Free Essay

Police Influence on Society

In:

Submitted By marylambschool1
Words 732
Pages 3
When discussing historical events that have impacted policing in the United States as it relates to different ethnic groups and social classes’ one can’t help but think about the infamous Rodney King beating. The Rodney King beating was a critical period in United States history. On March 3, 1991 following a high speed chase through a rough area of Los Angeles California five Los Angeles Police Officers brutally beat King in the middle of a roadway offering no mercy as he lay in the fetal position soaking up each hit that was delivered from the varies officers. From a nearby balcony a witness caught the beating of King. Whether or not Mr. King resisted the officers following the chase- the violence that followed was most certainly unwarranted. Many officers also stood near where the brutality was taking place, but offered no assisted to King- this footage was aired on national television. The outrage of the public was enough to begin a second riot all of its own. With tension between the Los Angeles Police Departments and African Americas already high in the area, this situation offered no mercy from either party. In 1992 Los Angeles police officers- Laurence Powell, Timothy Wind, Theodore Briseno and Stacey Koon where all charged by Los Angeles County with criminal offenses, including assault with a deadly weapon (Rodney King, 2012). The officers was set to take place in Los Angeles county, but it was argued by the defense attorneys that a fair trial would not be possible because the amount of publicity that surrounded the case. From Los Angeles the case was moved to nearby Simi Valley, approximately 45 miles southeast of Los Angeles, a predominantly white suburb of Los Angeles. The officers were acquitted of all charges soon after the move to Simi Valley. No blacks were presented on the jury panel.

In April of 1992 shortly after the ruling, South Central Los Angeles erupted in riots, said to have been a result of the acquittals. The riot resulted in more than 9,500 arrests for looting, arson, and rioting, 2,000 injuries, and more than 50 deaths (Rodney King, 2012).

Since the Rodney King beatings, and Los Angeles riots that followed one year later, Los Angeles and the rest of the United States have made tremendous changes to the criminal justice procedures in an effort to stop racially motivated violence within the police force forever. According to the Los Angeles Times (Rodney King Case Led To Major Lapd Reforms, 2012), during the Rodney King beating the Los Angeles police force was made up of predominately white officers. Since then the force has grown from 41 percent of non-white officers to 64 percent, according to department figures. Under police Chief William Bratton after the King beating the Log Angeles Police Department changed its focus to hiring more minority officers to join the force. The wave of hiring was an attempt to relieve the heightened tensions throughout the culturally diverse community and its officers.

Policing in multicultural communities is evident in most major cities through the United States. Police have been forced to adapt to an ever changing multicultural society. In order to effectively police communities of multicultural societies a diverse police force is relevant to a police department’s needs. Effective positive policing has the ability to build a community up with trusting, positive relationships between police officers and civilians. Positive relationships between communities and policing can help reduce the amount of crime as well, due to the fact that police and civilians share a mutual respect for one another. It is no longer a game of cat and mouse, but more so a Neighborhood Watch system.

Before the actions that took place on the dark cold night in March 1991, when civilians spoke of police brutality some thought the stories of abuse were being made up. The abuse that was caught on tape from a nearby apartment window made police focus on racial brutality and misconducted within the community. Americas focus was forced to change, and it did. Rodney King never meant to change the way of policing. In the end, he changed policing forever.

References

Rodney King. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.biography.com/people/rodney-king-9542141

Rodney King case led to major LAPD reforms. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/06/18/rodney-king-case-led-major-lapd-reforms

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Police Influence on Society

...Police Influence on Society Stephanie Jennings CJA/344 February 11, 2013 Stephen Humphries Police Influence on Society There are different factors when it comes to the police influence on society. The factors can be both negative and positive on society. The police are in the community to protect and serve. The main purpose of law enforcement is to maintain order and to investigate criminal activity in the United States. The history of American policing was learned from Great Britain and adapted by America. The first ideal people to do the policing were healthy young boys and men that had come over with the Europeans on the first ships to venture to America (Trojanowicz, R. C., 1991). The main reason was to protect themselves from the natives who did not want to share their land. The natives, in time, became more settled and the two groups were able to live more successfully together. Policing became one of the primary duties of the Justices of the Peace. Evolution soon took hold of the colonies and they became cities and towns. This made it more of a priority to organize forms of law enforcement. In 1636, “The Night Watch” was born and it was to be a productive way to control the actions and criminal activities of the area of Boston. New York took the idea in 1651 and created the “Shout and Rattle Watch.” There was success and failures in both cities but Philadelphia felt that policing could be more productive is the area was divided and assigned to small...

