The Dangers That Police Officers Face in Rural Areas - Research Paper Example

Dangers in Rural Areas Order No. 282705 No. of pages: 15 1st 6530 Crime and policing are two of the most sensitive issues facing society today and what is most shocking is that the more progress and advancement made by nation’s around the world, the more civilized people become, but yet there is a dangerous escalating of crime both in the urban as well as in the rural areas. The problem of rural crime has taken on proportions much bigger than was thought possible, and the idea of rural communities as places of relative peace and quiet is seriously under consideration. The lack of serious police surveillance and adequate police personnel allows anti- establishment activities to prosper unhindered Introduction The personal safety and security of a rural police officer is a cause of stress to the police fraternity, as they are faced with isolation that poses great danger. The back- up required by an urban police officer is met with, almost instantly. Whenever the need arises, the urban police officer is assured of back-up within minutes. The same is not in the case of their rural counterparts because at most times there is the danger that relief comes when it is too late. In most cases it sometimes takes more than an hour to get help from back-up forces. This leads to stress on the part of the rural police officer even when they have to handle seemingly easy cases of domestic violence or auto crashes. A good example of this was an incident that took place on March 31st 1989, where help did not arrive in time and Maine State Police Detective Giles Landry was shot and killed after he responded to a call regarding a domestic dispute in a secluded spot in a rural area. When inspector Landry arrived at the scene of the crime, the suspects girlfriend made a beeline to the passenger seat of the detective’s patrol car, giving the suspect reason to believe that Detective Landry was indeed her lover because he was in an unmarked police car and moreover alone. The suspect had slowly approached the vehicle from the rear- end and shot at Landry twice through the window at the back, with a Ruger .44 caliber rifle, hitting Detective Giles Landry in the head, putting an end to him instantly. Immediately after this, the suspect shot at his girlfriend killing her on the spot and soon after that committed suicide himself. The detective officer had left behind a wife and their two children. There are countless such cases taking place especially in the rural areas, where unsuspecting police personnel are at the mercy of dangerous criminals. Such a dangerous situation could have been averted had the officer had a couple of other colleagues to help him out. It is rather unfortunate that officers become easy targets for dangerous criminals just because there is no proper back- up for the situation. It is rather imperative that such officers who give support and protection to the public on a daily basis, should be given added protection from such heartless and dangerous criminals. Coping with Stressful Situations There is a great amount of stress faced by the rural police force today because on one hand the population has increased considerably and on the other hand, crime has reached such sophistication that was absent in days gone by. The stress levels of these officers can be contained to some extent by three methods. These police officers can be trained in personal security, receive training and education about all concepts of stress and events and incidents that could lead to stress and make them understand the right way to deal with differences between perception and reality for much better outcomes. The budget set aside for the various activities of the small-town police stations and rural agencies is very small. It therefore becomes very difficult to increase the number of personnel which could cater to increasing the speed of the back up force. Hence, this is not a very feasible proposition. The practical solution to this problem is to teach the officers how to defend themselves from criminals and train them in the art of security. These officers should be trained in stress management which includes recognizing stress symptoms, coping with them and overcoming them. High levels of stress can be alleviated by desensitizing the rural police officers who can be made aware of the ground realities that are known to exist in small towns. Different Encounters - Drug Gangs Research over the years has found that there are “few gang migrants in small cities related to an organized drug trade.” (Crime Control Digest, 1997; Maxson, Woods, & Klein, 1996) According to the Associated Press in 1992 involving gangs, it stated that “gang-related activity [that] has spread from big cities into Indianas small towns and rural areas" (Associated Press, 1992) one of the state police gang experts in Indiana was of the opinion that such gangs migrated or shifted along some of these interstate routes in order that they could further expand their existing drug markets. However, Lotke (1996) states that “Crime stereotypes, of course are not limited to gangs.” From intelligence reports collected from outside different jurisdictions of law enforcement, transformed or changed evidence from illicit drugs to