Issues on Police Policy About Force - Essay Example

Issues in Relation to Police Policy as it Pertains to Force For centuries, our police officers have been a wonderful asset to our society. These individuals have always put their lives at risk in the most severe ways in order to protect and serve all of our citizens. Some police officers have even lost their lives serving us. Without the police force, there will be disorder and chaos, and a great deal of danger will ensue. Though our police force has sacrificed a great deal and have done so much that is absolutely wonderful, there are still some issues that need to be worked out, especially issues that pertain to police policies that governs how or when to apply force when it comes to controlling out of control criminals, when they fight the police or resist arrest. How or when to apply force has been a long standing debate for at least a few decades, and there is still a whole lot that needs to be worked out in this regard. There have been many conflicts as to how this should be done because there is a major lack of agreement as to how situations such as these should be handled. As a result of the lack of agreement on how force should be applied, there are still no solid resolutions that are in place to benefit both police officers and civilians. Liberal individuals favor seeing to it that even the criminals have all of their civil rights and liberties, even though these criminals may have committed a brutal crime. These liberal individuals also favor the use of restrictions on when police officers should be allowed to shoot to kill, as well as when to use violent weapons to apply force. Then, there are those who are all for traditional police policies as it pertains to force. Individuals who support tradition in this regard favor tactics that may almost border police brutality. These individuals feel that police officers must do whatever they need to in order to maintain control, even if it may violate the right of an individual who does not deserve such treatment. Then, there are those individuals who are in the middle with these issues, and thee individuals are neither liberal nor traditional. They feel that the police should use whatever method of force that is necessary to control criminals, but a level of respect should be given to those who deserve it. These individuals feel that such a thing should be a balancing act and that policies should be made to enforce this. Some things have been discussed in regards to finding a happy medium for all, and some policies have even been implemented in some areas with a great deal of success; however, there is still a lack of uniformity in that these policies are not applied all over. There are five major issues that are in relation to police force policies that really need to be addressed for the safety of both police officers and civilians. One very major issue that is in relation to police force policies is that sometimes, police make severe errors in judgment in situations where one's life is taken for the sake of self defense. In some cases, a criminal may become so unmanageable that it is necessary for the police officers to shoot to kill to keep from getting severely injured themselves. Sometimes, however, wrong judgments are made, and officers become quick to use their guns, and lives are taken unnecessarily. This especially happens if officers are abusing their power or may make a judgment based on a bias of race or gender, which happens all too often. Concerning the errors of judgment on the part of police officers when it comes to situations where a life must be taken for the sake of self defense, an article titled "Personality and Cognitive Processes in Life and Death Decision Making: An Exploration into the Source of Judgment Errors by Police Special Squads" states that errors in judgment can be made as a result of personality traits, as they can sometimes get in the way and influence decisions. In addition to this, more may be expected of officers than the experience they may actually have. For instance, an officer may be asked to perform a task that requires him to utilize life survival skills; yet, he will lack experience either because he does not have adequate training in that area or may possess fewer skills than what is expected of him. Problems arise in either case because the officer will be forced to make split judgments based on what he knows or what he thinks is right, and sometimes, the results can be disastrous. For one, the officer may make a judgment that causes him to completely do the wrong thing, and his action can result in ending either his own life or the criminal's unnecessarily. Then, there is an officer that may be asked to be a part of a very special case, even though he may not have all of the skills to properly partake. This can also result in him taking a life unnecessarily (Girodo). To address this problem correctly, law enforcement agencies need to be very careful which officers do which jobs, and there also needs to be a better process put into place when it comes to selecting officers to serve. Officers must also be trained properly for the tasks that they are expected to do because when these officers are in a position where judgments must be made in regards to ending a person's life, there cannot be any errors. Once a life is ended, there is no getting it back, hence the reason that it is very important to be cautious and well trained. Another major issue that is to be considered is that there are individuals who fake personalities when taking the personality test, while in the process of becoming police officers, so they will be selected for the job. Some may not feel such a thing to be a severe issue; however, it is because some personalities are not right for the job of being a police officer, thus may cause force to be improperly used when it comes to the need to control criminals. According to an article titled "The Coachability and Fakability of Personality-Based Selection Tests Used for Police Selection, "individuals who wish to work for the police force may fake the personality inventory because they want to put on a show for their potential supervisors and get selected for the job. Furthermore, these potential officers may have coaching on how to answer these personality tests by job coaches or other organizations, so they are almost certain to get hired. But in reality, the evaluation is invalid, since it is faked, and those who have the wrong personality types are selected and are not fit for the job (Miller and Barrett). This is not at all safe, and it is a fine way to make society as a whole mistrust the police force-the very ones who we trust with our lives. One example of improper selection can be a prospect that lies on the personality test so it will appear that he is calm and level headed; on the other hand, he is ruled by his emotions and is not the type who can step back and think before making crucial decisions. Not to mention, this officer may be the type that is high strung and is quick to use violent force to control criminals, even if it is not at all necessary, all because he feels a power surge or may also possibly have anger issues. To prevent this from occurring, potential officers should not fake answers. Prospects should be given the tests without expecting it and without prior training, so questions can be answered honestly, and the selection process will be valid. Only then will the correct individuals be chosen to be police officers to serve and protect our society. The issue of politicizing the police and their policies is another huge one in relation to police force policies in that it can cause division in how matters are handled. For instance, conflict may arise in how to apply force to criminals when they become out of control or resist arrest. Individuals who are more liberal may feel that traditional policing techniques are too harsh. Then there is the issue on how to handle crimes like rape, street assault, and other forms of violence. The only way to solve the problem of the police being too politicized is to have a compromise that meets everyone in the middle, as far as applying force and handling various crimes is concerned, and the police officers should be more active in various parts of the government in order to have a hand in making policies that work best for both officers and civilians (McLeay). To be even more effective, there need to be lawmakers who are neutral in helping with the making of the policies, so they do not become slanted by political party. Then, there is the use of lethal weapons in situations where force is required to control ones who resist arrest. When criminals will not comply with the directives given by police officers, it is necessary that a level of force is used, so the police officers can keep the situation under control and bring the criminal into custody. Unfortunately, when such force involves the use of lethal weapons, the situation can become quite injurious, as both police officer and criminal can become severely hurt. According to an article published in the American Journal of Public Health, lethal weapons, such as guns, canines, and knight sticks account for thousands of injuries of police officers and civilians in the US each year (MacDonald, Kaminski, and Smith). The article also goes onto state that if less lethal weapons are used when force is needed to control criminals, the instances of injury to both police officers and criminals is significantly less. The problem is, however, that many departments still do not employ the use of such weapons as their first choice because there are still a large number of officers and law enforcement agencies who condone the use of lethal weapons on criminals as a first choice an will still resort to lethal measures, though, a number of officials are trying to implement such strategies into their plans to fight crime and keep criminals under control when it comes time to arrest them (MacDonald, Kaminski, Smith). When less lethal weapons, such as conductive energy devices and irritants, like pepper spray, are used, the likelihood of severe injury will decrease for all parties involved. Not to mention, the chance of lives being lost will be very minimal, and these methods are not too injurious. The article points out that the only ways that these methods can be remotely injurious or life threatening is if the criminal has health problems or allergic reactions to the chemical irritants. And even that is a rarity (MacDonald, Kaminski, and Smith). Nevertheless, these are better than reacting too quickly to take a person's life or using unnecessary force to injure them. The final issue that is in relation to the use of police force policy that is of great concern is how police can fight suicide terrorism. Because the issue of terrorism is quite serious these days, there has been a debate on how to handle terrorist incidences when they arise. Some say that police officers must respect the civil rights of all individuals, no matter the situation. Individuals believing this philosophy feel that offices must be restricted when it comes to the allowance of shooting to kill for the sake of self defense, and it must only be done in very serious circumstances. These individuals also are against traditional reactive policing methods. Then, there is the other side of the argument. The other side of the argument believes that the police need to be more harsh and strict. The police need to rule with an iron fist, so no instances of terrorism can get past and injure the general population. Problems can be found in either argument. For the argument that believes in respecting the civil rights of all individuals no matter what crime they commit or can potentially commit and restricting the action that police can take when defending the public can cause some very dangerous issues to arise when handling terrorism incidents. For one, if criminals are allowed too many liberties, terrorists can get under the radar and commit some unspeakable acts. Not to mention, the officer himself can be placed in harm's way. Then, there are the problems with the other side of the argument. If police were to rule with an iron fist, then chances are that the rights of some individuals will be violated that do not deserve it, and people may be handled too harshly. Crimes that are small in nature may be dealt with in a way that is much too heavy handed, and this could cause problems in society, such as a severe lack of trust in the police. Because we want to trust in our police officers, since they are who protect us and keep order in society, it is fitting that a solution be offered up that fights terrorism in the best way possible in order to keep us safe while at the same time, civil rights are still respected (Kennison and Loumansky). When this is achieved, then terrorism will be successfully dealt with in a way that does not impose on people's individuality. Civilians will not feel trampled upon or cramped, while at the same time, terrorists will be punished to the fullest extent of the law, as they very well should be. If terrorists are effectively dealt with in the harshest and most punitive way possible while at the same time respecting the rights and freedoms of the people, that will be an equation for a peaceful, happy, and safe society. Work towards perfecting the police policies as it pertains to force is taking place on all levels. Civilians are making their voices heard in regards to how they feel they should be treated and what they feel should be done to maintain the safety of society as a whole. Police officers are also making their voices heard in that they state what can be done to enable them to do their jobs to the best of their abilities. They take an active role in perfecting policies that are already in place and making new ones. Then comes the government officials. The government officials take an active role in seeing to it that the policies will serve all involved in the best way possible and keep order in society. Should these policies not be in the best interest of either party, work is done to either perfect them or make new ones. Many policies are currently in the works to serve the best interest of both police officers and civilians. Work Cited Girodo, Michel. "Personality and cognitive processes in life and death decision making: An exploration into the source of judgment errors by police special squads." International Journal of Psychology 42.6 (2007): 418-426. SPORTDiscus with Full Text. EBSCO. Web. 16 Apr. 2010. Kennison, Peter, and Amanda Loumansky. "Shoot to kill - understanding police use of force in combating suicide terrorism." Crime, Law & Social Change 47.3 (2007): 151-168. International Security & Counter Terrorism Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 17 Apr. 2010. MacDonald, John M., Robert J. Kaminski, and Michael R. Smith. "The Effect of Less-Lethal Weapons on Injuries in Police Use-of-Force Events." American Journal of Public Health 99.12 (2009): 2268-2274. SPORTDiscus with Full Text. EBSCO. Web. 15 Apr. 2010. McLeay, E.M. "Defining Policing Policies and the Political Agenda." Political Studies 38.4 (1990): 620-637. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 15 Apr. 2010. Miller, Corey E., and Gerald V. Barrett. "The Coachability and Fakability of Personality-Based Selection Tests Used for Police Selection." Public Personnel Management 37.3 (2008): 339-351. Education Research Complete. EBSCO. Web. 17 Apr. 2010. Read More