Words: 751 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Police Influence on Society

...Police Influence on Society Robin Betts CJA/344 December 7, 2015 Diana Mitchell Police Influence on Society Policing has been evolving slowly but surely since the 1950s. The traditional policing model was exposed during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. America is known as a country of diverse ethnic, racial, and religious groups. Or as many would refer to America as a melting pot. This is not the case though. Policing in smaller homogeneous societies tend to be more uniformed. The reason for this is that people tend to know each other on more intimate levels. Most of the time they have the same outlooks on the world and the same view about what is considered right and wrong. Social control is easier to achieve in smaller homogeneous towns. There is a general agreement about what is wrong or right, bad or good, illegal or legal. This is called the “collective conscience”(McNamara & Burns, 2009). The morality is stronger in theses community because there is a greater agreement on the importance of social life and their involvement in it. The bad side to this society is that change will happen very slowly or there will be no change at all. Heterogeneous societies are completely the opposite. People in this group are way more diverse and come from many different racial and ethnical backgrounds. Instead of building trust and getting to know each other on a more intimate level, individuals get to know others by what that person can do for them or how that person...

Words: 400 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Police Influence on Society

...Police Influence on Society TaraLyn Thoreson CJA/344 January 12th, 2015 Instructor Brodsky Police Influence on Society Historically looking back not only has law enforcement made incredible changes, but with these changes comes the issue of conflict that arises in our society. This conflict could be that of law enforcement, different ethnic groups or social classes. As law enforcement progressed through the years so did the conflict among African Americans and law enforcement officials. The greatest argument to date in our society is those that are of African American race. When a crime has been committed the first suspect in the case is an African American male regardless if there are other suspects or not. Another argument is the socioeconomic class. For example, if one were to come from a less than prosperous background not only will they be arrested, but they will be tried and convicted due to the fact they do not have the resources to afford a decent attorney. Then there is the person that is born into a wealthy family and they may be arrested for a crime, but they will never do any jail or prison time due to the fact they do have the resources to have the best attorney or defense team. As hard as it is to believe we would like to think this does not exist in our society, but ask anyone and the answer may surprise you. The main objective of this paper is to not only describe the historical development of policing in the United States, but how this relates...

Words: 905 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Cja344

...Police Influence on Society Chaz Gonzales CJA/344 Ben Aragon July 8, 2015 Police Influence on Society Looking back historically on policing, not only has law enforcement made incredible changes, but through these changes came the issue of conflict that arose in our society. The conflict could be that of law enforcement itself, different ethnic groups or social classes. As law enforcement progressed, so did the conflict among African Americans and law enforcement officials. The greatest argument to date in our society are those of the African American race. When a crime has been committed the first suspect in the case is an African American male whether there are other suspects or not. Another argument could be the socioeconomic class. An example of this may be if one were to come from a less than prosperous background, not only will they be arrested, but they will be tried and convicted due to the simple fact that they don’t have the resources to afford a decent attorney. Then there are those that are born into wealthy families and if they are arrested for a crime, they will never do any jail or prison time due to the fact that they do have the resources to have the best attorney or even an entire defense team. As hard as it is to believe we would like to think this doesn’t exist in our society, but if you were to ask anyone and the answer you are given may just surprise you. The sole objective in this paper is to not only describe the historical development of policing...

Words: 916 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Jack the Ripper

...Jack the Ripper was one of the most famous and renowned killers in history. Even though he was not the first serial killer, he was the first killer to strike on a metropolis setting. Jack the Ripper was in his prime at a time when the media had a strong control over society and society had as a whole was becoming much more literate. Jack started his killing campaign at a time of political controversy between the liberals and social reformers along with the Irish Home rule partisans. The reports of Jack the Ripper were collected and reported by the police, but then the different newspapers with their political influences slightly distorted the stories to give them their own effect. It has been more the one hundred years since the last murder and there is no longer any more original evidence, and the "facts" about the stories have changed over time due to different writers or differing sources. The press changed Jack the Ripper from being a depressed killer of prostitutes to one of the most romantic figures seen throughout history. One fact that most sources agreed upon was that the Ripper was a killer who wanted nothing more than to strike fear into the entire city by horribly mutilating his victims and then leaving them in locations where they were sure to be seen. Jack was the type of killer that wants fame and loved the fact that his "name" was on everyone's lips and was able to strike fear into anyone and everyone's heart. In the late 1800's "Jack the Ripper"...

