The Conflict Between Law Enforcement And Communities

“Community policing is, in essence, a collaboration between the police and the community that identifies and solves community problems” (U.S. Department of Justice, 1994, p. vii). Throughout the years, community policing has become a more popular strategy to help law enforcement officials control and deter crime; however, some areas across the United States has had problems in the past with communities and law enforcement working together to ensure a secure and safe environment. Although it is an officer’s duty to maintain order, keep the peace, and solve problems within the area he or she

Policing is a very difficult, complex and dynamic field of endeavor that is always evolves as hard lessons teach us what we need to know about what works and what don’t work. There are three different Era’s in America’s policing: The Political Era, The Reform Era, and The Community Problem Solving Era. A lot has changed in the way that policing works over the years in the United States.

policies that are currently in place to reduce tension between police officers and the minority groups that they serveLaw enforcement officers and the community have been disconnected. Violence and brutality of any kind, particularly at the hands of the police who here to protect and serve our communities. When Ferguson, Missouri exploded after the police shot an unarmed black teenager, the tension between the community and its protectors was laid bare. Ferguson is not the first and certainly not the last community forced to bridge that chasm. In South Carolina a policeman shot an unarmed black male who was stopped for a seat belt violation. The cop asked the male for ID, who then reached under his seat to retrieve his wallet, but was shot in the leg by the cop before he could take out his ID. When the body cam video was reviewed it shows that the trigger happy cop probably was in fear of his life, however it is also obvious that the cop shouldn’t have felt threaten as the behavior of the black male involved nothing unusual. Many would say if the driver was white the cop would have not reacted the way he did.

Law Enforcement officers have one of the most critical jobs in the United States. Their lives are always on the line and they are of high regards. This means they cannot fail! The results of their jobs do not only depend on their actions but also on the people. What this means is the community has a huge role when it comes to solving crime. Though many people may not believe it, they are the key to a successful crime prevention community. The people of the United States don’t really understand both the positive and negative effects that community policing actually brings. Some may say it is very dangerous based on their experiences. Others may say it’s the best way to do away with crime. Today the two will be compared and put to test by true officers serving our country. The facts will be stated and questions will be answered. Let’s take a look at what community policing is really all about!

Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, was shot and killed on August 2014, by Darren Wilson, a white police officer, in Ferguson, Mo. Brown, an 18-year-old African-American was fatally shot and killed in the street shortly after robbing a convenience store. The disputed circumstances of the shooting of the unarmed young man sparked existing tensions in the majority-black community and law enforcements in Ferguson, Mo. The event received considerable attention in the U.S. and elsewhere, attracted protesters from outside the region, and generated a powerful debate about the relationship between law enforcement and African Americans and the police use of excessive force. The shooting prompted protests that shaken the area for weeks. The announcement of the grand jury that they decided not to indict Mr. Wilson set off another wave of protests. Many police officers have defended Wilson, pointing out that officers patrolling violent neighborhoods risk their lives, while demonstrators saw the case in terms of racism and police brutality. However, Brown’s killing and the following events in Ferguson became a national controversy touching on much larger national issues of race, justice, and police brutality. While the specifics of the Brown shooting involved is not clear, the situation would have been dramatically different had Wilson worn body camera which would have recorded the actual event. With new body camera technology

Although many may find community policing and problem-oriented policing to fall in the same category, there is (surprisingly) a difference between the two. For one, community policing has many definitions. For some, it means instituting foot and bicycle patrols and doing acts pertaining to the ideal bond between police officers and their community. While for others it means maintaining order and cleaning up neighborhoods in desperate need of repair (Dunham & Alpert, 2005). However, an idyllic definition of community policing is altering the traditional definition of crime control to community problem-solving and promising to transform the way police do their job. Within the past two decades, there has been much research on community

The police involved shooting of Michael Brown has changed the way society views law enforcement, and the method of how law enforcement officers have to interact with this same society. With the deaths of individuals like Brown, Freddie Gray, Eric Garner and Tamir Rice, and with the assistance of social media and bias news reporting, as well as high level officials within our social structure, who’s speech and words can carry a large impact on our behaviors, there has been a picture painted that police are murdering people of different ethnicities without regard for justifiable force. Politicians, celebrities and the media alike, have been a major contributor to the anti-police sentiment and the violent interactions that police

August 9th marks the two-year anniversary of the fatal shooting of black 18-year-old Micheal Brown. Brown was unarmed when shot and killed by Darren Wilson, a white police officer, in Ferguson, Missouri. The shooting caused many protests that disturbed the area for weeks. The story sparked controversy during the time the police, public, and media attempted to assign blame. Not much has changed since then. Despite “who was at fault” or if the victim was “no angel” (Mapping Police Violence) the issue of police using excessive force is still at an inclined rate. This rate may be inclined but from year to year, the numbers are somewhat consistent. These numbers only become staggering once compared to the low numbers in police brutality around

