The Current Policing Philosophies Have a Positive Impact on the Communities - Research Paper Example

Policing in America The Current Policing Philosophies Have a Positive Impact on the Communities Introduction The first half of the century witnessed high cases of riots and public disobedience due to abolitionist movements and deteriorating living conditions that created tensions between the ethnic groups (Palmiotto, 2000). The current objective of policing is to safeguard life and property and ensure order. The policing respects the civil rights of individuals and police officers are barred from using violence in order to obtain confession (Reisig & Kane, 2014). The police officers have certain ethical standards of conduct and are constrained in the methods they can use in pursuing their objectives (Cordner, 2014). The current policing philosophies have a positive impact on the communities since they ensure community partnerships in addressing the underlying causes of crime and entail the use advance technologies in collection of intelligence information that ensure proactive response. The history of policing in America The history of policing in America has similarities to that of England since Colonial America had a system of night guards who were supposed to guard the cities and municipalities against disorder, fire outbreaks and crime (Palmiotto, 2000). A distinct characteristic of policing in the 1800s was the powerful influence of politicians since police chiefs were hired in order to further the interests of the politicians. Police officers were often accused of corruption, misuse of force and violence towards certain racial groups in the society (Adlam & Villiers, 2003). The Southern states such as Carolina established the ‘Slave Patrol’ that tasked the officers with the duty to apprehend and return escaping slaves and subject the slaves to summary disciplinary measures outside the formal judicial system (Reisig & Kane, 2014). The officers would also enforce the ‘Jim Crow’ laws that advocated for segregation and unequal access to the political rights. The end of slavery led to evolution of policing work since formal police departments were established in order to deal with local law enforcement. The changes saw the establishment of centralized municipal police department in 1830s and the cities of Boston, New York and Chicago were the first to establish the American police force (Palmiotto, 2000). The 20th century led to urbanization and increase in crime rates thus better equipped police force was established in order to handle crime (Cordner, 2014). The civil rights era led to a shift of policing from the traditional crime control to more cooperative partnerships with communities. The threats of terrorism and other transnational crimes have led to multi-agency cooperation and intelligence sharing in policing and increased use of technology (Reisig & Kane, 2014). The evolution of policing in America The evolution of policing in America is characterized by different eras starting with the political era of 1840 when police officers operated in close relationship with politicians in order to control the neighborhood and influence the voting patterns (Palmiotto, 2000). The southern region has slave patrols that maintained order over the slave populations including disbanding meetings convened by slave groups. The development of organized policing started in 1850 when various municipalities and cities established police departments that aimed at coordinating various government functions (Steverson, 2008). The police officers continued to use force and incidents of police corruption were extreme in the society. At the beginning of 20th century, there were changes in law enforcement due to rapid industrialization, immigration and urbanization that created a heterogeneous society. The growth of urban centers led to mob violence, prostitution and drunkenness thus increasing the scope of policing work across the key cities. The policing evolution led to centralized bureaucracies whose primary focus was crime control and police officers were perceived as the ‘crime fighters’ (Adlam & Villiers, 2003). The Wickersham Commission report of 1933 proposed for reforms that would see distribution of police services according to the neighborhood needs and specialization in the training such as training on traffic control activities. Cordner (2014) asserts that the reforms in policing saw the introduction of equipments such as signal devices, automobiles, motorcycles and laboratory apparatus. There was a high emphasis on crime prevention and abandonment of the trial-and-error methods of solving crimes. Another feature was the centralized command and use of police records and organized training of police officers (Reisig & Kane, 2014). The next phase of evolution was the political era of between 1950s and 1960s where policing strategies were heavily criticized for brutality and lack of public relations in combating social movements that agitated for civil liberties (Reisig & Kane, 2014). There was a need of change from the traditional policing philosophies that aimed at zero tolerance and crime control towards more positive philosophies that would address the underlying causes of crime or fear of crime (Cordner, 2014). In this case, the policing philosophy changed to community-based policing that fosters cooperative partnerships with communities and problem-solving techniques such as street lighting in order to maintain law and order. This approach led to positive impact on the lives of the citizens (Steverson, 2008). The current and modern policing tactics and philosophies focus on use of advanced technologies in detecting and deterring crimes such as terrorism-related crimes and drug smuggling. The current tactics involve multi-agency cooperation with other law enforcement agencies such as the federal bureau of investigations and the CIA in collecting intelligence on imminent threats (Adlam & Villiers, 2003). The civil rights era of policing The policing during the civil rights era was based on the traditional model that focused on the number of arrests and calls made in response to crimes. The police reforms of the 1950s and early 1960s did not involve the citizens in control of crimes and police focused on use of force in ensuring public order (Reisig & Kane, 2014). These traditional policing strategies hugely contributed to mistrust of the police by the public especially the minorities who felt that the police aimed at helping the government perpetuate discriminatory practices and hinder the attainment of equal rights (Thurman & Jamieson, 2010). The civil rights era of policing was marked by violent confrontations between the police and the public due to social movements that agitated for various civil liberties through street violence and public disobedience. The policing efforts focused on crime control and relations with the public deteriorated due to the manner than the police enforced the laws (Cordner, 2014). For instance, the arrest of Rosa Parks for violation of segregation ordinance in bus sparked the famous Montgomery bus boycott that led to Black marches and race riots across cities in America. The extreme use of force against protestors was aired by newspapers and news