possible gang invasions. Police officers were of the opinion that gangs transpired “seemingly overnight” while some of them lamented that the police “simply waited too long” instead of dealing with them immediately. (See "Police say area targeted by drug dealers," McFadden, 1991, p. A8) Referring to Bloomington (McFadden, 1991, p. A8) stated that…. should waste no time in preparing for the gangs arrival" (McFadden, 1991, p. A8). This outside advice prompted Bloomingtons police and mayor to "map out a plan for repelling gangs" (McFadden, 1991, p. A8). Crime Myths Mundane occurrences can prove to be subversive dangers to the police in case they believed in crime myths. A good example of this was when “police transformed reports of livestock killed by natural predators into satanic mutilations (Hicks, 1990). Even though there was a lack of evidence regarding satanic related crime, yet police did not deter from spreading the news of “a satanic crime model among their colleagues.” (Hicks, 1990) Especially information regarding cult gangs spreads very easily from police in one area to those in the other areas through the internet, seminars and conferences. The myths about gang crime prevail higher over realities. For example, if a gang was very violent, it was interpreted that the gang was deeply involved in drug trade. In the same way, Block and Block (1993) “found turf battles, rather than drugs, as the main cause of gang violence.” Felson (1998, p. 17) goes a step further by stating that “even law enforcement has played a role in nurturing the image of juvenile gangs as coherent, ruthless groups" and called this social construction the "juvenile gang fallacy." Another myth that came under speculation was that “police accounts of gangs could influence anti-gang attitudes in other officers, making them "more likely to identify problematic groups as gangs." Quinn and Downs (1993b, p. 221) Gang Indicators Specific gangs have specific indicators, but most gangs follow a certain dress code which the police try to identify with. Most police try to focus their attention on such non-criminal indicators and try to familiarize themselves with their salient points so it enables them to pick out criminals from a crowd. Some of these indicators are peculiar hair-cuts, use of heavy jewellery such as earrings, chains, jackets, earrings, tattoos, “hats and haircuts of big city gangs, we are certain there is gang activity on campus" (Denny, 1991e, p. F1) In 1992 internal memorandum officers stated that they "started noticing youth wearing blue bandannas [sic], sports logo caps (on sideways) and large oversized sports logo clothes which would be consistent with gang apparel that we had received in training from other departments [emphasis added]" (Bloomington Police Department Memorandum, 1995). Many research studies have shown that perceptions of the police in much smaller jurisdictions rely mostly on the different gang symbols than the crime. According to both (Quinn & Downs, 1995) "What is both clear and startling ... is the lack of effect that the frequency of various types of crime have upon the perception of a serious gang problem.” Gang experts from Indianapolis outlined other “key indicators” involving gang infiltration. These were – 1) more violent crime, 2) more drive by shoot outs, 3) increasing number of youth possessing weapons, 4) and an increasing trend of gang-related graffiti. . A security guard saw "spray-painted graffiti [that] features specific signs and symbols associated with the Vice Lords, Hellraisers, Black Gangster Disciples and Latin Kings" (Denny, 1991e, p. F1). Body of the Essay The police force catering to the rural areas are much smaller compared to their city counterparts, and sometimes work part-time in their area of jurisdiction quite distinct from urban areas. In USA the rural police are made up of “the municipal police, the office of the Sheriff, and one of the two specific state law enforcement agencies: the State police or the highway patrol.” (David Levinson, 1418) In these communities, there may “only be a part time police presence, or possibly none at all.”(ACSSA Briefing NO.3 June 2004 pg14) Statistics of crime in urban and rural areas show a vast discrepancy, where the general perceptions are sharply overturned. In 2005, the aggregate rate of crime for the least populated 700 rural US counties was 236.3, compared to its most populous urban areas. (Joseph F. Donnermeyer, 2007) Rural areas are being used as manufacturing hubs for such illicit drugs as methamphetamines and marijuana. They are also utilized as transshipment points for a host of illegal items such as stolen goods, illegal cash shipments and the ubiquitous drugs. These areas have become fertile grounds for several urban gangs to operate from. Rural crime on its own, in the main, consists of large scale livestock thievery, stealing of food grains and farm equipment. (Weisheit, Wells, Falcone, 1995) The problem of geographical isolation is one of the greatest problems in rural crime and policing and very often “differential access to medical treatment in rural and urban areas’ may be one of the reasons for low reporting of crimes from rural areas in spite of the fact that the rate of violence maybe the same in urban and rural settings. (Levinger, 1977) In