Police Practices

Enforcers of law. Protectors of the city. Figures of justice. Who do these phrases describe? Do these pictures of friendly looking police jog up your memories? 

Are these the type of police your parents told you about as children; are they the ones who protect your neighborhood, the “good guys (or gals)” who fight the "bad guys (or gals)," and the ones who respond to 9-1-1 when trouble eschews? If so, that's great! If not, well, that's not so great. Then are you more familiar with these images? 

When people think police, they tend seem them as symbols of justice and power. Yet with recent events such as with the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, the raising issue of police brutality is sweeping through the nation. There is increasing tension between the police and public as many feel that this brutality, this injustice needs to be stopped and controlled. This is an ongoing conversation about police overstepping their boundaries and using their power over citizens. 

Over the years there have been multiple police practices in question such as:

·   Arrest and ticket quotas 

·   Racial profiling 
             (ex. Stop-and-Frisk policy)

·  Lack of community interaction and understanding

·  Excessive use of force

Why is this happening? Is it a fundamentally racial issue or is it a departmental issue with training and job expectations? Arrest and ticket quotas are essentially the minimal expected number of arrests and tickets an officer has to make within a period of time. When several NYPD officers spoke out about this practice, it sparked a fury  in the already controversial Stop-and-Frisk policy. The policy was getting noticeably biased towards the large number black and hispanic citizens being stopped compared to their fellow white citizens. Why is that? What makes a police more likely to stop a black or hispanic off the streets than a white? The most common reason is: he/she looked suspicious. Given that most people would probably feel uncomfortable having anyone (let alone an officer) stare at you, this argument holds up poorly. Such reasonings also weaken the tie between community and police force because discrimination and stereotypes leads to mistrust. Police should have a reasonable idea the amount of force needed to handle a situation. This also includes the militarization of some police departments. While some reason they are to control riots, at the end of the day the only thing left in place is the continuing fear and confirmation bias of police excess force. 

How does this relates to our SOC 230 class: Race is still a big issue today! A survey conducted in August 2014 by the Pew Research Center and USA TODAY found that most Americans gave "low marks to police departments for holding officers accountable for misconduct, using the appropriate amount of force, and treating racial and ethnic groups equally" (Pew Research Center). While there is a mixture of reasons why the police received meager scores, having staggering differences in racial disparities in the makeup of the force can lead to a lack of community communication. There is much prejudice and discrimination between the police and public at times because everyone is wary of each other whether or not they admit it. Community relations between the local police and public is important because trust is necessary to protect a safe environment. If everyone is judging each other's potential violence by their skin color or clothing then this idea of "race" will continue to be ingrained into our minds.ere is much prejudice and discrimination between the police and public at times because everyone is wary of each other whether or not they admit it. 

References:

Lippmann, Rachel. "Fuel In The Ferguson Fire: Racial Makeup Of Police Force Makes A Difference." St. Louis Public Radio. N.p., 14 Aug. 2014. Web. 25 Sept. 2014. <http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/fuel-ferguson-fire-racial-makeup-police-force-makes-difference>.
"Police Practices." American Civil Liberties Union. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2014. <https://www.aclu.org/criminal-law-reform/police-practices>.
Stark Racial Divisions in Reactions to Ferguson Police Shooting." Pew Research Center for the People and the Press RSS. N.p., 18 Aug. 2014. Web. 23 Sept. 2014. <http://www.people-press.org/2014/08/18/stark-racial-divisions-in-reactions-to-ferguson-police-shooting/>.