The shooting of Michael Brown started a nationwide protest against police brutality. People protested in the streets of Ferguson and were met with heavily armed, ordinary policeman who resembled the military instead. Countless of pictures were posted on social media and the issue of Police Militarization rekindled. Every picture captured the same message and was a rude awakening of this misuse in power. This misuse of power was illustrated with guns being pointed at civilians, primarily African Americans, who posed no threat. Yet, the policemen were dressed up as if they were about to assault these unarmed black men and women.

This particular incident caused very intense riots against the police all over the city of Ferguson. There were shootings, vandalism, and massive destruction. The event happened in Ferguson, Missouri back in August 2014. Publisher Brent Wilkes says, “minority communities were left wondering how to work with a criminal justice system that continues to protect its officers over the welfare of citizens.” (1) Since the death of Micheal Brown, a large amount of people, nationwide, began to ask who they could trust. Police are supposed to be there to help you and protect you when needed, but the fact that they were killing innocent people was very

In Ferguson, Missouri, 18-year-old African American male Michael Brown was shot and killed by police officer Darren Wilson. The incident involving Brown created a critical environment in Ferguson and became a dangerous and controversial time in America. The events following the initial incident impacted Missouri significantly. Following this incident, a ripple effect of police brutality incidents took place. The question "Is the law is really doing their job and protecting us?" Was created.

There have been a number of changes within the legal and criminal justice system in the last 3-4 decades. History remembers, for example, the Kent State and Chicago Democratic Convention riots in 1968, and since then, a number of criminologists and political scientists have been asked about the use of force, rights-based policing, community involvement, and crime prevention (Russell 2005). The Red Cross and Amnesty International, for instance, have endorsed a rights-based policing model. This idea tempers all police activity with the basic tenet of human rights and rights under the Constitution. Central to this argument is the nature of the relationship between the community and the Criminal Justice System. Local law enforcement bond with community members to implement the day-to-day needs of that community. The idea centers around a basic philosophical tenet: use less force, communicate more, pay attention to human rights, and work to dialog and prevent, not to punish and incarcerate (Williamson 2008).

A big local issue with Social Anarchy is police brutality. Regularly covered on the news, we can see the increasing common reports of local police officers shooting unarmed civilians. In a report for CNN, Aaron Paxton Arnold, an entrepreneur and lifestyle expert, coach and media correspondent, expresses that “a segment of America wouldn 't believe that false police testimonies and cover-ups even existed despite years of protests from the African-American community” (Arnold). One example of ongoing incidents is happening in Ferguson, a city in Missouri. In August 2014, Michael Brown, an 18-year old African American teenager, got shot by the officer Darren Wilson. After shoplifting with his friend Dorian Johnson, Wilson was sent to track them down. Brown was unarmed. Witness reports were very conflicted, but the question remains if it was necessary to kill the boy. Later in the year, a grand jury decided to not convict the officer. As a reaction to this decision, destructive riots followed. Nine journalists writing for the New York Times reported that “police officers used tear gas and smoke to disperse people who were hurling rocks and breaking the windows of parked police cruisers”

One of the most known and controversial incidents of alleged police violence occurred on August 9, 2014, when an 18-year old African American male was shot and killed by a white police officer in a St. Louis, MO suburb. Reportedly, Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson stopped Michael Brown, Jr. and a friend for illegally walking in the middle of a street. Eyewitnesses claim that Brown had his hands up, as a way of signaling that he was unarmed and surrendering, when Wilson shot and killed him. Large-scale protests followed Michael Brown’s death, and rioting took place on the streets of Ferguson. Local police were blamed for inciting the riots, and were harshly criticized by activists for violent, excessive force used against demonstrators and journalists.

Community policing as a concept is mainly about allowing the community a voice in determining the priorities law enforcement. Allen & Sawhney (2015) defines community police as collaborative effort between police and the community they serve to customize the delivery of police services (p. 307). In order to utilize the community policing approach, it is important for agencies to have a strong bond and trust with the community they serve. Without this trust, creative policing innovations fall short. Despite what shortcomings the approach to policing may have for law enforcement, the popularity of community led or community based policing is on the rise in America. American law enforcement as an industry faces a never-ending public relations crisis, especially during the onset of tough on crime approaches prevalent in of the last forty years. Within the two decades, community police strategies based on bringing key stakeholders together to