a study conducted by Arthur in 1991, it was found that different types of violence and property crimes in rural areas were motivated by higher levels of poverty, unemployment, and dependence on governmental aid. Rural police departments are woefully understaffed and a sheriff in one of the rural areas was found to be working with just 3 officers, including himself and their duty consisted of patrolling the country 24x 7. Police in rural areas are directly under the Sheriff’s purview and his duties, apart from the obvious one of law enforcement, includes also, judicial services, transportation of prisoners, seizure of property, collection of taxes, and his hands are full with official matters and in the event of lack of backup, his services are often spread thin, causing unnecessary danger to his life as well as those of the victim. The concerns addressed by the police are of a similar nature in both urban and rural areas but in a rural setting they tend to become slightly different where treatment of the force is concerned. One of the biggest challenges that they face is the problem of being “physically isolated but socially under a microscope.” (pg. 90) This is seen most clearly in the work of conservation officers, whose work takes them to remote areas where access to back up is very difficult and time constrained. These officers tend to work alone and the nearest support for them may be as far as 50 miles away. Apart from this, the population which they need to control is more often than not armed, and well versed in the use of guns and other weapons. They face the dangers alone sure that any backup, in case of injury is far away. (Walsh and Donovan, 1984, p. 337) Problems Faced in Rural Areas Officers who work in rural areas have to wait for a long time for backup, and geographic isolation is problem related to their job profile. Their interrogation of suspects is often conducted in the absence of witnesses. Their lack of backup is best summed in the words of a New Mexico state trooper who said that, when he served in Vietnam, medical help was available in 10 minutes but when wrecked on the highway, he had to wait for “45 minutes before help gets there.”(Applebome,1987, p. 11) Rural areas are generally said to be less prone to violent crimes, but statistics point out otherwise. According to a report, in 2002, of the total number of officers killed while on duty, 33 per cent belong to areas with less than 10,000 people with 26% of them serving populations of less than 25,000.A similar pattern is seen in assault cases where 26%of these are seen in rural areas as compared to 27% cases in cities with a population of a quarter million. ("Law Enforcement Officers Killed & Assaulted"; 2002) Rural police officers may not be victims of assault to as great a degree as their urban counterparts, but it has been seen that police who serve smaller towns are victims of deadly assault. (pg. 93) this could be in part because of the accuracy of the assaulter, who because of his rural environment is a better marksman than his urban counterpart. The gun culture is prevalent in rural areas with a greater number of people owning guns (Wright, Rossi, and Daly (1983)) and it is found that while only about 27 per cent of city dwellers may own some kind of a gun, the percentage of rural dwellers owning guns is more than 75 per cent. (p. 106) Availability of guns may lead to the gun related violence and some of the problems which they present are of a peculiar kind. Gun ownership is legitimate for hunters, who sometimes had to be confronted by the police and in a study conducted by Walsh and Donovan they found that 72.7 per cent of Pennsylvania conservation officers have had to face “a deadly weapon pointed at them in the performance of their duty.” (p. 335) Police officers serving in small communities have “general law enforcement duties,” which include such tasks as investigating theft, streamlining traffic, providing first aid to victims of accidents, apart from their regular duties of preventing crime and protecting citizens. (MOIS, Occupational Outlook Handbook, System of Interactive Guidance Plus, Michigan Occupational Information System and Delta College Catalog) A study sponsored by the Home Office found that police marksmen who are sent to tackle firearm incidents lack medical backup. This lack of backup often proves fatal and also reduces the chance of success of the operation. When looked at from the point of view of the officer’s life, it has been found that the first 15 minutes in any life-threatening incident are critical to the survival of the victim. Not only this, it has been suggested that firearms officers should be equipped with the knowledge of dealing with such medical emergencies, or at least a doctor should accompany such teams. This suggestion was made by police officers themselves, in their unpublished study. Officers also found that the delay and sometimes difficulty in getting an ambulance to this incident spot affects the rural police. (Jason Bennetto Crime Correspondent, ‘The Independent) The RCMP, or the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, has made it a matter of policy that Mounties, must travel in pairs in rural areas while answering calls which involves a threat of violence, use of weapons, domestic quarrels