stopped unlike a white person which is 8% and once stopped by a police officer they have a higher

Cases involving police brutality among African Americans in communities throughout New York has caused citizens to mistrust the police officials of the NYPD (Barstow). When this happens, conflict between the police and the community increase and causes lack of support from both the police and community. In Figure 4, the New York Daily News took a survey of 500 people, ranging from ages 18 to 25, in five high-crime communities in New York, including: South Bronx, East Harlem, Jamaica, Bedford Stuyvesant, and East New York (Durkin). 88% said residents in their neighborhood did not trust the police (Durkin). Of the 500 people, 59% said that they would not go to a police officer even if they were the victim of a violent crime (Durkin). Ultimately, this can lead to an increase in crime rate and police brutality. Excessive amounts of police brutality can also give a bad reputation to the police department. In the American system, taxpayers are punished by having to pay for settlements caused by police brutality which can inevitably lead to mistrust between the community and the police department. Overall, the actions of police brutality can have a negative effect on a community and cause a lack of trust within

Cooperation from members of the public is important in order for police officers to effectively fight crime within the community. In order to obtain cooperation from members of the public, police officers must gain their trust and confidence. It has been known that African Americans and Hispanics have lower levels of trust and confidence in police because of racial disparities and racial profiling. This paper will discuss the public opinion of police by different ethnic groups and how racial minorities hold lower levels of trust and confidence in police.

Police racism is a very controversial topic in today’s society, however, many people have not carefully examined the specifics of the issue. The media has skewed the image of police through emotional stories, videos, and incorrect facts. Secondly, police must protect themselves and other officers in dangerous situations by using force (Forte 1). Thirdly, the statistics people commonly use to support the claim that police are racist are used incorrectly (Gutting 12).

In the recent past, conflicts between the police and citizens have been rampant. When riots occur, the police are called upon to control the situation, and thus conflicts are bound to occur (Mohan, 2015). The social benefits of police officers from minority groups have been observed, but hiring police officers from minority groups is not the only solution to policing (Ashcroft et al,, 2004). The police should understand the norms and culture of the communities in order to prevent any conflicts. Some studies have shown that matching police officers to areas based on ethnicity or race may have social benefits, but the effectiveness of police work is mainly dependent on the police officers themselves so as to reduce racial profiling and corruption

In recent years, society has heard cases of police brutality at an increasingly shocking rate, thus creating a sense of distrust among communities towards police officers and other authority figures. As the first line of defense against crimes such as home invasions or crimes against persons, police officers are expected to be an ally towards victims; however, it seems that society is now viewing officers as the perpetrators of crimes as opposed to the protectors. This has already posed an issue because community members are choosing not to seek police help when needed, and when they do decide to seek help, forgoing police assistance results in being uncertain of where else to go.

There would be an increase in trust for black citizens if police departments recruited more officers from minority groups. As a policy measure, recruitment is relatively easy to execute and to publicize shortly after execution. The presence of minority officers will enhance the image and legitimacy of police and possibly bring first-hand knowledge to the department on how to efficiently improve police interactions with minorities. However, the problem with this policy is that minorities may be reluctant to join the police force if its legitimacy among the group is low. And, additionally, minorities may be indifferent or unpleasant towards minorities who join the police force due to suspicious beliefs and the intentions of the reform.

Occurrences of police violence create public fear and distrust of law enforcement, predominantly among minority communities and in areas where police misconduct has happened in the past. Police community tension may exist. Improved relations between law enforcement and citizens will reestablish trust in the communities. Police efforts may enhance cooperation.

An understanding of police-community relations is crucial because both positive and negative police relations can greatly impact policing. Positive or negative police-community relations can result from a variety of factors including cooperation, race issues, corruption, fear or assurance of police, and violence. When the community and police relations are positive, the police better understand the community’s needs and the community is more inclined to report crimes and aid the police. When community and police relations are negative, the police do not understand the community’s needs which leads the pubic, especially those who experience high levels of crime, to feel that the police do more harm than good.