Words: 2374 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Paper

...Master of Arts in Law Enforcement and Justice Administration, and was made a member of both Phi Kappa Phi and Golden Key International Honor Societies. Ms. Halliday has worked with and studied criminal justice issues in Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Her current research interests include transnational sex and drug trafficking, and police fitness testing and standards. LEJA 518 - Issues paper: Police discretion. Gemma L. Halliday Western Illinois University “Enforcing the law without fear or favor” (Goldstein, 1963, p. 141). The very nature of police work is extremely complex in today’s society. Police officers play an important role comprising of many different tasks concerning; actually enforcing the criminal law, performing order maintenance and other miscellaneous services. It is through these duties and services that police are constantly intersecting and interacting with the community on a daily basis. Thus, they hold a very prominent and powerful position in society that requires them to protect these people’s morals, principles and values. And, the way in which police officers go about their duties and enforcing the law should reflect these morals, principles and values in an evolving, dynamic, and complex society (Jones, 2000; Gaines & Kappeler, 2003). Discretion plays a role in nearly every...

Words: 5049 - Pages: 21

Premium Essay

Organizaitonal Behavior

...essential aspect in any society and are responsible for providing an adequate response to crime, maintaining order, assisting community members, and enforcing the law. Police officers are also responsible for displaying professional behavior and a professional demeanor when dealing with members of the public as well as establishing relationships of trust through their behavior. When police officers apply to much force or select criminal suspects based on their race or ethnic group their behavior can have negative consequences on the relationship established with the policing agency and members of the community. The behavior of the police ties are directly to the type of trust community members will have for police officers. If members of the community do not trust, the police because they do not display behavior fair and impartial the police will have difficulty persuading community members to cooperate in criminal investigations or even in community members report crimes. In order for the police officer to have the necessary skills and tools to establish a strong working relationship with community members that they must receive the proper training form his or her police organization. Organizational behavior is the actions and attitudes of the members of the organization. The police organization and the organizational structure will an enormous impact directly by the type of behavior demonstrated by the police officer (Maguire, 2003). How police organizations functions...

Words: 837 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Social Policy

...Sociology. (33 Marks) Sociology is a subject that wants to study and understand society. Social policy or otherwise known as the law comes from research completed by sociologists, which is then proposed to the government. Social policy can be seen to change social problems such as the economy. Peter Worsley describes a social problem as “some piece of social behaviour that causes public friction”. For example poverty, educational under-achievement, and divorce can be seen as social problems that the government may be forced to tackle with social policies. Worsley thinks that a sociological problem is “ any pattern of relationships that calls for explanation”, meaning any piece of behaviour that we want to make sense of. For example why some families are richer than others? , Why people commit crime? Or why couples remain happily married? George Simmel was intrigued about the characteristics present in all social relationships and their different settings, be it in an office, in the family home or on a busy street. However many sociologists are interested in solving social problems through their research. They will conduct their research so it is aimed at the social problem they are most interested about. Government departments such as home office employ many sociologists. They will often have a direct input into making social policies. However sometimes sociological research does not effect social polices, and there are a number of reasons why. Electoral popularity, research findings...

Words: 1449 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Police Corruption

...Case Study: Police Corruption and Its Prevention Management Human Resources (CRJ535) TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Title Page 1 Table of Contents 2 Abstract 3 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY Introduction and Background to the Problem 4 Definition 4-5 Prevention Begins With Leadership 5-7 CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE Psychology and Social Perspectives 7-9 Theories to Analyze Police Behavior 9-15 CHAPTER THREE: DISCUSSION Implications of Police Corruption and Conclusion 15-18 REFERENCES 19 Abstract Society has a responsibility to respect the community and of course, the police officers that protect the community. More often than not, society’s respect of police officers is nonexistent due to the constant media reports of police corruption and brutality. Police corruption has been around since its conception, but is now being publicized more heavily. As a result, mistrust of police officers has increased. Solutions to the mistrust must be discovered and implemented. Even more important than solution is prevention of police corruption and practices that will make the police reputation and actions more ethically sound. With appropriate discipline and prevention practices in place, integrity will be established within the organization and public trust will be established within the community. CHAPTER ONE Introduction and Background Police Corruption takes place when a police officer engages in an...

Words: 5109 - Pages: 21

Premium Essay

Mcluhan Tetrad

...Article Watching the Watchers and McLuhan’s Tetrad: The Limits of Cop-Watching in the Internet Age   Brian P. