What’s Going Wrong in the World of Policing?
It seems almost every day now there are high-profile incidents of police violence dominating the headlines. Social media in particular has led the way by showcasing video uploads of police misconduct, which are almost always taken by bystander witnesses to the violence. Studies demonstrate that racial bias in law enforcement and police misconduct are systemic problems. A Department of Justice report revealed that 84 percent of police officers have seen other officers use excessive force when making an arrest. A Human Rights Watch study concluded that race continues to play a role in police brutality in the United States and “have subjected minorities to apparently discriminatory treatment and have physically abused minorities while using racial epithets.”
This has prompted demands that police departments find new ways to train officers. To this end, there have been calls to upgrade training and credentialing, including requiring police to attend college. Research shows that college educated police are less violent and less prone to use excessive force. Similarly, there have been calls to increase hiring of women officers, as they have been documented in research to possess strong inter-personal communication skills, which means they rely less on the use of force when dealing with the public. Previously, the Congressional Black Caucus asked former President Obama to require sensitivity training of all police departments who are receiving federal grants.
Who Is Policed?
Early police departments in the U.S. were mainly focused on policing the crimes of immigrants, labor activists, and Left political activists. As Alex Gourevich notes, “in places like Chicago, Irish and Germans tended to be the ones thrown in the “paddy wagon,” but soon other Eastern and Southern Europeans, like Poles and Hungarians, were added to the mix. Who faced the worst of it varied depending on the ethnic and racial hierarchies internal to the working classes of different cities” (Gourevich, 2020). Locally here in Pittsburgh, steel magnates like Andrew Carnegie employed police to crack down on striking workers. During the famous Homestead strike in 1892, a well-organized group of gun-wielding steel workers overwhelmed the Pinkertons, who were hired by Carnegie to put down the strike.
We are continuing to live in the shadow of this history. Police have been and continue to be use as a blunt object to combat the most marginalized in society. This holds true especially for poor black people. Blacks and other nonwhite people are disproportionately targeted for policing. White people, of course, are also caught up in this system. And while their numbers may exceed that of nonwhite people, it is the disproportionality of police contact that points to a deeper more systemic problem when we look at police use of force.
But as it turns out, police continue to refuse to collect and share national data on how often, when, and against whom they use force. That is, policing organizations make it difficult to study them. Researchers like myself are often refused access to observe anything but the most mundane of activities. Better transparency would go a long well in helping experts and policy makers, who are attempting to solve the problem.
Why Are Police So Violent Toward Black Men?
One question for sociologists and criminologists to consider is why are police so violent toward black men? Recent research demonstrates how the police are implicated, actively as well as passively, in preserving racial hierarchies. This occurs in part through the disproportionate use of force black people. Scholars like W. E. B. Du Bois recognized this. He theorized that the ruling class used racial ideology to divide workers who shared economic interests. By keeping workers fighting among themselves, they had less time to sit around and think about how they were commonly oppressed by the wealthy classes.
Khalil Gibran Muhammad argues in his book, The Condemnation of Blackness: Race, Crime, and the Making of Modern Urban America, that the idea of black criminality has been crucial to the making of modern urban America, as well as to African Americans’ own ideas about race and crime.
Some researchers attribute the evasive behavior to police culture. Tribal group loyalty (thin blue line) often prevents police officers from criticizing each other or their departments publicly— the tendency too often is to lie (sometimes under oath) to protect a fellow officer when they faces charges of misconduct.
Refusing public accountability with regard to how they operate has unfortunately become a hallmark of contemporary policing. Absent new laws and policies, the problems are likely to continue.
Michael Wood Jr., a retired Baltimore cop, has been a frequent critic of law enforcement culture. His voice has been a rare one, as he speaks with the knowledge of an insider while maintaining the unforgiving skepticism of an outsider. Check out the video below, where we meet Wood (a military veteran) while he drives the streets of the city where he served as a police officer for 11 years. Take note as he lays out his view of what’s going wrong in the world of policing and what he thinks may be our best opportunity to make it right.
Ingroup/Outgroup Social Dynamics
As the former officer in the video explains here, social group dynamics play a key role (sociologists and psychologists often refer to this using the terms ingroup/outgroup). The contradictions embedded in human social relations – especially the desire to “belong to” and identify with social groups – may explain why officers don’t treat everyone the same.
An ingroup is a social group with which a person psychologically identifies as being a member. By way of contrast, an outgroup is a social group with which an individual does not identify. Social identity categories become meaningful to the extent that they signify group membership – the most easily identifiable group membership is often based on what we see first when we encounter people – race, social class, gender, nation, and religion. The terminology was made popular by Henri Tajfel and forms the basis of social identity theory.
People in general, not just police officers, are often very quick to identify people on the basis of how they perceive them as either in-group or out-group members. Tajfel and colleagues found that people can form self-preferencing ingroups within a matter of minutes and that such groups can form even on the basis of seemingly trivial characteristics (such as, they found, things like preferences for certain paintings). It could also be things like preferences for sports teams or music. Not surprisingly, in-group members were found to be treated more favorably than those who are assessed to lie outside the boundaries of in-group relations.
Police and Social Control
Recent protests have awakened the public to the social control function of police. Policing is not simply about catching criminals in this model; it’s about controlling public behavior, channeling it in such a way that it cannot pose a threat to the current social order, which again is set up to serve those who have wealth and power. This has caused people to ask other fundamental questions about police: Why are there police? Who (whose interests) do they “serve and protect,” and why have they become so militarized? (Gourevich, A., 2020).
Sources:
“Police Departments are Literally Staging Conflict,” by Keola Whittaker. Last accessed 1/18/2016.
“Why Are The Police Like This?” by A. Gourevich, 2020. Last accessed 7/18/2021.
Note:
Header photo depicts an NYPD police lieutenant swinging his baton at Occupy Wall Street activists in New York. The photo was one among many posted to Twitter in response to a New York Police Department’s request for Twitter users to share pictures of themselves posing with police officers. Occupy Wall Street protesters tweeted photographs of cops battling protesters with the caption “changing hearts and minds one baton at a time.” (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)
Discussion Questions:
Why do you think police officers are sometimes violent?
Are you concerned (especially if you may be a future police officer) about the current policing climate?
What would you do if you saw an officer hurting someone? Would you film it? Would you say something to the officer or file a report?
What kind of steps and/or policies do you think might be undertaken to correct the problem?
How might we use E. Durkheim to explain the different ways police officers relate to people?
There are multiple reasons why police officers are sometimes violent. One of them is I think police officers are violent because they feel there’s a threat and they tend to be afraid of the situation they are in and start using force such as a Taser. Another of the reasons why police officers might be violent is maybe some officers may experience mental health challenges such as PTSD due to job trauma and stress. This could lead to aggression and overreacting in stressful situations. The question I always have in my head is why police officers use violence on crimes that are minor. They should provide police officers with better training so situations like these don’t happen. There is a town in New Jersey called Wildwood where there is a lot of police violence. There was one time where there was a riot a couple of months ago. This person called the police over a shooter on the boardwalk the police came and there was a huge brawl fight with the police and some teenagers and there were shots fired leaving 13 injured and a 15-year-old stabbed. The police had to temporarily close the boardwalk in Wildwood and enforce curfews in some areas.
One reason I believe police officers are violent is because they are genuinely afraid and don’t always react the best when put in uncomfortable situations. There are also things like racial bias, lack of training, and the overall police culture that contribute to the reasons police officers are violent.
I am concerned about the current policing climate. It’s hard to feel safe when you have to question whether or not the police are really there to protect you.
If I seen an officer hurting someone I would start recording the incident. A bunch of things need to happen in order to correct the problem. Some potential solutions include: better training in de-escalation techniques and in understanding cultures; making police departments more transparent, building relationships with community groups as a means of beginning to regain trust, and accountability reforms. Also, the rise in diversity within police forces can help by lessening biases and aiding interactions with communities of diversity.
The ideas of Émile Durkheim can be used to relate police officers to people. Durkheim’s notion of collective conscience emphasizes the importance of shared values within the police force in how officers interact with the public.
I think that police officers are sometimes violent because they are trained to do and they have to act in violence if they believe they are in danger. However in most cases, they are violent because they are given the power to be violent and even if they are in the wrong, they are protected under the law which can be a reason why they are violent especially towards minorities and other races.
I do not aspire to be a police officer, but I am concerned with the current policing climate especially due to all the stress and fire that the police have to deal with and also all the brutalities and violence that is occurring to this day. More and more violence is happening and it will only get worse from here. Nothing much has changed for policing, especially not the violence.
If I saw an officer harming someone, I think intervening would make things worse but I would definitely try the best that I can do to help. I would record for evidence purposes but not before trying to get some more help and alerting other authorities. I would try to say something to cool down the situations, but it can be risky and make things worse, but I would file a report because even if the person attempted something, there is never any need for excessive violence.
I think some policies involving excessive violence need to be implemented. If an officer is accused or is violent, they need to be investigated properly and should not just get a slap on the wrist and if they are found guilty, they need to be held accountable for their actions because all of this violence needs to be stopped. I also think that police officers should get both physical and mental training and yearly evaluations because being an officer cannot be easy.
Police officers are people but they are held to a different standard. An officer’s responsibility is to serve and protect and they are constantly around a lot of conflict and violence which is not easy and can be very hard to manage both mentally and physically. In order for society to be balanced, there has to be some support towards officers because their job is difficult and their duties are supposed to be for the needs of society.
Throughout the entire article there is one central theme that is of police officers treating people unequally by using excessive and frankly unneeded force and using an implicit racial bias, especially with African American men. This racial bias by a large number of police officers all over America feeds into the constant back and forth between officers and the citizens they are supposed to protect fighting for respect from the other group. It is a constant practically never ending cycle where an officer uses an excessive amount of force on a individual who more often than not turns out to be a person of color for no needed reason, It is reported on a national scale and leads to poor public perception of the police, which leads to citizens not being cooperative with officers due to the fear of being treated unfairly as well. Which finally caps off with the officer making the choice to use excessive force because the suspects at hand tend to not cooperate. In the article it is reported from a department of justice report that eight four percent of officers have witnessed another officer using excessive force on an arrest. This is not just a single bad unit or station making awful choices and creating a bad image for a whole community of people, this issue lies deep as it is defined as a systematic level issue. At the end of the day the only way for this problem to be solved is by making sure that everyone holds themselves accountable to wrongdoing especially in cases where the perpetrator is an officer of the law.
It seems like everyday I see something on the news that shows some crime that the police have committed. Whether that is killing someone who is a different race other than white or using an excessive amount of force. Now there can be a couple reasons why officers are so violent, one is that they may be scared they might not have he qualifications to deal with the situations or mental fortitude which could cause them to lash out and resort to their weapon instead of trying to deescalate the situation they may be put in. It could also be if they are corrupt, and the higher ups tell them to target certain types of people. There are a multitude of reasons why police may be violent but overall, we cannot know the exact reason they target certain types of people. I am extremely concerned about the policing climate today. What I really want to do is go into something federal like DEA, FBI, or secret service but if that fails a police officer might be my only choice. But after reading this article, hearing stuff on the news, and talking about this in class even if everything fails, I still will not even consider becoming a police officer just because they seem to not do their jobs to the professional standard that people think they do.
The police can often be seen as violent because of some of the stuff that they tend to do. Police in the United States often get a bad rep because they are usually shown doing something violent on the news or social media. I believe the reason for police being violent sometimes is because they often get scared in situations that might be risky or sketchy. When they get scared, they often will do things that they are not supposed to. However, I do think that their intentions are to defend themselves in dangerous situations if their lives are in danger. Another reason why police might sometimes be violent is because of the lack of conditioning. Most cops nowadays are out of shape/fat. If they were chasing a suspect on foot and could not catch up, they might end up doing something violent as in shooting or hitting someone with the patrol car.
Police violence often stems from systemic issues, including racial bias and a culture of secrecy within law enforcement. The historical roots of policing, aimed at controlling marginalized groups, continue to influence contemporary practices, with disproportionate targeting of minorities. This persistent issue highlights the need for comprehensive reform, such as better training, increased transparency, and more diverse hiring practices. The ingroup/outgroup dynamics described by Tajfel suggest that officers might treat individuals differently based on perceived group membership, which can exacerbate biases and contribute to violent behavior. As a future police officer, it’s crucial to be aware of these systemic problems and advocate for change to ensure more equitable and just policing practices. If I witnessed an officer abusing someone, I would film the incident and report it to the appropriate authorities, as documenting and addressing such misconduct is vital for accountability. Policies to address these issues could include enhanced data collection on use of force, mandatory sensitivity training, and stricter oversight mechanisms. Understanding E. Durkheim’s theories on social cohesion and regulation can provide insight into how police practices reflect broader social inequalities and underscore the need for reform to align policing with the values of fairness and equality.
