Social Contract

There were many things I learned in this class from week one to week seven. In week one, I learned the concept of a social contract between the government and the people. It deals with the agreement made by both parties to regulate society. Under this contract, members of society agree to give up certain natural rights in exchange for security, comforts and order. The government is entrusted with creating an effective system for regulating conduct that are in the best interest of the people and creating forums to resolve conflicts between citizens (Gaines et al, 2014). The people have the power to select government officials and keep certain individual’s rights that protects them against government invasion. Due to this social contract, in America, powers are shared between the central government, state and local level called Federalism. It is based off
democratic rules, delegated powers and check and balance to prevent a concentration of power to one governmental entity. Powers and responsibilities are delegated to all governmental entities that allows them to work within their specific area while continuing to work together as a nation.
In week two, I learned about the origin of law enforcement. Policing is a concept that has been established since the B.C. era. Police function was vested with the military (Gaines et al, 2014). They helped protect kings and pharaohs and their interests. They also performed perform security details around the city such as guarding scared properties, locations, patrolling the streets, regulate trade and called upon during emergencies. The police force was a means of power and control but did help maintain order in society. In the 1800s, the concept of policing changed and was redefined to give the police purpose and someone new to protect; the people. Due the Industrialization Revolution, the cities of London were overcrowding which resulted in a rise of criminal activities. The police force was disorganized and corrupt and lead to many riots and civil unrest. It wasn’t until the need to reforms that England created the first police force and its purpose with Robert Peel help. Robert Peel restructure the police organization and created the concept of community and ethical policing to improve police operation. America adopted Peels’ idea and throughout the years, improved on civil rights, due process policies and community policing.
In week three, I learned about federal laws that dictates the hiring process. There are two main federal laws that plays a huge impact on police hiring. The biggest on is Title VII of Civil Rights Act of 1964. It first prohibits employer from discriminate against hiring people for their race, color, sex, national origin, or religion and against discriminate against classes or groups of people. The Americans with Disabilities Act protects persons with disabilities from discrimination in the workplace. However, an organization can lawfully discriminate against candidates with mental and physical disabilities unless their conditions hinder them from fulfilling police duties beyond any reasonable accommodations the organization can provide (Rubin, 1994).
In week four, I learned about Weber’s bureaucratic approach. The bureaucratic model is a type of management of an organization in regards to rules, regulations, processes, patterns and procedures. There are seven principles of the bureaucratic model that was designed to produce the organization’s desired result. Structure is the same as saying hierarchy. It consists of every personnel having a superior figure to report to as well as each level of authority is subjected to the control by a higher level. Specialization is the division of labor. Every personnel are qualified and assigned to an area of responsibility. Qualification and promotion are based of job performance and merits. Predictability, stability and rationality pertains to information gathering, policies, procedures and analysis. Democracy is the last principle that ensures all personnel are treated equal, fair, have certain rights and allow for upward and downward level communication to overall improve the conditions and productivity of the workers.
In week five, I learned about the many mechanisms that helps control police discretion.
Internal mechanisms is what police departments can do to regulate discretion. Police departments can limit police discretion through management and training. Management can established guidelines, policies and a code of ethics within the department to improve officers’ performance and accountability (Kelling, 1999). Supervisors are needed to oversee its subordinates activities, productivity and effectiveness of their subordinates to ensure their actions are aligned with department’s policies. Training should be given to all officers. Ethical decision-making training should consist of good judgement, good decision-making, and common sense, building rapport with the community and service roles.
In week six, I learned about deontological ethics. It is the concept of judging morality based on rules to govern actions. When faced with choices, these rules will dictate whether the action is required, forbidden or permitted (Alexander, 2007). It is the belief that morally actions are based off of duty and not personal
satisfaction.
In week seven, I learned about the SARA model. Community policing is the philosophy of bringing the community and the police into a strategic partnership to address crime and disorder. The SARA model is a proactive approach to deal with issues of crime and disorder through the process of identify, addressing, solving and preventing crime before they occur (Lawrence & McCarthy, 2013). The S stands for scanning which is to identify and describe the problem. The A stands for analysis which is to identify persons involves and gathering historical information on the issue(s). R stands for response which is to collaborate with the community to brainstorm on solutions and implement an action plan. Lastly, the last A stands for assessment which is to evaluate the solution(s)’ impact. If the solution(s) were ineffective, the SARA process restarts.