reports. The US Supreme Court also questioned the policing tactics in its rulings in various cases during this era such as the decision in Mapp v. Ohio 367 U.S 643 (1961) that declared that evidence obtained from unconstitutional search and seizure could not be used against the accused person since it violated their rights. Accordingly, the court affirmed the ‘miranda’ rights in the case of Miranda v. Arizona 384 U.S 436 by outlining that the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution granted a person to be advised against self-incrimination during interrogations (Reisig & Kane, 2014). However, the passage of the Civil Rights Act 1967 safeguarded the civil liberties of all citizens and provided for equality in the society. The Kerner Commission was formed to investigate police brutalities and suggested various reforms that would path way for community-led policing. This was a major progress towards positive philosophies of policing since the law enforcement officers were now required to respect the basic rights of the citizens (Reisig & Kane, 2014). Community policing According to the US Department of Justice Office, community policing is a philosophy that promotes organizational strategies that support the systematic use of community partnerships and problem-solving techniques to proactively deal with the underlying conditions that lead to public disorder issues such as crime and fear of crime (Thurman & Jamieson, 2010). The community policing philosophy emerged in the 1980s due to the realization that policing tactics were not in tandem with the social changes that led to complex and diverse American society. According to Kappeler & Gaines (2012), the concept is grounded on democratic principles and its success has been facilitated by the problem solving approach, organizational transformation and community partnerships. Community policing philosophy emphasizes on the promotion of strategies that address the causes of crime and reduce the fear of social disorder through problem solving tactics and community-police partnerships (Reisig & Kane, 2014). This is a fundamental shift from the traditional approach of policing since the aim is prevention of crime before occurrence. This is a positive philosophy of policing and core elements of the approach include partnerships with communities, problem solving and decentralization of the command structures in order to ensure faster response to threats (Kappeler & Gaines, 2012). The approach is positive since it involves values and behaviors such as empathy, integrity, trustworthiness and compassion. Accordingly, transparency and accountability through sharing of crime information with communities and holding the local supervisors accountable for proactive policing ensures the officers respond to all imminent threats before crime occurs (Thurman & Jamieson, 2010). Despite the widespread acceptance of community policing in the society, the philosophy suffers certain drawbacks such as hiring and retention of people who can embrace the philosophy since many police departments operate with budget deficits and shortage of staff (Reisig & Kane, 2014). Another negative aspect of the philosophy is the disengaged communities since most citizens have limited free time to participate in community safety initiatives. In some areas, there is presence of general mistrust of the police and unwillingness of the residents to share information with law enforcement agencies due to popular cultural influences that discourage cooperation with the police. Modern police tactics and philosophies The antipolice sentiment of the 1960s led to implementation of modern policing philosophy that focuses on law and order and police officers. According to Ratcliffe (2008), modern police tactics and philosophies focus on intelligence-led policing that entails collection and analysis of crime and social data in order to support police investigations and law enforcement. The old command and control approach to policing has paved way for modern policing that is anchored in the Homeland Security laws. The policing is now a multi-agency task and police departments are tasked with protecting various resources such as critical infrastructure and deterring terrorism and drug trafficking activities (Ratcliffe, 2008). The emphasis is on face-to-face interactions with citizens through foot patrols and directed patrols in communities. There has been introduction of telephone reporting and emergency numbers where citizens can quickly report criminal activities in order to ensure faster response to call for service from the officers (Reisig & Kane, 2014). Other tactics include the crime prevention through the environmental design that focuses on installing alarm systems and security cameras in order to monitor criminal activities from a centralized command. The policing philosophy has embraced recreational and mentoring programs with volunteer organizations and other state departments in order to address the causes of disorder (Reisig & Kane, 2014). Conclusion The current policing philosophies have a positive impact on the communities since they ensure community-police partnerships in uncovering the conditions that contribute to crimes. The current philosophies allow for various intervention strategies such as new street lighting, clean ups and economic development of communities in order to enhance the quality of life and control the underlying causes of public disorder. The current philosophies overcome the barriers that hinder cooperation between the police and public and entrench certain values such as integrity, accountability, empathy and compassion. The current policing methods are positive since they are rooted on highest standards of professionalism and discipline as all police officers are adequately trained in order to respond to crime and public disorder in a proactive manner. The current policing philosophies have enabled the law enforcement agencies to enjoy good cooperation and quality relationships with the citizens thus enabling prompt response to calls for service. The problem-solving approach ensures decentralization of command and proactive techniques that enhance information exchange. Accordingly, modern policing tactics involve use of various technologies that help in crime data collection and analysis in order to identify crime hotspots and detect crimes before they occur. References: Adlam, R & Villiers, P. (2003). Police Leadership in the 21st century: Philosophy, Doctrine and Developments. New York: Waterside Press. Cordner, G.W. (2014). Police Administration. New York: Routledge. Kappeler, V.E & Gaines, L.K. (2012). Community Policing: A Contemporary Perspective. New York: Routledge. Palmiotto, M. (2000). Community Policing: A Policing Strategy for the 21st Century. London: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Ratcliffe, J. (2008). Intelligence-led Policing. New York: Routledge. Reisig, M.D & Kane, R.J. (2014). The Oxford Handbook of Police and Policing. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Steverson, L.A. (2008). Policing in America: a Reference Handbook. California: Santa Barbara. Thurman, Q.C. & Jamieson, J.D. (2010). Police Problem Solving. New York: Routledge. 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