I think sometimes police officers are violent because of how untrained they are, making them scared so they feel like they need to either be the first to start contact or are just scared from not knowing what to do and not liking confrontation. Also, like the Stanford Prison Experiment, it is proven that having power in a cops case leads to over use of their authority. This causes violence as police think they have the right to harm people whenever and wherever.Seeing the statistics in the website that 84% of officers have seen other officers use excessive force when making an arrest. This is very bad and needs to be looked at more.I would say I am concerned about the current policing climate, not only because of the backlash they receive, but because of the actions they perform. The justice system, including police, still has roots of racism and over use of force. With over use of force, if I saw an officer hurting someone I would film. I would do this because if I intervene it could make the situation worse for the person being hurt, or can put me in a situation where I am harmed. If I record, I have proof of the citation as well with more context with the raw footage and this film can be used as a report. On this website there were many statistics that were not only very eye opening, but shocking to know were true. One of these statistics was that police officers are
This article brushes on what I think is wrong with policing today which is corruption and qualifications. To be a police officer you need 14-18 weeks of training which I think is an insane amount of time to train someone who is supposed to protect others. That is nearly not enough time to prepare someone to put them in life or death situations and put others’ lives in their hands and when they are so undertrained it’s inevitable that they will make mistakes which is where the corruption comes in. Like in the video these police officers have to fill a quota or else they are “disciplined. They are scared of their superiors that even when they are being investigated for something illegal they will stick with their brethren and not speak up. I would like to say if I ever see a police officer being overly aggressive or acting in a way they shouldn’t I would step up and record to help the victim because if not who would help say their story? There have been so many incidents where officers have turned off their body cams and were the aggressors or changed the story to make an innocent civilian the aggressor and it is thanks to bystanders who saw the interaction, recorded it, and posted it on the internet that has helped so many innocent victims
Why do you think police officers are sometimes violent?
The in-group/out-group dynamics make it easier for officers to treat those they perceive as outsiders often based on race or class more harshly. This behavior is reinforced by a police culture that encourages aggression and discourages officers from speaking out against each other.
Are you concerned (especially if you may be a future police officer) about the current policing climate?
Yes, the current policing climate is concerning, with frequent incidents of violence and misconduct. The lack of transparency, racial biases, and resistance to reform show that significant changes are needed if public trust in law enforcement is to be restored.
What would you do if you saw an officer hurting someone? Would you film it? Would you say something to the officer or file a report?
If I witnessed an officer hurting someone, I would likely film the incident from afar to have evidence of the misconduct. Depending on the situation, I might consider confronting the officer or filing a report, though I’d have to weigh the safety and potential effectiveness of those actions.
What kind of steps and/or policies do you think might be undertaken to correct the problem?
I believe reforms like mandatory college education for officers, increased hiring of women, de-escalation and sensitivity training, and transparency in data collection on police use of force are essential.
How might we use E. Durkheim to explain the different ways police officers relate to people?
Using Durkheim’s idea of social solidarity, we can see how police officers identify strongly with their group (mechanical solidarity), which can lead to treating those outside their perceived in-group differently. This group loyalty, along with their role in maintaining social control for the powerful, might explain why officers often interact with marginalized communities in a more aggressive or punitive way.
When it comes to the climate of policing, I think any human being would be concerned with where it is. The slogan that surrounds the policing profession is to protect and serve. However, they are only protecting and serving a select few, and not everyone. The first thing that pops in my head when I think about the police is brutality and violence. Police are too quick to shoot and be aggressive with people because they do not have the necessities to be successful police officers. More often than not, they either don’t have the physical or mental fitness to handle the situations that they are put in on almost a day to day basis. Personally, I would never become a police officer due to what revolves around them. It is too risky of a job for a pay that does not match it at all. Which is another problem with the climate of policing. Police officers do not make what they should be making hourly. They are doing this risky job, yet they are making as much as, if not less than, a fast food worker. Why would anyone want to be a police officer when they can make more for doing a job that requires a lot less of them? If I saw the police hurting someone I would probably record it and then file a police report. There is not much use in trying to interfere with police aggression because you are most likely going to end up in the same position. And by recording it there is visual evidence of what the officer was doing. Filing a report is good in the sense that there was some type of action taken in order to correct the officers’ behavior. But if nothing after that happened, you could go higher up and tell someone who is in charge and show the footage of the officer being unnecessarily aggressive, and there would be proof of it actually happening. There would be no he said she said. There would be solid evidence that the officer was acting out of line and the behavior needs to be changed.
There are a number of reasons that each officer will act the way they do on a day to day basis. It could be because they feel threatened from other groups, are trained wrong, or are trying to preserve a racial hierarchy that may have once existed. Police officers tend to be violent for a multitude of reasons. Most officers may think that because they have the badge that implies that they are a public servant, people will take them more seriously. However, people (particularly African Americans) who don’t see the police badge in that light will get the full wrath of police officers. Their abuse of power may include the use of excessive force as well as possibly shooting a citizen for an unjustified reason. Police officers tend to abuse their powers in particular, because they are either not good at diffusing interactions with people or they aren’t fast enough to catch up to potential suspects that run away from them. You could potentially start pointing fingers at the person who trained this officer, but this officer should know right from wrong when it comes to the power they behold. This seems to happen more and more everyday. These occurrences should scare anyone becoming a police officer in the future, because this would mean that you may get trained by someone that has abused their power due to a situation on the streets that didn’t go their way. A new police officer may have never wanted to act out on certain minority groups, but may have to in order to keep their job. This is such an unfortunate situation that I hope that no one should ever have to experience. If a police officer is trained right from the start, then we should hopefully see less and less bad cops out on our streets. That is where rookies need to learn how to act in front of all kinds of people/situations and not abuse their power as a public servant.
I personally, think police officers are sometimes violent for multiple reasons. The first reason I think of on why a police officer becomes violent would be because they are scared. We see this all the time in the criminal justice system they are scared of how someone looks right off the bat and put their hand on their gun taser etc. Which causes a bigger problem within its self. Another reason on why I think they are violent is because of the power the hold. Think just because they are a officer they can take advantage of the law and disobey what they are or maybe aren’t taught. The last reason that comes to my mind is there political views. Many things can play a part in this, how their upbringing was and maybe weren’t around people of color and around people with bad views. Which could make them believe they aren’t good people and make the officer want to target that person of color. But another view is that they purely have racist view and become violent with them just because of their relational skin color etc. Those are some reasons on why I personally think police become violent.
I think that police officers are sometimes violent because of either how they are raised or even just their strong personal beliefs that they have. When an officer has to be a quick decision while being in action they only have a few seconds and sometimes they do not always pick the right one. Going into the next question about if I saw an officer hurting someone, what would I do. I think that in that moment I would be in shock that I saw it happening right in front of me but I do believe I would be the type to film, would file a report, and even ask for information afterwards and get cruiser numbers or anything that I could at that time.Just from my personal experiences and what I have been through I believe I would be strong enough to say something and fight back to what was done or what was said. But back tracking to the situation where it does not get heated like that, I think that officers should be taken through scenarios and be trained to learn how to deesculate a situation and to talk it down instead of it getting heated. I did want to become an officer as I was a freshman in college but after learning about the justice system and just what has happened throughout the recent years I would be terrified to become a part of the academy. The current policing climate is intense and just so corrupt that if I was to put myself through that as a job I think it would corrupt me and drain me each and every day.
I think police officers are sometimes violent because of deep rooted bias they have as well as enjoying the power they have and abusing it. Police officers have many instances where they must react quickly in situations when encountering crime or a violent situation; I recently read in a study that when having to make a quick decision, an individual is more likely to make that decision based on their cognitive bias. This can result in a police officer acting violent if there are any negative biases specifically towards minorities. This also ties in to how police officers are allowed to make decisions based off of discretion resulting in use of excessive force or abuse. This can be very dangerous in the aspect of police officers misusing discretion when biases are involved. I am very concerned about the current policing climate, especially as someone who was in a previous position of wanting to be a police officer. I believe the system is just so corrupt it is going to lead to a point where there will just be an end to good people entering this job force. Working in a corrupt system with corrupt coworkers will be too draining on the ethics and morals of a good human being at the end of the day. If I were to see an officer hurting someone, I would without a doubt say something to the officer, record the situation, and ask for their badge numbers to afterwards file a report. Situations like this can be very difficult as in one aspect, I say I could intervene and I am not afraid of me being in any danger while doing this. I think it is important to clarify that we all know white privilege is very present in today’s society when it comes to police and the criminal justice system in general; so I can easily see how the response to this question may vary in regards to safety for individuals.
As someone studying trauma-informed policing, I would argue that one of the many reasons why police become so violent is due to the pent-up aggression through past and current recurring trauma. Those who interact with the justice system are shown to have experienced trauma in the past at rates greater than the general population. Moreover, police are often exposed to traumatic events while on the clock. If they cope with these events through maladaptive practices, they will likely act out more aggressively and be of further harm to those around them. Furthermore, it does not help that police culture follows the historical “tough-on-crime” approach. This idea of having to exercise aggression and force on even the most trivial crimes undoubtedly contributes to police violence. While I may not want to become a police officer, it still concerns me just how problematic the current climate is, especially regarding its connection to America’s political atmosphere. I often wonder how many people must die before we, as a society, see tangible change within the police as an institution. If I were to encounter the situation in which I was the witness to police brutality, not only would I be recording it, I would also seek out those within my proximity, and have them record and document it, Furthermore, I would confront the officer in question, make them well aware that multiple eyes have seen what they have done as well as file a formal complaint. Due to the complexity we face regarding policing in America, it would take an unfathomable amount of recourses to meaningfully improve policing as it is. With that said, however, I still remain hopeful that it can be done. The types of policies we would likely need are those that provide more authority to patrol cops and those who are actually on the ground as opposed to centralizing all the power to those further up the chain of command. In broken areas like Baltimore and McKeesport, I would strongly suggest more community-based policing methods, as police should be in line and familiar with the demands of those they serve and not above them. Another possible idea would be to strongly emphasize de-escalation among police, as that should always be of utmost importance in a situation calling for their involvement. Durkheim would likely argue that police relate to people such that they reflect the moral and societal needs and problems present within the lives of people at a given point in time. In other words, the systemic problems present in the daily life of a person may be mirrored through the actions of an officer.
Policing is undoubtedly a very hard job in today’s society but there are many flaws within policing like, unethical practices, corruption, and poor judgment. I am very concerned with the world of policing today because I feel like many police officers would rather abuse their power instead of helping the community and protecting their city. And that is a very big worry in this world. Now for example me as a white male I do not have to worry about certain things as a black male does. And that is exactly what is messed up in this world. Race is a huge issue and causes so may problems and it shouldn’t at all. If I ever happened to come across a police officer hurting someone for no reason, I would make it known. I would record it, but instead of posting it all on social media I would go to the department of whatever that officer works for, and I would raise hell within the department and make sure this issue would get fixed before I show it to the world. I feel like if you made sure you held them accountable, they would try to be better human beings. Don’t get me wrong, there are tons of good officers in this world. But those few bad officers, we need to eliminate and make sure they are held accountable.
Personally, I feel like officers are sometimes violent because they are given the opportunity to be without much consequence. Part of their job description gives them the ability to use force on those who commit crimes. However, police all the time abuse their power and feel that it is right to take their anger and power out on the innocent. It is crazy to think that the men and women who put on the uniform each day and sworn to protect us have become our enemies instead. To make the situation even scarier, non-white people are the main target for officers. As much effort we put in to make the system realize this treatment, nothing is ever going to be done. This makes me extremely concerned about the current policing climate whether I become an officer or not.
If I saw an officer hurting an innocent human being, I would do my best to intervene and try to get others around to do the same. I would also consider filing a report so that a situation like that can be recognized heading towards the future. To fix this problem, I agree with the article. If the system realized what was working compared to what was not, such as having officers attend college or the addition of female officers, then maybe the system could be corrected. More training should also be considered when solving the problem.
As we see all over the media world, police are a handful. The police brutality has been at such a high and low its so hard to keep track of. In this website post they went over a variety of non-talked about subject. Police officers can be seen being some of the most aggressive. Especially most police officers aren’t as trained and just simply scared. This may cause officers to resort to their guns first, rather then just using their minds. As wanting to become a police officer its scary knowing how the police act and the environment that’s created by those ways. It makes me feel threatened because no one can trust a police officer, let alone feel safe with them around. I strongly believe that being a cop will not take away the kind and helpful person I truly am. I will speak up for the innocent, have the communities back exactly like the job is supposed to do. Lack of training and negative policies with policing is absurd. It’s all about numbers unfortunately. The system should be more about progression and bonding with whatever community in the United States of America. Applying focused groups between communities and police can work toward strengthening the bond between that broken relationship. Police should have less responsibilities when it came to certain calls unless they are truly needed. Education should not be optional; it should be mandatory. This article could definitely be an eye opener to future police officers and a statement for what should happen and what shouldn’t happen
I feel as if police officers can be violent for a few reasons like fear, police culture and quick judgment. I feel as if violence is the first act they jump to instead of trying to talk things out and be civil when it comes to them making a quick judgment and racial profiling. On the other hand, some of these police officers work in places that are prone to violence and it is the only option they have because they might be fearing for their lives or they could have someone using force against them. Another big problem they might have been they are letting their job title get to their head and they feel as if they have more authority then they actually do causing them to over step boundaries. However, I do not feel as if all police officers should be looked at like this, most things officers do are not done to make people look at police as the bad guys it is the act they have to do during certain situations.
Violence in policing is not a newly problem in the world. It has been a ongoing concern for years and years. It is scary to hear the statistic; 84% of police officers have witnessed other officers using excessive force while making an arrest. I feel the key reasoning behind this amount of violence by police officers is based on their past experiences from early childhood, all the way to now. If a police officer faced childhood trauma like abuse, the outcome is they could turn into an abuser. Also, some police feel they have the power to do what they desire because of the badge on their uniform. I am concerned about the current policing climate because of how corrupt it is. A future police officer could be going in with the attention they want to create change, but end up being dragged into the corruption because of the officers superior to them. If you are new and report another officer doing something unlawful, what are the chances you will be believed? If I saw an officer hurting someone, I would record it. If I just made a report with no evidence, I feel it wouldn’t even be looked at. Educating officers and advanced training I feel could be a good way to prevent excessive force. Knowing how to de-escalate a situation without needing to pull out a gun is needed. Holding other officers accountable for their wrongful actions is necessary to prevent them from doing more unlawful things. Using E. Durkheim will help more people come to the realization that police officers are humane. Not all officers are evil, but the ones that are need to be held accountable for their actions.
I think one of the biggest problems with the police is that they have too much power. They are people who are supposed to be in charge of protecting us and making the place where we live a safe place. However, they are untouchable people because if something happens that affects them, the common citizen loses out. According to the article, 84% of police officers use excessive force, this leaves us with 16% who do not use force unnecessarily. It is troubling and even more so when much of the police violence is directed at black people, people are suffering racism from the police. People see police officers as the law when the reality is that they are servants of the law and are supposed to follow and comply with it. They are people meant to protect but they do whatever they want because they see themselves as the law.
I think the police are violent on many occasions. However, I think this behavior goes back many years. When black people were still seen as inferior. The police were charged with “protecting” white people from what they considered a threat. Although a lot of time has passed since then and things have been changing, I think the police have not been able to get out of that habit where could be aggressive with minorities because nothing would happen. So they have been dragging that aggressive behavior and it has been passed on to the new police. Since these adopt the attitudes of what they are seeing in their first years and if they see the use of violence as a sign of power they will use it too.
Why are police like this? Police officers are supposed to be available to help anyone in need, so why do they become violent when we need them most? According to the article, 84% of police officers have witnessed other officers using excessive force while making an arrest. That is quite alarming. I think that police officers occasionally employ violence because they are trained to put an end to violent situations, and when they do, they unfortunately turn violent. Additionally, I think that some police officers have unresolved childhood trauma related to abuse that leads them to act violently toward others. I am concerned to see what’s going to happen to people pursing their career of being an officer. If fresh recruits to the police force are going to be the new light shining to something positive or if they’re going into the darkness of getting sucked into the corrupt environment’s cycle, that is a question that needs to be answered. The first thing I would do if I witnessed a cop acting violently is to record the incident for future evidence before filing the report. Just submitting a report seems like it wouldn’t be sufficient. Having solid proof would be essential to disciplining and holding the officer accountable since it might be so simple for the system to brush it under the rug. The first approach in addressing this issue is to update training, which may include that officers enroll in college. According to research, police officers with college degrees are less violent and less likely to use excessive force. I believe these two solutions out of many can start us off somewhere. E Durkheim explains the different ways that police officers relate to people. I believe that if they took the time to research and are willing to learn they might learn a lesson from it.
“Why do you think the police are violent sometimes”
While personally there are many reasons why police offers get violent when not necessary is due to many different reasons that sometimes underly with each other and sometimes differ. As we saw stated by the Department of Justice around 84% of police officers use excessive force, which means only 16% don’t use force that is unnecessary. And that’s even before who is mainly targeted by these officers. So before we go into the problem of racism in policing will just talk about the sheer fact about the abuse in general, which without a argument shows the police tend to be violent without reason. A common misconception about the police is that they’re “the law” when in actuality they are servants of the law who are supposed to be following the law just as everyone else because they are meant to protect the principals which they fail to actually learn so when someone who is a civilian knows more about the law than those sworn to protect and enforce its, they tend to get hostile as we’ve seen. Now will just touch on the basic of racism which I won’t go to detailed in since my last two posts were aimed at the Institutional racism that many police organizations have. It has been well documented the officers who are in command have been found with close ties of the terriost group the Klu Klax Klan (KKK), and people don’t understand why people say the police are embedded in racist and oppressive policing to poor and minority groups especially Black Americans than they are part of the issue that gives those current officers their positions.
Are you concerned (especially if you may be a future police officer) about the current policing climate?
I am concerned about the current policing climate as someone pursuing a career in law enforcement. With the statistic of 84% of officers using excessive force, it might be appropriated within the realm of policing. I believe it calls for education and training reform in policing because this riveting fact surprises the reader and forms distrust. Tribal group loyalty brings in the bending of the law to benefit fraternity, which corrupts the crimj system and permits more misconduct to occur. This in combination with labeling, hostility, distrust, etc does not strengthen the relationship between the public and police in general. The division of similar classes drives them apart. The public and police share common ground as generally working-class people. Division formulates negative perceptions, which help dictate decisions in certain situations. I believe this is related to excessive force and distrust, as well. As highlighted in the final paragraph of the article, policing is not catching criminals. It is evolving into controlling public order, outcomes based on negative perception, and distrust. Branching on division is accountability. If the negative performance of law enforcement is not acknowledged and accounted for, how is revision and restoration of trust with the public possible? Revision is needed more than ever with headlines of police brutality flooding the news frequently, further pushing trust away between police and the public.
Indeed, much of the public rhetoric around “good cops” vs. “bad cops,” which is related to calls to “defund” the police resorts to classic binary oppositions, which can be emotionally satisfying for many people, but the problem is that it never gets you closer to solving problems. Fixing things requires a more nuanced approach. It won’t be easy. But everyone must commit to a comprehensive approach to problem solving.
Why do you think police officers are sometimes violent?
– Unfortunetely, it comes with the job. Police officers are called to de-esculate violent situations, which could turn them violent. Some police officers are also just naturtally violent. It also plays into their views and beliefs in life as well.
Are you concerned (especially if you may be a future police officer) about the current policing climate?
– Honestly, yes. I feel as though the number of police officers will slowly decrease over the course of years due to the bad reputation surrounding the job title.
What would you do if you saw an officer hurting someone? Would you film it? Would you say something to the officer or file a report?
– I would immediately pull out my phone to record, as well as try and talk the officer out of whatever he is doing that is hurtful, as well as filing a report.
What kind of steps and/or policies do you think might be undertaken to correct the problem?
– I feel like police officers lack in the education field and need to attend college as well as more training in the academy.
How might we use E. Durkheim to explain the different ways police officers relate to people?
– We could use Durkheim to say police officers are people too. Not all cops are good, but not all are bad. Their job doesn’t define them as a person, although their morals do.
I believe that police officers can react and base their policing off their own biases and morals. Regardless of their training and education, if they have to be exposed to certain things or were not exposed to it growing up, or even their own family ways of what they learned through them, it may be difficult to separate that. It is an issue that we have seen across many and that is hard to address and change. If they heard from people in first account of how discrimination and prejudice has effected them and loved ones to those that have personal biases, this may help change their mindset and really understand what issues ally within them and want to change. You can teach them stuff from the textbook, but hearing it from people first hand of experiences and hardships, this could help people understand better. And if not, then they should not be a officer because they truly do not care about people and their wellbeing. Police brutality and the prejudice we have seen needs to end and we have to do whatever we can to get the message across. Along with this, officers need to be held accountable for those actions that should be a zero tolerance.
1. I believe sometimes officers are violent for a couple of reasons. The first reason would because it comes with the nature of the job unfortunately. There are times officers are attacked, have to breakup fights, and sometimes they just must use a form of violence to end a problem at hand. I do believe however violence should only be used when necessary if the officer life is in danger or they are protecting someone else life. That is not always the case, but I do not know what it is like to be a police officer yet currently. However, coming from a law enforcement family police officers, it seems to myself just are walking targets, not because of what they might of done but how to media portrays them.
2. I am concerned when I purse my career in policing what it is going to be like. It makes you wonder is anyone going to be on your side. Police officers are so hated today and who knows how bad it will be in 10 years from now. Anther big question is what kind of situation my family would be in. Who knows if police soon will still even be able to perform their jobs to the fullest with the new direction of this country?
Why do you think police officers are sometimes violent?
– I think police officers are sometimes violent because due to protection to themselves if the suspect they have in hand is not cooperating then that allows the police to be violent on them and get aggressive because the police office gives them a warning to do what they are being told but once that doesn’t go that way them the officers has no other choice but to use their force.
Are you concerned (especially if you may be a future police officer) about the current policing climate?
– Yes I am concern because now today the respect for officers is hard because of all the news and videos that have been out in the world today.
What would you do if you saw an officer hurting someone? Would you film it? Would you say something to the officer or file a report?
– I would most likely yell but if the situation is getting serious where the officer is hurting the person where the person is going unconscious then that’s where I have the right to video tape the scene. I would still yell and question the officer to let them go and stop hurting them.
What kind of steps and/or policies do you think might be undertaken to correct the problem?
– Better training showing them a better training that’ll be good for them and possibly the person they are arresting. I think a train course things can change but also it needs help from the citizens also.
How might we use E. Durkheim to explain the different ways police officers relate to people?
– If officers look more into Durkheim I think it’ll help them learn more stuff.
I feel that police officers are sometimes violent towards people who are different than them. If someone is different than them, doesn’t act the same way or doesn’t dress the same way then it could possibly scare them. If a police officer gets scared, then the only way he knows how to react to that emotion could be violence. Not all police officers respond to fear with violence, but the ones you see in the videos regarding police brutality, it could be that they were responding that way due to fear. I do not plan on becoming a future police officer, but the current policing climate does concern me. After all the riots that happened this previous year, the Black Lives Matter movement, the police were painted to be the “bad guys” in those situations. All police mean to do is protect the communities they serve, but it is their actions and how they handle certain situations that has made majority of the public turns its back on them. If I were to see an officer hurting someone, I would film it. I would film it so people can see what started that situation. Often times when you see videos online of a police officer hurting someone, that is all you see, you don’t see what got the situation to that point. If I knew the police officer was wrong and was beating someone to an unjustifiable extent, then I would report it because that police officer should not be able to get away with that. I feel the kind of steps and/or policies that need to be taken to correct this problem is to try and find the corrupt cops and take action against them.
1.I think officers may be violent sometimes out of fear, jumping to conclusions, judgement and police culture . It seems like violence is their immediate reaction because they judge people and form opinions based on appearance . Can we blame them after working in the type of field they work in ? Sometimes I feel like the brotherhood may be stronger than doing the right thing. They may be criticized if they speak out against a fellow officer who is using too much force .
2.Yes I am concerned because citizens and the police cannot seem to get along these days . I might not even get the benefit of the doubt or respect from people because of how they feel like all police officers behave.
3.I would yell and question the police officer, in order to draw the public’s attention to the officer. I believe that if someone isn’t a current physical threat, the police do not have the right to harm them! Why hurt someone you can throw in some cuffs ? I would pull out my phone and go live because that is what got George Floyd justice, if no one had recorded Dereck chauvin and posted it for the world to see, it would have been hard to believe what those officers did. I doubt filling a report would do as much damage as putting the officers on blast .
4.It would force them to watch how they act . Also providing adequate training , showing them other ways before having to resolve to violence. Focus on hiring officers that want peace
I believe officers should actually learn about Durkheim’s research , they might get something out of it and actually learn from it .
I believe that sometimes police officers would get violent. Because they are all normal people, and sometimes we just would be upset. Particularly they are in a high stressed job, and it depends on how they feel that day, maybe also because of their perspective toward different racial and different culture.
I think the policing climate today has some issues that needs to be fixed. Right now, policing officers are being feared and hated by the civilians, but they should be as a hero to us. Also, sometimes they are biased to some cultures.
1.It is all based off of how they are feeling that day, how you act towards them, what that scenario is at the time. there are a lot of different scenarios
2. The policing climate today is horrible kids are supposed to run to officers not run away from them in terror. the policing climate in the future will get worse I think till an uprising happens and things will change
3. I would definitely film it. as you have to trust the officer as he is the law but if he was wrong and there is always proof that he did it.
4. You would have to do an extensive background check and a bunch of psychology tests to make sure they are completely sane.
Why do you think police officers are sometimes violent?
I believe police officers are sometimes violent for a couple reasons. Some police officers work in neighborhoods that are very prone to violence. These police officers may always be fearing for their lives and any wrong move during an encounter could spell trouble to them. This is just a fact of human nature, you will defend yourself from any perceived threat and with guns so ingrained in society, police can never be too sure. Another reason, is that yes, some police officers do let the power of the job go to their heads. They overstep their power when they use unwarranted force on somebody, and those people must be removed from the police force immediately because that is not the common officer. Police nowadays are made to look like racist aggressors in every situation, and that is simply not true. Many specific cases are brought up and used as an example of the “police problem” when in reality the facts would tell a different story. However, facts do not always give you the intended response you seek. I believe police are violent only when they have to be in scenarios that they fear for their lives from an uncooperative suspect, and when they are genuinely bad police officers who deserve to be removed from the force.
I’m very concerned with the current policing climate. Police officers are being feared and hated instead of honored as heroes. Police culture systematically discriminates African American people and the police officers who disagree with this culture remain silent in fear of damaging their careers. I think the violent behavior of police officers comes from the stress, disrespect from communities, and from the overall “us versus them” mentality that is present in the current day police culture. A shift away from drugs and to community policing might be the first step towards changing the current policing climate. We need police officers that are more focused on keeping the peace and resolving disputes instead of arresting people for anything possible to reach a quota.
I believe there is a huge problem within policing. But, I also believe that people’s actions in today’s society is the reason officers act the way they do. Most things officers do are not done to make people look at police as bad people it is the act they have to act upon due to certain situations. Growing up I always tended to be around a lot of officers being as though I have 2 aunts who are now retired officers. I never really understood why most people didn’t like officers but the older I got I started to understand. The video opened my eyes to a lot of things about the policing world. I personally feel as if policing has not changed it has been the same since years ago in slavery. People often says that police react the way they do because they are under a lot of stress from the job. But, stress does not mean kill people , lock people up , assault people if they are not wrong. Most of the time it’s the people in the society who’s actions causes police to react the way they do. I feel as if most violence officers do is cause by some fear. Officers sometimes become officers because they were bullied when the were younger and feel as if wearing a badge will stop anything from happening to you but, that is not the case. Officers pinpoint African American men as a threat due to some research. African Americans are now speaking up more on the violence and how they aware being treated and says this is why it is hard to put odds up against officers. In order to change policing you have to change the society . People has to change the things they do and how they do and sit back and think , maybe if I wasn’t doing the things I’m doing I wouldn’t have to interacted with a officer.
I do think that there is a problem in the world of policing. I also think that these issues will continue and will never go away. The police now have to deal with a lot, especially with the advancement of technology. Their jobs come with a lot of stress due to many environmental factors. One big factor is the respect of police officers going down. With the advancement of technology and social media, every citizen has access to see any injustice that the police deploy in their job. If police use excessive force, or just any force that is not necessary, the world will see that and the respect of police officers can go down. With police losing respect, the police could have stress and fear what will happen to them when going into scary situations, so it may result in the police acting out of the ordinary and use excessive force or do something that is violating someone’s rights.
I believe that sometimes the police get violent, first of all, due to the stress of the job. I think all of that pent up stress is being caused by the anxiety of a physically, dangerous environment and/or a quota set by the officer’s higher ups. Secondly, I think another reason for police violence is due to fear. Fear planted in them from the worst of the worst stories that have been told to them by someone or another, being in an area with a bad reputation, being in an area that is not fond of police, or having a horrible experience first hand on the job. Fear can be bred from a plethora places and be instilled in the human mind so easily. When fear gets to you, it can drastically skew your choices and perception. I believe that this can lead to violent situations. Where in the heat of the moment, officers use a drastic measure to deal with this not so drastic situation.
If I were to ever encounter an instance of a violent situation caused by one of these things,I hope that I would have the guts to do something about it. I cannot day for sure what I would do in that scenario though, Whatever I would do, I hope that I would not look out only for myself.
As someone who could very well be a police officer one day, all of this fear and uncertainty does concern me. I am, however, even more concerned about meeting a possible quota as an officer. A quota for arrests for someone who is supposed to be making the community more peaceful is jarring to me. That seems so backwards. To go out looking for minor infractions of the law, because I doubt that there is enough serious crime to arrest people for in one area, to make a quota seems like it will simply make people dislike you even more as an authoritative figure in a community. I think that it could be very beneficial to the officer and the community to drop quotas for police officers. Perhaps if that was a policy, to get rid of quotas for the officers, then things would start to look better.
I feel like there are a lot of issues within police departments first off there is a lack of communication between communities and police officers some police officers are stuck in there old ways and don’t want to adapt to the newly found diversity that seems to grow stronger everyday. when people tend to speak up and try to get their point across I feel like maybe police officers feel disrespected because they go through training and the academy to become officers and maybe they think that invites them to have complete power over people because to an extant they do have power but there are police officers who take having power to the next level as a way to keep power and their status. I think that with our given history police officers see African American men as a threat. African Americans are speaking up more about how are they are being treated and how society is making it hard for them by putting the odds against them because they rant white. Trying to change society for the better is not on the top of everyone who has a status or has powers list because it puts them at risk to in their minds lose everything. its upsetting to know that things will probably never change because there has to be a neutral respect between communities and police officers and in some places there is but in most places there isn’t. I am concerned about becoming a African American female police officer it frankly scares me I am putting my life on the line for people who probably won’t respect me but its what drives me to want to be a cop. if I saw a police officer being inappropriate I would record it and probably go get some help without putting myself in the cross fire I would file a report somebody has to fight for those who can not or are afraid too.
I think that there are a lot of different issues that play apart in what is going wrong in policing today. I believe it takes one bad cop making a bad decision to change the way the public and community view all cops. I believe especially recently a lot of citizens do not respect cops, which leads to a lot of problems. Since people do not respect cops like they used to, I believe it causes police to act more defensive because they are defending not only the community and laws, but their own life also. I believe stress is a major component to policing issues. Police are on edge more then ever while doing their jobs. I believe that since cops are feeling more stress, they are more likely to over react during criminal situations. I believe that all of these policing issues are currently a revolving circle, which is only going to get worse, before it gets better if things do not change within our society.
I would have to admit. We have a SERIOUS problem with police in modern America. Alot of them are full of resentment towards the community they swear to love/protect. I lost all respect for police about a year ago. I suppose I am an outlier as I am a middle class white man that 1.Gets harasses by police more than usual. 2. Does not like them. I see them and I walk the other way immediately. Now,I am really against the idea that making you a “victim” of a crime makes you any more knowledgeable about policy or the society sourounding the incident. However, a victim still has a right to an opinion. One year ago,some big bag son of a gun ran up behind me in downtown Pittsburgh, hit me over the head and pepper sprayed me. I was lucky enough to ran away from this evil person. I then called the police. They ask me what happened…then claimed I was drunk. I had ZERO alcohol that entire week and belive booze is a huge waste of money so I never drink. They then said “Well,what do you want US to do about it?” This was said in a nasty tone,I was a nuisance. I did my own work,I tracked down the bar near where he attacked me,I found a friend of his. I got this bastards information. I was filled with rage,confusion. I was attacked and the police don’t care…then I saw this guys Facebook page. “just got stopped for carrying my ar-15 home. Zone 3 knows it is just a Tuesday for me”. Along with ALOT of police hating posts. Three days after he attacked me,he died in his crappy apartment in Mkeesport of a drug overdose. Before this,I have had bad run ins with police as well. I would say that I understand police are just doing their job…but they didn’t do it with me. I was not protected or saved. Now,no doubt in my mind that if I was a person of color,they would have just shot me. Change has to start at the top of the totem pole,these people are not being trained right. They want to shot first and ask questions never. I can sort of see my “white shield” at work here though,guess I should be grateful? Police ARE racially biased. But, they are nasty to EVERYONE. I belive it is just that white folks are less likely to be killed by them. P.S. I am a little bit heated as I’m writing this but,I feel it would be dishonest to disregard these thoughts as they pass though my head, maybe putting them in a post will be therapeutic.
Thanks for sharing this!
With the age of technology many acts of police brutality are now being filmed and broadcasted on many social network platforms. This has raised many concerns, one being why are police officers sometimes violent? I think police officers are sometimes violent because they feel their life may be in danger and will do anything to protect themselves, which is understandable. Other reasons may be lack of training, abuse of authority/power, and in-group/outgroup social dynamics as explained in the article. With this current policing climate I would say I am concerned. However I think policing can improve in the future. Many police departments are now hiring college educated officers which comes with a lot of benefits such as stronger communication skills. Now, if I were to ever see an officer hurting someone I would record it and post it on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. This will help spread the injustice that happened and bring about awareness. In order to minimize police violence in the future I think new training programs need to be implemented. Also police departments need to minimize the gap between officers and the community. Community policing needs to be stressed and utilized more. Also I think placing black police officers in black dominated neighborhoods can be beneficial, because it can lead to less discrimination and profiling.
I understand that police officers have extremely dangerous jobs but constantly being violent is not the solution. Officers have various different reasons on why they are violent, such as racism, white privilege, fear, and ignorance. Certain officers wait for the opportunity to reveal their hidden racism towards African Americans. Some officers approach situations with ignorance; They do not fully access the situation before reacting, and that is when young African American men are incarcerated or even dead. Not to mention the fact that the cops that are approaching these situations with ignorance and racist intentions are majority white, and I believe that them cops know that their “white privilege” will help them get over on the justice system (e.g. George Zimmerman). The last reason “fear” is a very important factor when discussing why police are violent, because at that point they are playing victim. I have developed my train of thinking by knowing the reality of current and past incidents with police. Every young man or woman that has died when they came in contact with a police officer, the officer has always stated “I felt that my life was in danger” and how is it that all these police have the same reasoning for their wrong doing? The reality of it is that these cops do not fear us African Americans. They only scream fear when they know they had racist intentions from the beginning. So yes I am concerned about the current police climate, because no matter what changes throughout the system I will always be a target because I am black.
Police officers are only sometimes violent, both in situations where it is warranted and in situations where it is not. But the idea that violent policing is the norm, (as it was described in the video by Wood) is simply false, and Baltimore cannot be used as a viable representation for the rest of the country’s police officers.
I am generally concerned about the current climate surrounding police since I plan on becoming one, but I am more concerned for the individual officers than anyone else. Lately it seems that police are being demonized as a whole over incidents performed by individual officers and killings of officers are on the rise.
If I saw an officer(s) hurting someone I may file a report or record it depending on the level of force being used on the suspect. If the resistance by the suspect is significant then obviously the officer must resort to a higher level of force. But if there is no resistance by the suspect then there should be no significant use of force by the officer, an exception would provoke action by me.
Well, as far as policies go, I would ban quotas in all departments, as they seem to be the cause of most of the issues presented in the video. What is confusing to me, however, is the fact that in Baltimore, which has a mostly minority police force, with a mostly black city council, and a black mayor, would put forward or promote or continue enforcement practices that promote race based discriminatory policing, (based on the video account by the officer).
One of the ways we might use Durkheim’s ideas to describe police relations with the public is through the us vs them mentality, which is a natural response to the practices promoted by modern policing, which is to view everyone as a possible threat, and to be on edge at all times. Obviously, if you cannot trust the public, the only people to trust would be other officers, since ultimately they are the ones you must impress and who’s quotas you must fill.
I believe for general purposes you have to adapt to your environment, as police officers they deal with violent encounters and other possible threats. I think that this idea has created a pressure throughout the criminal justice system to base enforcement around strength rather than communicative. This has, in my opinion, met resistance from some of the public who believe law enforcement has targeted them specifically. As a criminal justice student, I am hesitant to approach policing in this current anti-authority climate because there is so much negative tensions with police officers. However, I do not think that the fault belongs to individual officers, I blame policies that force law enforcement officers to become involved in far too many responsibilities that reach far beyond just supporting safety in their communities. The necessary steps needed to improve community-police relationships start with policy and training. In our current era police officers are in the business of social science, therefore they should have higher levels of education in order to effectively communicate and improve judgment. Finally, as mentioned previously, the criminal justice system needs improving especially with mission goals and philosophies. Far too many responsibilities have fallen on the shoulders of police officers which puts them in a vulnerable position when they are unable to accomplish such unattainable goals.
I believe police officers are sometimes violent due to high stress levels. Being in law enforcement has very high stress levels due to continuous work schedule changes, long shift hours, and ultimately life and death scenarios an average person never has to deal with. When you mix stress levels with participants who disrespect and are uncooperative this may lead to law enforcement officers to use more violent. Police officers today are disrespected and treated like they are the bad guys. I would like to go into the law enforcement field so I am ultimately concerned about the current policing climate. When I tell people who are already in a stable career about my interests in law enforcement they are generally scared for me. They tell me things that they only see on social media. A true public service member should not care about social media. I genuinely love helping people. I also do like to obeyed by the laws that were made. Even though I am concerned with the current policing climate that does the opposite effect on my compared to others. I am more compelled to get into the law enforcement career field. In my honest opinion, I would need to observe the event in more detail. What I mean by this is that if I can see the officer is struggling then I would help him or her. If I saw an officer physically abusing an individual who clearly isn’t doing anything wrong I may say something. I am not the type of person to just bring out my phone and start recording. I have two generalized ideas that should be changed in our current policy. To reduce the imprisonment rate I believe we should focus more on rehabilitation than incarceration. I also believe that law enforcement officers should not be blamed for arresting individuals who committed the crime. Law makers create rules, polices, and regulations. Law enforcement officers do not create these rules. They simply in force them. We might use E. Durkheim to explain different ways police officer relate to people because he focused on social norms. It is a possibility that law enforcement officers are not only protecting their community, but they possibly may be regulating the the social normality of our society.
Police officers are often times violent because of hidden racism, prejudices, and white privilege that most police officers have. Based off of previous rules and regulations put in place during the Nixon and Reagan era such as the war on drugs, African Americans and the poor have been targeted stripped of their rights and freedom in a way to express power.
I’m concerned for the future of the police climate because I’m an African American who wants to join the force to help make a difference in my community. I’m afraid that if I do decide to patrol my local community that I may become a target of other police departments Not because I’m a police officer, but because I’m an educated African American who can challenge the system from the inside to make a change.
Because I’m all about public safety for all, I would interfere if I saw an officer hurting someone by recording and reporting to the higher authorities about the police officers actions. Simply because if someone has a job/duty to protect and serve, why would you harm them?
In my opinion, I believe that the 13th amendment should be adjusted. The 13th amendment indicates that slavery is abolished, but you can be placed back into modern day slavery if you were to commit a crime. Rights to vote, getting a home, and jobs are all stripped away from people. Stripping people of these basic rights is like slavery. Look at the mass incarceration. It was an attempt the lock up as many people as possible for profit. Locking people up is a way to make people work for their freedom(Peonage). This in an issue because prisoners are stuck with a stigma that is nearly impossible escape from.
We can utilize E. Durkheim’s theory on how police officers relate to people depending on their social economic status and their social standing in their society. Police officers who work in the suburbs tend to be less aggressive in comparison to more urbanized areas simply because of the amount of the economic difference between the two neighboring locations .
I would say police officers are violent because of the stress of their job. On a daily basis they are put into situations where they have to react and their reactions can sometimes mean life and death for them. Now this isn’t the job 100% of the time and his could count for when a officer apply force to a situation that may not require it. That being said, yes I am concerned for the current policing climate. I am concerned because the job seems to turn individuals into profiling, violent, people and that scares me because I do not want to become that. I don’t think all police officers are that way necessarily but that is certainly a potential outcome if one enters that field. If I were to witness someone being harassed by a police officer and if that officer used excessive force and I could identify that it was in fact excessive I would report it to the authorities and go through the proper channels. If I were to film it and threaten the officer I could be putting myself in harms way because who know what the officers would do to me. The last thing I want is to be charged with a crime I didn’t do. Body cams on the officers could help cut back on police brutality and a policy that required officers to wear them anytime they went on a call could help keep officers from apply excessive force. Durkheim states that we need criminals and that police officers are a moral agency. We could look to Durkheim to understand why police officers are necessary and why they might take the law into their own hands at time. They (police officers) could see themselves as the judge and jury.
In the article “what’s going on in policing” I agree that some police officers do form a sort of separation with the people of the community which in turns create this bias perspective that police officers have “majority people on the streets are criminals, so we should treat them as such”. With that being said. What this is creating is a system where Police officers are scared for their lives and civilians don’t trust police officers. We seeing situations where police officers are brutally attacking civilians in some cases for no reason. This type of behavior is already is causing an outcry for police to look at procedures on training officers and to see what they can do differently so Brutality on community can Be minimized.. Honestly like in all fields occupations it’s always a select few of people to ruin a system. It may not be all police officers attacking civilians for no reason, or just jumping into a situations without a level head. however because of Those officers who are considered bad apples. They are the ones who is going to bring this system down.they are the ones who are shining a light on a train Procedures that take place to become a police officer’s. Taking a look at training procedures that police officers have to go through May be a good idea.
I am very worried about the actions of some officers and the power hungry law enforcement. I feel as if that the current problem within the police forces are just over policing and just being all around aggressive. Police officers are sometimes violence because they get to see all the negative side to our communities and I believe that start to effect the officers mentally. If I saw any officer being aggressive or harassing an individual I would call the public safety committee and report the officer by his badge number. These acts towards the citizens in this country are very inappropriate and need to stop. There can be multiple steps in stopping these cops from harassing people by having a body camera that doesn’t shut off and can’t be controlled by the officer. The correct was of fixing the problem is to go to the source which is the departments themselves and demand polices to be changed.
Police officers have a lot going on in their mind mentally. They have several things going on with their lives. Their work lives are different. The work hours a different. Police officers work several different schedules. The police officers go out in the world every day and wonder if they are going to come home that day. It is a very dangerous job. My cousin who is in her later twenties graduated from police academy in Baltimore right before the riots happened in Baltimore. A few months after graduating the riots start to happen and she was in the middle of everything going on. I then graduated high school and she came to my grad party and her, my dad and I were outside of the house just talking and just hearing about all the stress that things like that gave her showed me that maybe policing isn’t the right job for me. I knew id be able to find something different in the criminal justice system. She eventually went and got a different job in the criminal justice system. Seeing some of the videos of police beating and shooting people is crazy. I could see if their life was on the line but a 50 year old man should have not tased an 11 year old girl. His life was not in danger he could of easily got the girl with no problem. I seen another video of a man walking out of a gas station and the cop starts shooting him. Its not fair to the people getting hurt. Police officers I think feel they can do whatever they want because of their authority.
I have seen a lot of aggression and power hunger in all law enforcement jobs. I am a very sympathetic person, so when it comes to the idea of me being involved with law enforcement I know I could never do anything to harm anyone. The stand ford prison experiment has really shown me that most people can change extremely fast when they are given a role with power. Watching those men treat their class mates the way they did in just a few days makes me understand that if your in the job of policing it can be so easy to lose yourself because of the power your given. I think the issue that we don’t cover is the fact that we don’t show emotion. Police are told you have to be tough you can’t get attached but that cuts off their humanity. If they were told to be distant but still sympathize I honestly believe police brutality would go down.
There are clearly many problems with our current law enforcement system. Police are asked to have the weight of the world on their shoulders. The job pressure itself is enough to stress out even the best police officer. They know they cannot make one mistake for fear of repercussions or worse. This makes decision making tough even with their training. They work very long tough hours, and risk their lives every time they walk out of their home. As the Baltimore cop stated, it is a horrible city to work for. Contempt broods within the work force. They have shitty equipment and shitty headquarters.
Police and the African American community is an entire problem within the system. What I got from the video is that, at least in Baltimore, the police have an us vs the, mentality, as does the community they are sworn to protect. They are trained to be violent and the brotherhood of police can be a toxic environment. The police wield the badge and all the authority, so it’s natural that they exert this authority over a group of people society as deemed the enemy. There are honestly too many problems to discuss. Should police wear body cameras? How much justice should police be forced to face for the killing of civilians. How do we deal with excessive force or control it. I think with the help of social media police are getting more attention than ever before and people are sick of the mistakes being made.
The title couldn’t be a better question for today’s world. To start off, i loved watching the video on the former Baltimore police officer. For starters, Wood was totally unfiltered and mentioned how terrible the officers are treated along with in turn how the officers treat their citizens. Its crazy how a former cop can come out and admit how wrong these cops are. It doesn’t even stop with the cops, it goes all the way up to the station and even the county itself. The cops are favored every time and the citizens are just viewed as a statistic. Its baffling how the cops are not supposed to be talking to the citizens and “wasting” time when they could be getting “statistics.” Also, staying along similar lines here, police are afraid and they get aggressive and thus leading to all these videos that turn up every day on social media of a police officer or officers beating a man or woman for no reason. The only reason is they are mad and afraid. Police need to learn how to control that anger on the job. Peoples lives are at stake everyday. Punting someone in the face or blasting someone with your fist doesn’t send a positive view of police and thus creating more fear into the citizens. When someone runs away they are trying to avoid jail because they know how skewed the criminal justice system has become as to where the smallest misdemeanor can be tweaked into a felony and then turned into jail time. The other reason they run is because they are afraid they will be beaten and they are trying to avoid having their face scrapped against the ground or being beaten to a pulp. When a cop is afraid and they release that on a citizen, that citizen then becomes afraid. The fear is transferable from cop to citizen. Police need to become more community friendly and take that fear away and work together to solve problems and not continuously locking people up. This all comes back to the subject of targeting black and poor people. Its easy for cops to meet their quotas and raising their statistics when they can just pull over and with the smallest of small reasons they can put them in handcuffs and ride them off to serve unnecessary time. In today’s world, police are so focused on one side of the spectrum and not the whole picture. All these county’s and departments care about are their numbers and how high they can get them. The community aspect of policing is gone and no one in power seems to care.
I am very concerned about the current police climate. The police get zero respect from civilians because some civilians view police as the “bad guys.” Often when someone encounters the police they get a little scared or worried about being approached (e.g., ticket, questioned, etc.). Every encounter that I have had with an officer has been negative or pointless and they made me feel as if they care less about serving and protecting and more about quota. They never helped me once when I asked for assistance. On a couple of occasions when I called the police for help about some issues, they blamed me saying, “this wouldn’t have happened for no reason . . . .” Blaming a victim of a crime very unprofessional. Also, I saw firsthand racial profiling and racism within a police department. How is an officer going to “protect and serve” if they can’t treat everyone equally? The way policing works now is if the police see someone with drugs it is an automatic arrest putting more people are in jail for nonviolent crimes while serious crimes go unsolved. I think that officers need a lot more training on nonviolent solutions and less aggressive approaches to their encounters with civilians. I also feel that police violence is out of control because police are not held accountable for their actions.
Police officers are violent because of the stress of working this dangerous job. My uncle has been a police officer for about 15 years now, and he 40 but he looks like he is 60. His hair is gray, he has health issues, and he uses alcohol with prescription drugs. This is all to do with the stress these men encounter on the job, working many hours day/night, and having ZERO time to be with family. I feel like if you are police officer, you cannot be scared to die because you do a dangerous job but the job literally ages and kills you. I have hope for the police but you hear these stories everyday , a new story and it makes you think, what’s going on? I just pray that all future police really sit down and think about this job before taking it. If I saw a police officer hurting someone or doing something illegal to someone, of course I would video it because if I was in that position I would want someone to try to at least help me out. If a cop does something dirty, unless there is evidence, it’s all he say, she say bullshit. I do not know how we can stop the senseless killing and how these cops mentally approach things. You have to look at it from a cops side. Guns, drugs, death, violence, it all plays a factor in this job and it does not get easier. That is why some cops are scared for their lives in traffic stops and then they shoot someone because they are worried. It is also the same for people especially people of color. I do not know how to stop it.
With my experience with law enforcement, i feel as if officers do what they feel is needed to do in order to detain the subject thy are tying to apprehend. every officers goal is to go home at the end of every shift. An officer does not have to get violent if a subject simply complies and obeys an officers orders and asks questions later. I simply do not understand this world. Police officers are the worst human beings alive in many peoples eyes. In mind, they are hero’s to all extents. I may not be a police officer, but i am close. I have police powers as a public safety officer, yet I am not even close to being an actual officer. Police go through hell and back everyday. They have to watch every move that they make on or off duty. Do i still dream of being a police officer with today’s world? Of course I do! I may not help everyone at one time, but like many officers, doing one good thing in one shift, can change an officers entire attitude, but it can only take one call to ruin it as well. When I see an officer or multiple officers on a scene, me being nosy, I always take a moment to try and see or hear the reason as to why they are there. With me not being a police officer right now, and come across an officer beating an individual, I am honestly going to look the other way and not get involved because it is not my place to do so. But, when i am an officer and notice an officer trying to detain a disobedient subject I will intervene and help the officer and if they officer is violently beating an individual I would step in to back the officer off. Just like poverty, crime, and public housing, no matter what is done, you cannot take away police violence from a few officers. Some feel that their actions are necessary and will do whatever they feel is right to save themselves or others from harm.
The world of policing and how it is practiced today is getting completely out of line. It almost seems like the police are always looking for the most petty crimes and not worried about the people who are overdosing on drugs. In my personal experience, I have been pulled over for window tint on my vehicle due to the officers thinking I was a drug dealer or had drugs in my car. Police officers are given too much power and they get away with a lot of stuff. You see everyday how some police officers are using violent tactics to arrest someone or even contain them. I feel like the black population are looked at by police officers as being strictly criminals just because of their skin color. Every officer should have body cameras and all of their actions should be watched 24/7. Every public person should be allowed to watch the officers who are on duty at the time watching their every move. If every officer is watched, then I feel like they will be more cautious of what they do. A police officer should only be allowed to use force in arresting someone if their life is indeed in danger and they feel threatened. When I am done with college, I would like to be a juvenile probation officer because I do not want to be a police officer in todays society. I sympathize for the people who are police officers because they are sometimes looked down upon by society but sometimes it is their fault. Police officers are just like you and me and they should be treated the same as everyone else.
Police violence is something that has been going on for quite some time now. But with the innovation of technology, they are now being put under society’s magnifying glass, and people are holding them accountable for their actions (the bad one’s any way). Why is this such an issue in America? I believe that its because of the history of racism that this country has faced. People say that slavery has ended, but I don’t believe that it has. We are still facing structural racism, and it seems like it will never actually really end. The reason why I bring racism into this is because it has an affect on how policing is structured in America. There are certain groups of people who are being targeted and then blamed for not complying afterwards. This concept that police officers has about the black community needs to be dealt with. Until that occurs, we will continue to have victims like Tamar Rice and Philandro lose their lives. I believe that one solution is to have the “good” police offers police the “bad” police officers. To may times, we see the good police defend their brothers or even worse, they remain silent when one of their own has committed an awful crime. If you are really a good police officer, you won’t turn a blind eye to the injustice that your fellow brothers are practicing. The good police officers should be the one’s who are speaking on the news about what they are going to do to ensure that our communities are actually safe.
Police officers are sometimes violent because they can be scared. They are the ones who cross the line because they are allowed to do whatever they want because the officers are legally allowed to. It also doesn’t help that in training they continuously show cops that don’t make the split-second decision and die from not making that decision on shooting someone or not. I am concerned about the current police climate because I don’t want to be forced to have to mistreat individuals to make sure I keep my job. I want to make sure I work in a department that tries to treat every citizen equally, but the truth is that there aren’t a lot of departments out there that are like that. If I saw an officer hurting someone, I would say something, but I wouldn’t try to start any confrontation. Filming the individual could help, but I wouldn’t try to cause any problems with what was happening at the time. Then I would take the video to the chief of the station to let them know that their officer isn’t performing his job correctly. To correct the problem, you have to change what your metric is. Their model right now is to arrest. To collect statistics and numbers, the departments need to shift from focusing on arrests to crime reduction and problem-solving because you should focus on improving your post and the people there which would give you something to do constantly because you are trying to strengthen the community because you aren’t focused on trying to lock up everyone. We could use E. Durkheim to explain the different ways police officers relate to people. Durkheim talked about collective consciousness which he believes holds a society together, and individuals produce collective consciousness through interactions. With police officers, they are in a brotherhood almost and share their consciousness with one another.