and where radio contact may not be possible. These changes were made following the death of eight RCMP officers who was serving in “small detachments” Even in relatively less dangerous cases, like that of domestic violence, it has been found that single police men have to “wait for back up” , sometimes from neighboring towns, before they can go to the spot where the incident has taken place. (ACSSA BRIEFING NO.3 JUNE 2004 pg14) One of the reasons for this is the application of patrol models in rural areas, that are being modeled on the lines of urban patrols, which is a completely different environment. J. R. Birge and S. M. Pollock, in their paper entitled “Modeling Rural Police Patrol” remarked upon the necessity to consider the length of time taken to travel into these large areas with sparse populations, whose problems are unique when compared to their urban counterparts. Enforcement of laws According to Turk, A. (1969), coercive enforcement of laws occurs when police perceive disenfranchised groups who are equally powerful, as potential threats to the status quo. Though most groups of people adhere to informal social - control techniques, yet there are many areas that remain challenged especially where there is inequality due to differential allowance to legislative power. However, when coercion becomes increasingly necessary, it is a sign that those to whom the force is applied refuse to acknowledge the legitimacy and authority of the state (Weber, 1946). This is considered to be an instability within the social order. In lieu of this, it is rather disconcerting that the war waged on gangs by the police of today could be fueled by unwanted definitions or nonsensical mythical beliefs. When such groups are antagonized by the police, they respond to them by refusing to recognize their authority. Aggressive Enforcement of Law In a few cases police personnel have been accused of a militarized response in order to combat drug and gang invasion. In one case, where they arrested the county clerk for being in the possession of one- half ounce of Marijuana stirred up news reports about the harassing tactics of the police. The clerk accused the police of being "arrogant, callous and confrontational" (see "Police tactics were arrogant, reckless," Bennett, 1993, p. Al). (9) In another incident, police where accused of keeping a woman and her male partner seminude after ordering them out of their hot tub (see "Chief: intimidation part of law enforcement," Dworkin, 1993a).during a raid of her mobile home. In another incident where police made a discovery of three grams of Marijuana, couple was threatened that their child would be taken away from them if they did not disclose the name of their drug supplier. Though they were given custody of the child yet they lost their apartment because the police had laid pressure on the landlord to evict them. In one more episode that involved harassment by the police, during a drug raid, where no drugs were found, a couple made a complaint that she or her mother were not allowed to dress properly. They stated, "What happened to everyones constitutional rights of innocent until proven guilty?" (See "Couple: police were abusive during search of their home," Dworkin, 1993b, p. A9). The public took this aggression by the police as a great offence and took to the streets. An analysis carried out for the court house records made a confirmation that there was an increase in cases of drug arrests in addition to the complaints against aggressive police personnel. In responding to complaints lodged by citizens, the Board of Public Safety took action and reviewed and investigated police behavior and conduct and came to the conclusion that whatever they did was done legally. However, the Board went a step further than the police chief and met citizen complaints by reviewing drug enforcement tactics and recommending changes (see "Board report clears police," Fowler,1993b). Defining Situations When there is very little or no evidence at all, defining a situation as dangerous or threatening, results in totally different outcomes. Police define themselves as a "thin blue line" separating the law-abiding from the criminal (Wilson, 1957, p. 60) while defining gang members "as diametrically opposed" to police and as a threat to the moral and social order (Herbert, 1997, p. 111). Such definitions make gangs wary and suspect because suspicions by the police are readily accepted as accurate when wars are undergirded. Crime control over wars, are more emphasized through symbols rather than pure evidence. According to Chambliss and Seidman (1971, p. 273), such a climate means "the police are probably operating with extra severity against these groups [poor minorities]." In recent episodes faced by the police such as police officers trials for the death of Amadou Diallo in the 1999 Bronx shooting and a conduct investigation of the LAPDS Crash etc. directed towards the Street Hudlums gang unit, gave indications of excessive force that was meted out to the urban minorities. Conclusion Policing in the rural areas remains a very challenging task even today. The success of neighborhood or rural policing depends largely on how the police and partner agencies cater to all the needs of their own local communities and the manner in