Law Enforcement Today
Law Enforcement Today
Adrienne Jackson
CJS/200
September 9, 2011
John Scott
Law Enforcement Today
In today’s society, law enforcement officers face many difficult and challenging issues. It is important for officers to be trained efficiently so that they can respond appropriately to these issues. Some of the issues law enforcement faces are: corruption, on-the-job dangers, deadly force, racial profiling, and exposure to civil liability. One of the most noteworthy challenges that police officers face is policing a multicultural society. In this paper, I am going to discuss these issues in detail, as well as how local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies interact with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. I will also offer suggestions on how this relationship may be improved.
The duty of law enforcement is to “protect and serve”. To do this, police officers must be able to police in a multicultural society. It is important for officers to understand and respect the differences in habits, customs, beliefs, patterns of thought, and traditions (Schmalleger, 2011). Once law enforcement officers understand and respect the differences in citizens of a multicultural society, this issue will resolve itself. Corruption is another issue facing police departments. There are many law enforcement officers who perform their duties with honor, and then there are others who do not. This is where corruption comes into play. According to the text, police corruption is “The abuse of police authority for personal or organizational gain” (Schmalleger, 2011, P 269). Corruption not only affects the officer, but the entire community, the police department, and every police department worldwide. Some examples of police corruption include violent crimes, property crimes, major bribes, gratuities, and denial of civil rights.
On-the-job dangers come with being a police officer. By nature, it is a very dangerous occupation. On-the-job dangers range from stress to automobile
Adrienne Jackson
CJS/200
September 9, 2011
John Scott
Law Enforcement Today
In today’s society, law enforcement officers face many difficult and challenging issues. It is important for officers to be trained efficiently so that they can respond appropriately to these issues. Some of the issues law enforcement faces are: corruption, on-the-job dangers, deadly force, racial profiling, and exposure to civil liability. One of the most noteworthy challenges that police officers face is policing a multicultural society. In this paper, I am going to discuss these issues in detail, as well as how local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies interact with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. I will also offer suggestions on how this relationship may be improved.
The duty of law enforcement is to “protect and serve”. To do this, police officers must be able to police in a multicultural society. It is important for officers to understand and respect the differences in habits, customs, beliefs, patterns of thought, and traditions (Schmalleger, 2011). Once law enforcement officers understand and respect the differences in citizens of a multicultural society, this issue will resolve itself. Corruption is another issue facing police departments. There are many law enforcement officers who perform their duties with honor, and then there are others who do not. This is where corruption comes into play. According to the text, police corruption is “The abuse of police authority for personal or organizational gain” (Schmalleger, 2011, P 269). Corruption not only affects the officer, but the entire community, the police department, and every police department worldwide. Some examples of police corruption include violent crimes, property crimes, major bribes, gratuities, and denial of civil rights.
On-the-job dangers come with being a police officer. By nature, it is a very dangerous occupation. On-the-job dangers range from stress to automobile
References: Reid, K. (2009). Race Issues and Stop and Search. Looking behind the Statistics(73(2)), 165-183. doi:10.1350/jcla.2009.73.2.562 Schmalleger, F. (2011). Criminal justice today: An introductory text for the twenty-first century (11th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.