Police officers are sometimes violent for many factors. To explain, I think cops are violent depending when they started on the job. For example, some cops still have that “old school” mentality where all that matters is breaking into a door and arresting a person, without trying to deescalate a situation and communicating properly. On the other hand, I have spoken to Police officers and most of them have told me that as a young cop barely joining the force, you tend to take more risk and commit stupid acts. For one thing, a Police officer I know has told me that the more years he had working, he became more aware and used less force. He realized he did not want to put his life at bigger risk than what it was because of family etc. However, there are more factors to why police officers are violent such as, the stress of the job, constantly switching shifts, and implicit bias. As for my concern about the current policing climate, I agree with the former police officer that community policing is just as important as arresting bad guys. Importantly, Police officers should spend more time communicating with people and get those people on their side because without the public’s help, a cop’s job on solving a crime becomes more challenging.
I think police officer are violent when they believe they are being threatened and that’s when they tend to be aggressive to the people they have an encounter with. Also, another thing that could factor into this is them having power and they think they are higher up than anyone and abuse that power that they have. Possibly going into law enforcement I think there are big concerns regarding the policing climate because nowadays people don’t know if they should trust the police anymore. Especially with all the police brutally that’s been making big news. Especially with things are going on now it’s making me double think if I really want to go into policing myself. If I were to see someone getting hurt by an officer I would step in because there is no need to hurt someone like that and if they tell me to back off I’ll just record them and the whole situation. Like one of the things that should stop is stop and frisk. With the video we watched in class it just seems to cause problems to people who haven’t even done anything at all and police officers tend to stop people of color more too. I believe that some police officers lack communication skills and they decide to take action right away then actually talking to the person. Durkheim’s research is really interesting I thought there could be a chance it could impact officers if they learned more about it.
Police officers turn to violence for several reasons. The video mentions that fear plays a big role but also targeting helpless minorities to make their day go by faster. Baltimore’s relationship with the police has been negative for several years. Locking people away and arresting people for minor incidents seems unreasonable and certainly causes frustration to the community. Officers should be trained in the academy to de-escalate situations, and to be able to read those situations. Many times, the media has been a tool to upload recorded footage of police officers killing harmless citizens simply because they did not know how else to approach the incident. Furthermore, community policing should be implemented more often because communities should be able to know and recognize the police officers who are assigned to specific neighborhoods. As a result, even if a police officer is trying to handle a situation in a calm manner, citizens may still act hostile because of the police brutality norm. It can be difficult to change a person’s perspective on the police, especially if all their experiences were negative with the criminal justice system. On a last note, police also may be influenced by the behavior of other co-workers and their discretion can become clouded. Upholding a policing job in the United States is not a top preference for many citizens, but those who want to become officers should learn from the brutality and not let fear dominate the decision of ending someone else’s life, especially if that person is not resisting arrest.
I think police officers are sometimes violent because of the built up of stress over the years, being forced to work overtime, the amount of times from switching from day shift to night shift, and so on. I also think that officers can be treated poorly by their bosses. Their bosses could force officers to make a certain amount of arrests per month. People can only handle so much. When officers patrol for so long, it can mentally affect them. I respect the police, but if I saw a police officer excessively hurting someone, I would begin by saying something to the officer. If nothing is solved by saying something, then I would result to filming or filing a report. There are many steps and policies that need to be undertaken to correct the problem. One step would be to have police departments show videos of police officers using misconduct to show others of what not to do in certain situations. A policy that could be put in place would be to have police officers evaluated over time especially by people that do not work for the police department. I believe that stop and frisk needs to stop, so people are not afraid every time they walk past a police vehicle.
I think that social media plays a role in how citizens perceive the police. Many people can find quick clips from videos that show the police officer doing something wrong. I think that people don’t do enough research on their own about what actually happened that could’ve lead to the violence by the officers. Another problem with social media is everyone is extremely quick to judge someones negative actions before the entire story fully comes out. While there are times that officers act in ways that are not correct, social media could play a role in dramatizing what everyone sees. I don’t think that I am concerned with the way that the police climate is, rather I enjoy learning about it and hopefully find ways to prevent it from departments that I may find myself working at.
I think about all the times i have class discussions in my classes and one thing stood out always was that race always plays a role in world of policing and police brutality. so , its not surprising that racial bias in law enforcement and police misconduct is a systemic problem among policing. however, the Human Rights Watch study concluded that race continues to play a role in police brutality in the United States and “have subjected minorities to apparently discriminatory treatment and have physically abused minorities while using racial epithets.” i believe this to be true because look at all the history behind it. this article also talks about why police are more inclined to be violent to a African American or minority rather a white person. which is true you see in every day in social media.
Social media has been a powerful tool in the past 5 years when it comes to well known and high profile cases involving bad cops. Its weird to think without it where these cases would of ended up? Would they have received the magnitude of attention with it? I do think police officers can be violent at times. We see it a society when these high profile cases show up on national news outlets and on our social media timelines. I think the former Baltimore cop, Michael Wood, says it best when he says, “When you are in that probationary stage, you can’t upset the apple cart at all, or you’ll be gone if you do.” Unfortunately we see this in police testimony where they are afraid to speak up, and for example throw one of their brothers in blue under the bus in result of the ramifications that could come from it. I could understand that, if I were a rookie cop in the precinct I would also be afraid to speak up. I don’t wanna lose my job, or even hurt my newly developed career by snitching. I do believe in taking the correct measures and steps, so yes I would file a report if I witnessed a officer hurting someone. I would also record it for proof. I can’t say I would speak up to the officer because the last thing I need is to be dragged in myself and get harmed, or receive some form of citation. I would like to mention that there are good cops out there, some whom I met and have witnessed in amazing light at community gatherings. Its very unfortunate that the action of some in areas have tainted that public reputation. This can also be said about the other side. For those who shoot and kill cops in the name of a movement. There needs to be some type of middle ground where cops are fair and citizens are willing to communicate with them. Like the video said, “… until the police can figure out what the citizens need from them, what it would take for officers to improve people’s lives instead of making them harder, sadder, less free, the anger and fear that Mike Wood saw on the job will persist.”
Ultimately, I think police are sometimes violent because they are expected to be by those around them or because they are afraid and scared. As a possible future police officer, I am very concerned about the current policing climate. It seems as though a considerable amount of people are against the police, largely based on stories of police violence or brutality dispersed through various media platforms. If I witnessed an officer hurting someone excessively, I think I would film it with my phone just in case. Also, I would consider filing a report, depending on the severity of officer’s violence. There are many possible steps that can be taken to help improve the situation, some of which are beginning to be utilized. For example, body cameras have increased in usage across the country and can possibly be credited with lowering instances of brutality or corrupt practices among police. Also, many departments, such as the NYPD, have acknowledged problems with their methods and developed new policies. However, this situation is a bit complex in that every department is different and has their own set of problems. Lastly, it would greatly benefit the law enforcement to be familiar with some of Durkheim’s research, specifically functionalist theory.
The post and video leave a lot to think about in terms of the police climate currently. When incidents like the Freddie Gray case and others have happened, the media and the overall focus tends to be on the racial bias of the cops and the department but not as much the policy and training that facilitates that. In the video Wood makes the point that the policy and the focus of policing overall needs to be changed and I can’t help but to agree. While the implicit racial bias is a major issue, if the policy, if the way officers were expected to act and the kind of results they were expected to have then it would not only lead to less deaths; It would have and effect on the racial bias issue as well. Since officers would have to interact with the community and not just look for arrests they wouldn’t necessarily be able to hold on to that bias. Of course there is a lot of issues to look at when changing policy so drastically sand it would take a lot of time but it is definitely something that has some validity and should be looked at better going forward.
As the time pass by, police brutality is becoming more and more relevant in the United States. The targets? Minorities but especially African-Americans and Latinos. Police officers and society as a whole tend to have a bad perception of these races just because they see someone in gangs or involved in some type of crime. We shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Therefore, I believe SOME officers take their job to the next level. They go above and beyond the law. Police officers should protect the community instead of creating hate towards them for their actions. What caught my attention from the video was that even police officers have fears and that can be the reason why they act the way they do. They act in self defense in some cases. Naturally, if I see that someone is threaten me I will immediately do whatever it takes to keep my life. It’s either them or me. I believe that if an officer commits an action without a cause, they should be judge and take away they power because apparently they’re abusing it to make people afraid. Latinos and African American people tend to be the target because they don’t have a voice to defend themselves to the accusations. Police officers today inspire fear instead of safety for the actions some of them are taking. As a result, we shouldn’t judge every officer saying that they’re all the same because they’re not.
I was surprised when I read the first few sentences of this web posting a question that has been going through my head when i started hearing about all of this. The question was what if this happened at a time when social media wasn’t a thing. Would the majority of people even know the horrible things that where happening? Social Media has done a huge part in making people realize what is happening. If we didn’t have social media the only way we would here about this is through the news and i know that most people my age don’t watch the new every day or read the newspaper every morning. So what I am saying is that social media helped bring awareness to these problems which hopefully will create a change in what is going on.
After watching the video and listening to Officer Wood speak i was in shock how man police brutality arrests he witnessed. This was so surprising because he is only one police officer and he has seen this many so the amount of times this must happen has to be terribly high. I like the approach that Officer Wood said we should take instead of throwing people in jail. For example he say have them do community service all together. Not only i this going to help them by not throwing them into jail right away but it will take them off the streets for a little while and that means less time for them to get into bad thing.
I am truly concerned about the current policing climate. As Micheal Wood explains, he was expected to get statistics about crime instead of creating good relations with the community. Creating a sound relationship with a your community that you are supposed to protect should be a top priority. He also mentions how he was not scared of the citizens, but rather of the other police officers. While he mentions that he is afraid he also talks about how the citizens themselves are afraid of police and how they seem to be able to get away with whatever they want for no or very little reason. The police officers, also scared, are trying to compensate for their anger by lashing out at the citizens. All together the high emotions and the fact that all parties involved are scared is a serious issue that in order to fix it. Relations between the two, although very tough, need to be repaired. Change needs to occur through some way or another. I personally do not have an answer for this problem, but I do know that in order for change to occur an effort must be made by a multitude of people for many years.
I feel police officers are excessively violent for different reasons. First, some may acquire too much fear towards their “opponent” and feel like their encounters are almost a battle of who can attack the other first. Second, many police officers obtain greater authority than the everyday citizen so they abuse their powers in a violent way towards others. Also, within using their powers in a negative light they acquire many prejudices/stereotypes towards minorities that they lash out at these people before they could get hurt. Lastly, many police officers don’t have adequate training in low level, everyday calls so they resort to violence because that is the only thing they can reference easiest. I am very concerned for todays policing climate. In todays world being black is like automatically having a target on your backs so many members of my family/community already have a greater risk of being target by police just due to their color. I think tensions between the police and their targets need to be set at ease however, since there is so much history I don’t know how that is obtainable. Possibly over time things may change. I feel that police need more even training and less random acts of impulse to be exhibited. If I were to encounter a police officer hurting someone I would honestly be in shock at first. I feel like its everyone’s first thought to video it so there is some sort of documentation of the encounter. Maybe call 911 for backup so other police could help (however most police stick up for one another to defend their allegiance towards one another so I’m not sure if this would work). I would contemplate speaking up only because with my racial background I wouldn’t want to be in harms way either so in a not of ways video may be the safest route however if all these videos that have surfaced now aren’t changing the matter I don’t think one more would either.
After reading this article and watching the documentary in class, I have become increasingly concerned and overwhelmed about the current policing climate. Michael Wood Jr. was very knowledgeable and his words were insightful as he explained actual experiences and abuse of power that occur in Baltimore. It is frightening that a police officer is legally allowed to harm a victim if they believe they are going to be harmed. It is also frightening that, to “meet their quota,” police officers are allowed to arrest a Black individual simply for walking down the street. Most times, I am familiar with incidents related to police brutality, but my thoughts do not extend beyond, “there should be a change.” This issue is not only a concern because it happens nationwide, but also because it is occurring right outside of Loyola.
This topic seems very relevant to me right now because I wrote about policing and implicit bias for my research paper. I do agree with some of the things the previous officer in Baltimore discussed. I do think police are violent a lot of the time because of fear and anger. If they truly believed that someone is dangerous, they will act violent before the suspect does anything wrong, and apparently this is legal for cops. If they have any feeling of fear that they might be hurt or killed, they can hurt or kill the suspect and the only evidence they truly need is that they were afraid. Also, police can be violent due to anger. The ex-cop from Baltimore explained a situation when a cop came over and kicked their suspect in the face. This occurred most likely because the police officer was angered that he had been out-ran by the suspect. It is extremely wrong for someone to ever hurt someone purely out of anger. If that is something that officers continue to do they should definitely go to anger management. I am concerned about the current policing climate. I think that so many officers have implicit bias and research shows that officers act disproportionately to blacks than to whites. I do think the concept of having an in-group and out-group places an important role in police officers violence. If people have a tendency to relate and associate with people of their same race and background, then people in the community whom are different than the police are at risk of being treated unequally. This has been seen to play a factor with the bias police have. If they identify with someone they will most likely treat them better than if they do not relate to someone. Measures do need to be taken in order to make sure that officers do not treat people worse due to their race. However, this will be extremely difficult. The bias people have is so innate and natural most people do not they act a certain way.