which they tackle the issues on hand. Rural policing has every chance of it being as successful as urban policing provided they adopt as well as adapt different techniques to make this dream a reality. Though distance remains a huge criterion in the rural areas, yet responding immediately with the necessary back up could improve the situation. Though some crimes are uniquely rural such as those involving theft of agricultural machinery and diesel in addition to people being more vulnerable due to isolation, yet a more closer watch over these places could help to bring down the crime rate as well as avoid police becoming victims of them. With regard to aggressive behavior meted out to the public by police personnel, they had come under the scrutiny of the press, the public and the public safety board. The unrest among the citizens was a motivational factor for bringing about changes in conduct of the local police. Nevertheless, the laws on drugs and drug gangs remain the same and aggression towards the same continues and so does social unrest which seems to place the American social order in jeopardy. This goes to prove that greater consideration and attention has to be made in the area of conflicts and their implications involving policing in a democratic country. References Applebome, Peter (1987, December 12). Some say frontier is still there, and still different. The New York Times, p. 11. ACSSA BRIEFING - Chapter NO.3 Sexual assault in rural communities... JUNE 2004 pg16 http://www.aifs.gov.au/acssa/pubs/briefing/b3pdf/acssa_brief3_barriers.pdf Arthur, John A. (1991). Socioeconomic predictors of crime in rural Georgia. Criminal Justice Review, 16(1), 29-41. Block, C. R., & Block, R. (1993). Street gang crime in Chicago. Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice Bloomington Police Department Memorandum (1995). Gang activity and violence in Bloomington. Chambliss, W. J., & Seidman, R. B. (1971). Law, order and power. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley. Crime and Policing in Rural and Small-Town America: An Overview of the ... www.ncjrs.gov. - Feb 11, 2005 Crime and Policing in Rural and Small-Town America: An Overview of the Issues. Crime Control Digest (1997). Violent gangs spread largely through migration of families. Washington, DC: Washington Crime News Services. David Levinson. Encyclopedia of Crime and Punishment.  One http://policechiefmagazine.org/magazine/index.cfm?fuseaction=display_arch&article_id=450&issue_id=112004 Dr. Ralph A. Weisheit, Dr. L. Edward Wells, Dr. David N. Falcone. Series: NIJ Research Report. Published: September 1995 Dr. Ralph A. Weisheit Dr. L. Edward Wells Dr. David N. Falcone. Crime and Policing in Rural and Small-Town America: An Overview of the Issues, Rural Police Project, Department of Criminal Justice. Illinois State University, Series: NIJ Research Report Published: September 1995 132 pages Dworkin, A. (1993a). Chief: Intimidation part of law enforcement. The Herald-Times, p. A1, All. Dworkin, A. (1993b). Couple: Police were abusive during search of their home. The Herald-Times, p. Al, A9. Jason Bennetto, Gun police lack good medical back-up -Crime Correspondent. News – The Independent, Saturday, 11 April 1998 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/gun-police-lack-good-medical-backup-1155572.html JOSEPH F. DONNERMEYER, (2007) and Restoration, International Journal of Rural Crime, 1:2-20, Rural Sociology Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA Rural Crime: Roots http://books.google.co.in/books?id=aiQ09D7nWxYC&pg=RA2-PA1418&lpg=RA2-PA1418&dq=police+in+rural+areas&source=bl&ots=93rXvmgJD2&sig=rR_HtBzfhVqIRgqUk2MrE4bNbSE&hl=en&ei=6W7MSbX6J4GBkQWBquXICQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=5&ct=result#PRA2-PA1418,M1 Lotke, E. (1996). Issues and answers, sex offenders: Does treatment work? National Center on Institutions and Alternatives. Available: http://www.igc.apc.org/ncia Maxson, C. L., Woods, K. J., & Klein, M. W. (1996). Street gang migration: How big a threat? National Institute of Justice Journal, 230, 26-31. Quinn, J. F., & Downs, B. (1995). Predictors of gang violence: The impact of drugs and guns on police perceptions in nine states. Journal of Gang Research, 2, 15-27. System of Interactive Guidance Plus, Lawenforcementpolice.doc updated 10/07 Sources: MOIS, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Michigan Occupational Information System and Delta College Catalog, Career Center, D 132, Bay City/Saginaw: (989) 686-9072 Sources: (1) "Law Enforcement Officers Killed & Assaulted"; 2002; US Department of Justice, FBI; Turk, A. (1969). Criminality and legal order. Chicago: Rand McNally & Company. Walsh, William F., and Donovan, Edwin J. (1984). Job stress in game conservation officers. Journal of Police Science and Administration, 12(3), 333-338. Weber, M. (1946). Politics as a vocation. In H. H. Gerth & C. Wright Mills, From Max Weber: Essays in sociology (pp. 77-128). New York: Oxford University Press. Weisheit, R. A., Wells, L. E., & Falcone, D. N. (1995). Crime and policing in rural and small-town America. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice. Williard M. Oliver. The Four Stress Factors Unique to Rural Patrol Revisited. Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas. Read More