Law Enforcement - Democracy
Exam #1 Julia Tucker
Number One
In a democracy, the citizens have the absolute right and expectation to expect that the police will listen to them and make laws according to them. Law enforcement officers gain their power and authority from the community. It is extremely important that law enforcement attend to the community’s needs as much as possible. There are five principles that law enforcement officers are expected to follow and maintain.
Balanced enforcement of the law is the first principle that is mandatory for an officer to follow. Balanced enforcement of the law is asking the question, “How much is an officer willing to pay for an absolutely safe community?” Even though it is important to capture wrongdoers, at what cost or extent is one going to go to, to capture a criminal? Also, citizens have a right to expect officers to be sensitive to following the written law as well as the intent to understand and practice those written laws. Openness and accessibility simply states that the officers should hear and respond to the citizen’s needs and concerns. Basically this is saying that law enforcement are public servants and are here to serve the public, rather than the other way around. Accountably is a very important principle, but sometimes, to some law enforcement officers, is thrown out the window. Sometimes, but rarely, when an officer, or a group of officers, perform an act they should not have, they do not take responsibility for their actions, and in some cases, neither does their chief. On the other hand, most agencies do take responsibility and are willing to admit that what they did was wrong, and will announce it publicly. Police officer adherence to the oath of office is an oath every officers sworn to. It is mandatory to support and defend the Constitution of the United States as well as honor and duty. The oath is not just about the spoken words, but rather it is a contract, a deal, and a promise to their community.
Number One
In a democracy, the citizens have the absolute right and expectation to expect that the police will listen to them and make laws according to them. Law enforcement officers gain their power and authority from the community. It is extremely important that law enforcement attend to the community’s needs as much as possible. There are five principles that law enforcement officers are expected to follow and maintain.
Balanced enforcement of the law is the first principle that is mandatory for an officer to follow. Balanced enforcement of the law is asking the question, “How much is an officer willing to pay for an absolutely safe community?” Even though it is important to capture wrongdoers, at what cost or extent is one going to go to, to capture a criminal? Also, citizens have a right to expect officers to be sensitive to following the written law as well as the intent to understand and practice those written laws. Openness and accessibility simply states that the officers should hear and respond to the citizen’s needs and concerns. Basically this is saying that law enforcement are public servants and are here to serve the public, rather than the other way around. Accountably is a very important principle, but sometimes, to some law enforcement officers, is thrown out the window. Sometimes, but rarely, when an officer, or a group of officers, perform an act they should not have, they do not take responsibility for their actions, and in some cases, neither does their chief. On the other hand, most agencies do take responsibility and are willing to admit that what they did was wrong, and will announce it publicly. Police officer adherence to the oath of office is an oath every officers sworn to. It is mandatory to support and defend the Constitution of the United States as well as honor and duty. The oath is not just about the spoken words, but rather it is a contract, a deal, and a promise to their community.