I enjoy this article’s take on police violence being an institutional issue. It shows here how listening to superiors and coworkers, as well as respecting the “thin blue line” transcends all else in the police force. Hearing about all of this from a former cop with inside, personal experience with violence really intensified my understanding and empathy for this situation as a whole. I was horrified to hear the story of the man who was kicked in the face while in handcuffs. It is those stories that deserve to be heard, as he was clearly no risk to anyone and could not defend himself. I hear these stories and am reminded of a fraternity culture – where guys blindly follow what they are told and are sworn to secrecy on all of the “bad things” that go on within the “brotherhood.” It’s sad that I am able to draw a comparison between college frat boys and our police force, but it highlights the reform needed within the system. There are too many good and honest officers who are given a bad name because of the systematic issues. I have never been in a situation where I have seen police violence first hand. But, if I did or ever do in the future, I would file a report because I believe the first step to fixing police violence lies within the institution.
While reading this article I was not surprised. It’s true; most headlines recently deal with policing. There needs to be active to educate police officers how to handle situations with different races. There needs to be an understanding that everyone is equal and should be treated equally. This is a big issue because many people feel unsafe and eventually police officers will be feared instead of being seen as a law enforcer or even for protection. If I saw an officer hurting someone I know I would definitely stand up and say something. Police officers would not continue if many people tried to stop them. In addition, this could potentially make the officer question his morals and maybe change.
The relationship between policing and Blacks in this country is historically hostile and oppressive when considering that policing itself, partly emerged as the Slave Patrol whose primary functions were largely to chase down, apprehend and return runaway slaves to their masters. When the terrorizing of a particular group of people informs the genesis of such a practice, it is safe to presume that the basis and functions under which policing is continued is inherently racist.
At the same time, I identify a primary flaw in the manner in which policing is done today to lie in the initial approach and confrontations with “suspects.” It is at this moment that police officers presuppose that some level of malfeasance has already rendered the individual who is to be accosted guilty; someone who in partaking in whatever form of deviancy that prompted the call to the officers in the first place, has already compromised their civic well-being, therefore justifying all actions however severe, on the officer’s part. This is particularly prevalent with people of color who involuntarily assume the role of potential perpetrator and/or social deviant in the uncooperative and paranoid public spaces that they are required to navigate throughout their every day lives.
Until the police realizes that not every individual who they confront is, by virtue of the call for confrontation itself, guilty and in that manner civically dehumanized, Blacks who are particularly differentiated on the basis of their skin color, will have yet to be liberated by one other form of social control.
At the same time, the typical discourses that we engage in, both inter-personally and at a societal level, have for too long reiterated the same rhetoric: those confronted by police should be fully compliant (which itself isn’t too promising considering Philando Castile’s outcome), to name a popular one. What we need to do as a society is truly question the purpose of the police and policing itself. Not why they do what they do, but why this country has decided to employ such an intrusive form of social control, one where fallible beings are inadequately trained to deal with human and social conditions, and still equipped with such punitive force and capability for coercion.
Who are the police really protecting?
Who truly benefits from policing?
We must continue to probe this question as it is greater than just police brutality and reveals yet another indignity and inequality that has been decided by the few and imposed on all.
All that can go wrong with policing, has gone terribly wrong with no resolution in sight. At least a resolution that would bring together communities and the people who are hired to police their community. Enter Micah Xavier Johnson….the lone gunman who took the lives of five Dallas police officers….the person the media has reported whose motive for the killings of police officers was and is the #BLACKLIVESMATTER movement. The gentleman who quite obviously had a severe mental problem and prior to killing those police officers posted a picture of himself with a raised clenched fist while wearing a dashiki….and the MEDIA reports this is further evidence Micah Xavier Johnson’s motive for killing was a movement that has never been anything but non violent….Does anyone care that Mr. Johnson had a larger purpose for what he did? Does anyone care that not only did Mr. Johnson have a mental illness, but that Mr. Johnson was a trained killing machine courtesy of the United States government, and that just days prior to his own subsequent death and the death of those Dallas police officers Mr. Johnson had already had a plan of attack which coincided with the deaths of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, and Philando Castille in Minnesota. Nevertheless, the murders of Mr. Sterling and Mr. Castille had already happened and reported by the media a few days before the attack in Dallas. One act had no bearing on the other. Mr. Johnson was clearly a time bomb waiting to explode and it did explode which is a story in and of itself. The #BLACKLIVESMATTER movement should not in any way been attached to the attack in Dallas, but thanks to the media it unfortunately has been.
“Does anyone care that not only did Mr. Johnson have a mental illness, but that Mr. Johnson was a trained killing machine courtesy of the United States government.” Thank you for stating the obvious, which apparently (and unfortunately) still lies beyond the comprehension of many people in our society, who are willing to tie themselves up in knots as they attempt to give other explanations for Johnson’s behavior.
If I saw an officer hurting someone i would ask the police officers why are you hurting the person?I would film the police officer for hurting someone to have evidence.I believe police officers get away with many things for instance abusing,excessive force,shooting and pepper spray. All of these are methods for intentionally hurting someone.Police officers believe since they have high power they can do anything but that’s not true because the we the people also have rights. The job of a police officer is to protect the people from any harm and keep everyone safe. I remember how once i was driving and the police officer was pulling over people and giving them tickets for no reason.We need to bring a change and the change needs to start from those people who are controlling the police officers.They need to tell them whats right and what is wrong and how their behavior is effecting the society and the people around them.We need to feel safe and not alarmed around a police officer.
I believe that officers get violent because they are not properly train. I feel that the police academy, don’t train new officers on real life situation. The man in the video explain that once an officer gets frustrated, he takes his anger out. Police officers should be taught on how to handle their frustration. I also believe that police officers are receiving lack of training on how to handle certain situations. There are many examples that can be defended, ” Sean Bell, Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland, and recently Philando Castile and Alton Sterling. With these lack of training, many officers excuses were ” they felt threaten”. This phrase has been going on too long, because innocent people are dying. How can you feel threaten if someone dont have a weapon? How can you feel threaten if you have someone pin down to the floor? How can you feel threaten, when you give order to someone, but still shoot? Im not saying that all cops are bad, but I personally feel that certain cops are not capable to serve the people.
The role of an officer is to protect the people. In my eyes, and certain officers protect certain people. It has been shown that racism is a common factor. In the video the man explain that whites and blacks do the same crime, but officers are more prone to going to black communities, and arresting blacks. Blacks are already being categorize as the enemy.
Police brutality has always been a problem since the beginning of the profession. I believe that today we see more and more of these cases because of the internet and peoples phones. In the past cases like these would go unnoticed but now they get more exposure thanks to new technology and the way news spreads like wildfire. This is why I believe cops should have cameras attached to them when they are on the job. This way everything is documented and will give both the cop protection and the other people involved. But I also believe that in order for things to be different there needs to be a couple of changes in the profession. Police reform is needed specifically in the way recruitment occurs and in terms in education. More education should be prioritized in getting a job in the force because it will allow officers to be more informed and ready to confront with the everyday challenges they have to deal with. Recruitment I also think is also a problem considering a lot of the time we see the majority of the police force still lacks in diversity and is usually based on a “who you know will get you the job basis”. These are just suggestions but there needs to be change or things will stay the same and there will be a lot of problems as a result.
Police Officers bring with them the beliefs and morals that were instilled in their formative years, and then they are brainwashed to deal with member of urban communities. As evidenced, this standard is ineffectual for both the community and the officers…. Officers who leave the academy ill prepared to protect and serve the communities to which they have been assigned. This is a proven recipe for disaster, and until police and community leaders can come to a place where everyone’s quality of life is taken into serious consideration and appropriate resolutions can bee affected……change for the better will be a long time coming.
For some reasons, I think police officers are violent. Police officers do not always make effective use of de-escalation techniques instead utilizing their forces in the wrong way. Often it is sad to see racism in policing. Police brutality can also be associated with racial profiling. For example, the use of stop-and-frisk policy is meant to prevent violence and crimes. However, it turns out to be not effective when non-respectful and biased behaviors are applied on people of skin color. In fact, it is more racially bias as we often witness people of color mostly African-American or Latino are being stopped and questioned by police officers in search for weapons, substances etc.
There are recent incidents of police violence against citizens of color. Many unarmed African-American men are often killed in interactions with polices (mostly are White officers). For example, Eric Garner in NYC died as the result of choke-hold from police officers. Similar other cases had been seen in the death of Freddie Gray in conflict with the Baltimore Police Department for carrying a switchblade. Moreover, there are reports where many unarmed people are shot and killed in their cars by police officers. Sometimes cops would recklessly fire their guns into busy streets.
Historically, policing nature composed of violence as in the case of using excessive/lethal force to catch the runaway slaves. Back in the past, the primary role of the police was to protect the property of Southern Oligarchy plantations. Now, it is to protect and maintain the White Supremacy—as capitalism or corporations are new plantations of today.
In general, the nature of police work is to protect life and property through enforcement of laws and ordinances. However, there is something wrong with the system of policing in America that many times their practice/their ways of policing are brutal such as mercilessly beating up protestors, using excessive tear bombs to break down the groups. Yet many police officers still perceive their savage actions as doing good deeds. They would often justify their actions by making a claim that the media take one incident and they magnify it to the point that makes the public think cops are violent. According to the video of former Baltimore police officer in the passage, it is often hard for a normal police officer to go critique and question against the institution to fix the matrix of the system. Therefore, police violence becomes normalized in capitalist society.
I live in a community where i seen police abusing their power on a daily basis. Just the other day i was hanging out with my friends and my cousin, and we seen two familiar guys from my block crossing the street. A van almost hit them so they said “watch where the hell you going”. Police (Detectives which we call D’s) got out the van and used brutal force against them and arrested them. Another event me and my brother was coming back from Christmas shopping and was walking in the street,(because people do not curb their dogs where i live) they got out their car and checked us and our bags without giving us a reason. This is something that happens all the time. I’m not saying that the all the people that play victim in the videos are innocent but the tactics the police use are all wrong. They rather take someones life if they run rather than chase them or shoot them in the leg. They justify their actions all the time when it comes to the poor community. I believe the people going for these jobs are individuals that want power. I also believe that they get so caught up in the power they forget about the protecting.
I believe there is various reasons why police officers are violent. As the former Baltimore officer states in his video, some officers are scared and use violence as a defense mechanism. Another factor is the officers aren’t properly trained. If I was to see an officer hurting someone I would film the entire situation. I would file a report but probably not say anything. I would rather be quiet then expose the officer. Make my own moves quietly. Articles such as this one does make me concerned about policing for the future. It makes me concerned for my children and next generations. There’s no reason why society should be scared of the police just because of the stereotype a person falls under.
If I saw a police officer hurting someone I would try to record it to back up the complaint that I would make. The reason why I would file a report is because no one deserves to get mistreated. Also, with prove in their hands they will be able to take action on the officers’ behavior. We are all humans and make mistakes and are going through personal issues and sometimes we bring it to work and let it effect our work environment. It isn’t any different for police officers. Police officers need to get penalize when they do something wrong and not cover up their wrong doings.
Being a police officer is a very hard job. While people are running from danger cops are running towards it. I think police officers are violent because of all the things they see out in the streets. They start believing everyone is bad. Another reason why cops are violent is the amount of hours they work. Sometimes cops work 48hrs with no sleep, how can anyone function right without the proper rest. They lack sleep and on top of that they are pressured to put up their numbers but then again they don’t have “quota”. They are told to make arrest if not they can get punished by being sent to a bad neighborhood, foot patrol, and sometimes don’t give them overtime which is where they make most of their money. With all these issues going on a police department the pressured, the lack of sleep, and the things seen in the street is bound to make someone act a little off. A lot of them instead of turning to professional help they turn to alcohol to forget about the stressful long day they had at work.
I think many police officers are violent for the same reasons students in the Stanford prison experiment became violent, power. Some people can’t handle so much power and it gets to their heads. I had a friend who happens to be a police officer, jokingly tell me that “police officers are the law” and I immediately reminded him that they are not. They are here to uphold and protect the law and the people. They are not the law! So many officers clearly forget that and think that because they wear a badge that they can get away with anything. I see it everyday when they put on their sirens and blaze through traffic for no reason. i see it when they are driving and texting and talking on their phones. I saw it when a police car drove through a red light and nearly crashed into my mothers car and then when we approached him, he turned his face. We see to many examples of officers getting away with things that they should not. Just like the police officer who used his badge to rape numerous black women. Luckily, he did not get away with it.
If i saw an officer hurting someone, not only would I be recording but I would be saying so much and asking so many questions, just like I did when I saw a young man being attacked by another student. We have to start speaking up when we see police officers not living up to the standards they should be. Police officers need to start taking more accountability for their actions!
I have no doubt that being a cop can be hard, dangerous and stressful. But in some cases the use of violence is not necessary. However some police officers abuse their power and authority because they like the power they have over us and want to fulfill personal goals and desires. It is sad to know that many people who are victims of police abuse of power feel that they have no ability to take any action against those police officers. We think that we need to respect them for what they are doing for us but in reality we are not getting anything from them. Cops have forgotten what is like to protect and serve the community. All we receive from them is racially biased on every decision they make towards the citizens.
