Presence in The Community
Presence in The Community
A positive community-law enforcement relation is an essential aspect to establish for any society to prosper. In my recent reviews on news articles, several deductions can be derived from the different experiences that the USA states experience. Generally, despite the laws enacted to guide the relations between the enforcers and the community, their interactions have continually been pervasive (Masera, 2021). The competitive aspect between them is mainly experienced within the urban settings. As found out from various news articles, there is still biasness in the enforcers’ operations. The fundamental law enforcement officers do not entirely submit themselves to enforcing laws equally and reasonably thereby degrading and demeaning some groups amongst the citizens (Leroux & McShane, 2017). Consequently, the unequal treatment leads to division in the society, with the discriminated groups creating enmity with the law enforcers.
Most communities within the United States have had a bad reputation with law enforcement when reviewed from history. However, current practices have been working inclusively with the police to create an improved society where both parties can work in harmony. Therefore, the current tensions between the police and communities have been rising (Buheji, 2020). Residents, in most cases, perceive police officers to be brutal individuals. In addition, the media also has a significant impact on the prevailing perception. Current campaigns have tried to advocate for the importance of police-community relations from different perspectives. The police departments have taken the first step in training the officers regarding the matter. They play a significant role in ensuring that the relations with the public are always healthy. The law enforcers have the responsibility that the public has a good perception of them so that they are likely to cooperate (Buheji, 2020).
The United States government has also attempted to foster the relationship through hanging the public perception regarding the police. The National Police Support Fund was formulated to regulate the extent to which public content displays law enforcers. The body, therefore, has the mandate to ensure that the media content does not show a bad reputation of the police to the public. It has been seen that a wrong perception of the police enhances less representation of the general public, especially the minority groups, which further facilitates misunderstandings and slip-ups (Masera, 2021). The police have, therefore, currently been encouraged to live within the community. Living together, we the individuals decrease the police perception of seeing individuals as offenders, while on the other hand creating a positive perception of the public about the police.
I also found out that there are volunteering programs as current strategies used to foster police-community relations. Similarly, all across the United States have still been strained along racial lines. Police trust and legitimacy have been biased, primarily to mistreat black Americans. Likewise, creating community immersion is a crucial tool. Community partnerships and coalitions with the societal leaders strengthen the bond during tension periods (Leroux & McShane, 2017). Some strategies such as walk beats have always proved successful; when police have regular contacts with the neighbourhood, it calls for cohesion.
However, in my analysis, I noted that there are strategies that can adopt community-police relations. Transparency is one of the major strategies that I found worth enhancement. People have to be made aware of the police roles and progress. Therefore, publishing reports concerning the police information for public purpose. As noted, the public tends to be comfortable and develop trust where they feel aware of what is going on (Leroux & McShane, 2017). Ensuring a solid relationship between the police and the community is essential for the future of the United States of America and other nations. Therefore, both parties involved will have to perform their duties responsibly.
To further improve community relations with law enforcement, there is a need to understand sensitive cultural backgrounds. Significantly, it is worth noting that most people may culturally encapsulate discrimination with no aim of bias but as a result of perception. The diversity regarding the backgrounds we have all grown up from should be appreciated, including the cultures and conditions. Further, Law enforcers are encouraged to remain sensitive to such issues and prevent any possible insults even when dealing with guilty offenders. Finally, I advocate for a more transactional model and active listening.
In most cases, the police have been observed to harass offenders by giving orders and commands. This method would be effective since the community prefers compassionate and human law enforcers rather than robotic and insensitive qualities. Conclusively, community relations efforts by law enforcement need to be maintained and restored in every state to ensure social and economic development without any form of discrimination.
References
Buheji, M. (2020). When Police Behave-A Transformation Program That Reshapes Police-Community Relationships Based on Problem Solving and Values. International Journal of Human Resource Studies, 10(3), 58. https://doi.org/10.5296/ijhrs.v10i3.17237
Leroux, E. J., & McShane, K. (2017). Changing youth attitudes toward the police through community policing programming. Journal of Community Psychology, 45(6), 810–822. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.21894
Masera, F. (2021). Police safety, killings by the police, and the militarization of US law enforcement. Journal of Urban Economics, 124, 103365. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jue.2021.103365