Eisenhower] coined the phrase ‘military-industrial complex’ (M.I.C) in an attempt to raise the public consciousness about the undue influence of militarization in society” (Kraska, 5). This was a warning of a growing connection between the government and the military, as well as the weapon and equipment industry that supplies the latter. However, Eisenhower did not predict that this trend would be tied to the country’s new response to domestic crime that would later develop towards the end of and after the Cold War. “Why have police gone the military route? It dates to the riots of the 1960s, attacks on the police by radical groups in the 1970s, and the war on drugs in the 1980s and 1990s. Then came the war on terror” (USA Today). The United States has constructed a national threat out of civilian crime, “waging war” on its citizens as if they are enemies. The use of this terminology has reinforced an already intense fear of crime and contributes to a growing gap between officer and civilian and treats the latter as malevolent on a national scale. As seen in Stephen Hill and Randall Beger’s citations of Tony Fitzpatrick and Jude McCulloch, this plan of action is attributed to a need to handle criminals that operate across national borders. Whether this need is a result of external factors (exogenous) or internal factors (endogenous) is unclear (28). Whatever the cause of this dangerous ideology, it has created an environment that…
There have been many cases not only discussed in this article and these books, but also in the nationwide news. In the article Two Books Argue the Case for Police Reform From Within, the moral of the story is that police officer should start viewing themselves as guardians as opposed to warriors, in hopes that this will transfer into their actions and help mend the relationship between the police task force and the diverse communities and neighborhoods of the United…
A subculture is made up of the symbols, beliefs, values, and attitudes shared by members of a subgroup within a larger society according to our book: Criminal Justice in America 7e. Like a subculture of any professional group, police subculture is defined as a specific set of beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors exhibited by those in law enforcement according to study.com. The subculture of the police helps exemplify the “cops world” and roles each officer plays in it. The dynamic of ‘us’ (the police) in contrast to ‘them’ (the public) can create both a positive and negative attitude for the police.…
This thesis will examine the public perception of the consolidation of two of Michigan’s small police departments, The City of Walled Lake and the…
Walker, S., & Katz, C. M. (2011). The police in America: An introduction (7th ed.).New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.…
Describe and summarize the history of American Police to include the political era, the professional model era, and the community model era.…
Policing in the America is a working progress and evolving. There is a constant struggle between protecting the rights of the people as requested by law and really serving and protecting the people. There are three eras of policing, the political era (1840-1930), the reform era (1930-1980), the community era(1980-present). The political era was an era that was characterized by political influence, corruption and relationship building.…
The function of policing has played a considerable role in American history. The policing occupation has worked toward protecting citizens’ rights and helping America to become the free nation it is today. The United States of America is built from the U.S. Constitution and its Bill of Rights, from this document we gather the rules of policing and make sure that every Americans rights are met. The evolutions of policing practices that officers have learned have changed American history for the better. As new problems in society arise, police must change and adapt to protect and serve the public.…
Walker, S., & Katz, C. M. (2011). The police in America: An introduction (7th ed.). New York, NY:…
Throughout the history of the United States, the ranks of police officers have been dominated by white males. As a result, the underrepresentation of minorities and women has long been a problem in policing. Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1972 Equal Employment Opportunity Act made discriminating against any individual based upon their color, sex, religion or national origin illegal, thus paving the way for more minorities and women to become police officers. Before the implementation and enforcement of these acts, it was extremely difficult for minorities and women to get a job in policing. Experts in the field of law enforcement maintain that diversity in…
The 1960s and 1970s were probably some of the most tumultuous years of U.S. policing history; namely because of the many social problems that were brought to attention during these years. Unfortunately, the police were set to the main light as an entity that helped to permeate these issues, becoming the main focus of blame in the public eye.…
This trend has been growing since the 1980s. According to the study done by Peter Kraska and Victor Kappeler in the 1990s, the militarization of police had increased exponentially from the 1980s into the late 1990s. If the growth is following this same pattern, current police militarization is continually on the rise. Some factors that contribute to this increase can be larger threats across the world from terror groups, such as ISIS, or from growing violent crime rates in the United States. Many organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, believe that the growing militarization of police is a threat to the freedoms of American citizens (“Police Militarization”). These organizations fight to promote awareness of this trend, and they work to spread the word of one’s rights within the justice system. Awareness of police militarization is the first step in ensuring this practice receives adequate attention to promote…
In the daily life of police officers, the day can begin with abject boredom and transform into harrowing danger. There is never a pattern to what may occur. Many come into a police career with the desire to help others and make a difference in their community or even the world. During the time when I began my career as an officer, there was a push for professionalism and a return to protecting and serving of the public. This came from the decades of racism, enforcement of white supremacy, and using officers as a way to take civil liberties. During the latter portion of the eighties and early nineties, professional police service was the work ethic being installed into new police officers. Throughout my career, I have witnessed a change from professional teachings, to more militarized elitist teachings. This has been particularly evident in the past ten years. In past studies, researchers have found attitudes toward police have been mainly cultivated through officer interaction with people, and through media effects (Mazerolle, et al., 2013, Avdija & Giever, 2010). However, it is my belief that things have significantly changed with regards…
Stoughton contends that a more fundamental reform is necessary: the core principles of policing need to be adjusted to change how officers view their job and their relationship with the community. The article also contributes to the discussion by arguing that police reform requires changing officers’ attitudes about policing itself. A few things the article stated was to encourage rightful policing, the value system that guides officer decision making must encourage individual officers to continually reconcile the short-term goals of policing, such as order maintenance and crime response, with the long-term goals, particularly improving police/community relations. To that end, law enforcement culture should seek to instill in officers the priorities of a Guardian: protecting civilians from unnecessary indignity and harm. Part I describes the evolution of policing, tracing the profession’s guiding principles and distinguishing characteristics from the world’s first modern public police agency. Part II introduces the Warrior principles that have permeated modern policing and discusses the effect those principles have had on the profession. It first describes the positive attributes of the Warrior that policing so highly values: honor, duty, resolve, and a willingness to engage in righteous violence. It then explores the psychological and practical appeal of the Warrior concept, and it describes how the Warrior imagery and rhetoric have become ubiquitous in law enforcement. Part III offers an alternative set of guiding principles in the form of Guardian policing. Guardian policing has enjoyed a surge in popularity among some police leaders, and Guardian rhetoric has appeared in the report issued by President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, popular media stories, and articles intended for a law enforcement audience. We previously as a class readied and discussed as wrote analysis on the 21st Century of Policing and the panel…
SWAT teams are increasingly being deployed across the country -- and it 's happening with almost no supervision. For nearly half a century, America’s police forces have undergone a process of “militarization.” They’ve upped their cache of assault weapons and military defense gear, increasingly deployed SWAT teams to conduct ops-style missions on civilians, and inculcated a warrior attitude within their rank. While major metropolitan areas have maintained SWAT teams for decades, by the mid 2000’s, 80 percent of small towns also had their own paramilitary forces. But beyond deep reporting of individual journalists and scholars, little is known about the extent of militarization across…