If I ever witness a police officer abusing someone I would do all of the above. I would record it, say something to the officer and file a report. The reason why I would do these things is to make sure that the officer being abusive does not get away with it. Police officers are supposed to protect and serve the community, if they are abusing their power then people need to become aware of it.
Police officers were trained to be violent. They think just because they have the power in this line of work, that they have the right to use violence when its necessary to them. Meanwhile majority of the time police officers use excessive force when its not even needed. Becoming aggressive towards a person that may result in killing them at the end shows a lot of who they truly are. They are scared and think the easy possible way to handle a situation is by shooting them and or killing them.
Strongly I feel that Police Officers focus on African-American minorities because the percentage is high when it comes to committing a crime. As the passage highlights the government “have subjected minorities to apparently discriminatory treatment and have physically abused minorities while using racial epithets.” This shows that even people with higher authority than the police department and trainees are aware of the abuse and noting has changed. Drastically videos showing misconduct to the public has no impact on how we view the police department employees because they continue to abuse their power and disappoint us when it comes to making the right decision when an altercation is present.
-Police officers can be violent because they are trained to exercise their power and control by intimidating their victims and use force. Also, police officer are aware of the law and know how to justify their actions and since police establish trust and loyalty within the institution, they tend to get way with violence; Also, since police have more authority and use a lot of discretion, it has reached the point where police officers have the perception that they are above the law and will get away with anything so, in the event of anything that may arise, such as, killing an innocent civilian, the result will be in the favor of the police officer and not the victim.
-If I witness an officer hurting someone, more than likely, I would film it for prove, speak up about it and file a report, because if I were in such predicament, I would expect someone else to do the same thing for me. One person can make a significant difference in order to influence others to stand up. Which is precisely what is going on in today’s society, people are speaking up, and, at the same time, spreading it across social media to draw public awareness!!
-Police officers can violent because they are trained to exercise their power and control by intimidating their victims and use force. Also, police officer are aware of the law and know how to justify their actions and since police establish trust and loyalty within the institution, they tend to get way with violence; Also, since police have more authority and use a lot of discretion, it has reached the point where police officers have the perception that they are above the law and will get away with anything so, in the event of anything that may arise, such as, killing an innocent civilian, the result will be in the favor of the police officer and not the victim.
-If I witness an officer hurting someone, more than likely, I would film it for prove, speak up about it and file a report, because if I were in such predicament, I would expect someone else to do the same thing for me. One person can make a significant difference in order to influence others to stand up. Which is precisely what is going on in today’s society, people are speaking up, and, at the same time, spreading it across social media to draw public awareness!!
Reading this gave me a clearer understanding of how this world works. It did not surprise me on how wicked and dirty people can be but it did give me greater disappointment on the understanding of humans. There are definite truths into cases of police officers being biased and do things that are against what they stand for. There are police officers who have families that rely on them to have this job just to live a normal life, or that they themselves need the money to survive and fear that if they oppose the superiors they would lose their jobs. This does not mean that all police officers are like that, there are those out there who will do what is right. To correct the system that police officers have used for so long is no simple task and will for possibly take many years. There are definitely those who are of high social standards who operates on greed and not in the interest or well being of the citizens. For the system to change, those of high positions must commit to changes. Those on the bottom will never be able to change it even when some try their best, because they are not significant to those on top who just demands those under them to only follow orders. Even in the animal kingdom there is survival of the fittest and every man for themselves, but there is no signs of racism.
Police officers have always and will forever be violent. They are trained to be violent in order to deal with people that get out of control and need to snap out of a situation. Throughout the communities, police officers triggers the safety of citizens which makes them feel very fearful. They’re always hurting them in a physical, emotional, and mentally manner and that shouldn’t be the way that officers should serve their people. Police officers are supposed to be OUR protection NOT run and destroy people’s lives. They shouldn’t have their mindsets on making money. They should worry about saving people’s lives and making sure NOBODY gets hurt while they’re also protecting themselves. Their duty is for them to do whatever it takes to stop a human being from hurting another human being. However, they shouldn’t have to feel like they have to get aggressive and hurt whoever they encounter because matters are only going to get worse. Not any better. A lot of reports have been made of unarmed people getting killed by police for no apparent reason and there has been several videos to show how hostile they are. As police officers, believe it or not, they have great authority over the lives of Americans but they tend to take advantage of that. In my judgment, they are a lot more violent to people who live in the poor, minority neighborhoods than to those who live in the rich, high-class neighborhoods. People that live in the poor neighborhoods are looked as an easy target to not only kill but to make more arrests on. Contently, there’s higher rates of the seriousness of crimes in the poor neighborhoods which makes police face pressure to apprehend to such crimes by arresting people for petty reasons or for nothing at all. Nowadays, that’s how police officers get their tasks completed. I strongly feel that the one and only reason why police officers work for the law enforcement is for the salary that they make because since they know they’re getting paid well, they’re going to act however they want to act towards their people. They feel like they don’t have to worry about getting in trouble because they know that their fellow partners in the law enforcement will have their back, but they will also get away with whatever they’ve done. I feel like if it wasn’t for the high amount that they make, they wouldn’t be disrespecting human beings the way they do. Just because police officers have their rights to protect and serve all communities, does not mean that they can violate it and play around with it and use those rights against the people that they serve. Unfortunately, police officers are not so clever after all.
I feel that police officers are violent because they let the power of being a police officer go to their head. They let some of their personality traits take over. A police officer that has lets say all personality traits such as:
authoritarian, suspicion, hostility, insecurity, conservatism and cynicism can be a huge ticking time bomb. Even having just one of these traits could be dangerously if not controlled and put in check.
The other possibility to officers being violent is the demand to have a certain amount of quotas met and having these quotas be an essential part to moving up the ladder. It can also be the not wanting to look bad in front of their fellow officers and being up to par.
It can just be that bias has set in and they use it to meet their daily requirements of fitting in, meeting their quota and abusing their power.
Police officer seem to forget their role of peace keeping and enforcing law. Discretion is given a new meaning and replaced with deadly force, as its primary use. Discretion is now the ability to act and decide on ones own the use of deadly force. When decided use of deadly force is used more often then not.
This policing course has opened my eyes to some truths that I didn’t know about the police force. The first year in the force you are on probation and you are an easy target to get fired if you as questions or speak up about what you seen wrong at work. That’s the blue wall of silence code they live by. In fact sometimes they life under oath to protect on another if they are faces with charges of misconduct. Everyday someone is becoming a statistic, they rather lock some one up for petty reasons like walking the wrong way. This is only happening in the poor community because that’s where they can find some crimes. The video I just watch tells why some cops are so violent. If you make a cop chase you and when he catches up to you he will in fact hurt you for making him run, or if another offers out chase them. I’m not going to lie I am a little scared what I might be facing in this line of duty. If I saw an officer hurting someone honestly I don’t think I wouldn’t record or saying thing because I’m scared what would happened to me. I saw videos of things police officers to not just man but woman, they get punched in the face and get there wrist broken they just don’t care who you are. I don’t think even with better training they will use less force because some of them come straight from the military or has some type of training.
Now that i am taking this course i have more of a clearer perspective to when it comes to police officers. I myself never encountered or dealt with any officer, how ever i live in a society where now a lot of incidents involving police man are occurring. I do understand why cops come out very violent. Police man have very dangerous jobs that at any given point they may not be able to control or even prevent. Police officers come out more aggressive when they are patrolling in low income communities because blacks and Latinos make up that population.i think police officers come out more aggressive to blacks/Latinos because they are afraid and aware that those races are upset and disgusted with police behavior. And when i say police behavior i mean incidents where police man have shot and killed innocent people, especially colored people.They are aware of how angry colored people are so they are prepared for the worst. This is a two sided issue because both parties have reasons to why they react towards each other. However colored people are highest in crime rate and police officers do have numbers they have to fulfill at the end of their shifts so one thing leads to the next. i look at it as if we want police officers to stay away lets give them a reason to. if your not doing nothing illegal they wont come your way and even if they do since they do stop & frisk being more wiser can change the outcome of that stop & frisk.
I personally believe police officers are violent because they are either afraid of the people or trying to abuse their power. I believe that some cops grow up in neighborhoods where they are taught that black people/minorities are bad people. With that being said I also think with the stereotypes going on about my people, police officers do use excessive force when comes to arresting them. Police officers generally use the excuse of them feeling threatened but I don’t believe it. I feel as though police say that to justify their actions and get away with the crimes they commit. I think African Americans are generally targeted as the enemy and not citizens. With the rising number of young people dying at the hands of police officers instead of fearing people they should fear the chance of losing their jobs and the amount of humiliation they would receive after being held accountable for their crimes.
Looking at this video and observing Michael’s tone of voice, I must say this is upsetting. I wonder everyday why the police act the way they do but thanks to Michael he speaks on it. In my opinion, I do believe if you felt afraid then why take the role of becoming a police officer? There is violence that they are causing within the community and more angry citizens. The police culture has a lot of changing to do because they are even trained as military solders which they are not. Changing policing can be helpful as well. Police officers need to help the community not tear it apart with all the brutality that is occurring. It also makes it harder for the minorities to live in the area that they do because they are always targeted.
I think police officers are violent because they might feel that they are threatened, might just have hatred against a certain group of people or they feel that people aren’t obeying their command in power. I firmly believe to correct our police officers we must correct the ones controlling them. Politicians and the head of the police have to be willing to find solutions and make changes. If they don’t want to then i think we have to impeach their asses.
The problems are many. The problems need to be attacked from many different avenues to make things better and fix all the problems within the system. The problem can begin to be looked at within the the police departments and taking a look into the records of currents officers; from the bottom to the top, everyone. Weeding out those that abuse their power. Taking a serious look at those who used unnecessary force or even deadly force. Taking a real close look at everything. Holding those in charge and above power accountable.
Police officers should have a class every six months to remind them of their role as a police officer and how to handle situations better. It seems that after a while the power of being a police officer goes to their heads. The Role of a police officer is suppose to be about keeping the peace and enforcing laws. The job should be satisfying and rewarding. Police officers shouldn’t be stressed if they don’t make the quota or to even making a quota. The quota system only pushes them to go out and find situations or sadly create them. They should also be rewarded for their good deeds,warning, uses of discretion, human decency and just keeping the peace.The quota system makes the job stressful not only for the officer but the community they are servicing. Police officers are not looked at as peace keepers or someone to look up to for help, but quite the opposite.
I do not feel that the officers offences are taken serious, it seems to me they get a free pass on all the offenses and situations that occur. If a person that was not a police officer was to use excessive force, deadly force, beat up and or shoot some one, they would rot in jail suffer some kind of punishment for sure. There have been so many instances where a cop excessively used force, excessively abused their position of power, excessively shot someone dead and suffered no real punishment or consequence. Its as if its ok for them to do it; they have an excuse and authority to do so and that is not right at all. They should be held accountability for all their actions.They are no different then us. Part of the problem is the power the police offers have and the abuse of it.;The inhumanity and cruelty as well as the lack of compassion as a person. Some police officers seem to loose humanness as well as all loss of discretion. Discretion seems to be thrown out the window and replaced with insanity. If we can begin with the current officers, and make sure those coming in are also given the same treatment ,given classes, proper training and make the job rewarding wed have a start at change.
I personally do not want to join the police force but I know two people that are dear to me currently in the academy. The status of what these two people have to me make me really nervous for their safety as an officer. I constantly remind them that being a policer officer is no joke and tell them both they may have to make a decision that might change their lives. There is so much pollution within the police departments that give them a horrible name. I worry while they are in there they remain the same people that joined them. I am well aware that this will not happen because I have heard stories and seen the news on good people “becoming the job”. All my life I have had experience with someone being in the force but the military, to me personally it is all the same thing and the way the police academy and houses are designed they’re almost identical twins.
As to why police officers are violent is a very complicated topic. Each individual has a different view on what he/she have seen and because of that the comprehension of events that have passed are flawed. The police officer could have been reacting to possible or occurring dangers directed towards him or her, yet an observer who just happens to see a person pinned down on the could believe to be seeing police brutality. In this situation both the police officer and the bystander are both telling the truth.
There definite truths into cases of police officers being biased and do things that are against what they stand for. There are police officers who have families that rely on them to have this job just to live a normal life, or that they themselves need the money to survive and fear that if they oppose the superiors they would lose their jobs. This does not mean that all police officers are like that, there are those out there who will do what is right.
To correct the system that police officers have used for so long is no simple task and will for possibly take many years. There are definitely those who are of high social standards who operates on greed and not in the interest or wellbeing of the citizens. For the system to change, those of high positions must commit to changes. Those on the bottom will never be able to change it even when some try their best, because they are not significant to those on top who just demands those under them to only follow orders.
This video is a real eye opener. Many times we hear about issues and we don’t understand how serious they are until we are victims or hear it from someone who experienced it first hand. The police culture of the united states needs change. Policing in the united states has not changed since the times of slavery. At the end of the day its all about the have and the have nots. The wealthy and powerful people of the united states are using our police departments to control the have nots. It is very hard for minorities to achieve upward mobility when you have all the powerful people, laws and police departments against you. I believe we have both good and bad cops and each one of them has their own reason for acting the way they do. All this police brutality and violence against minorities is affecting a lot of people and it needs to stop.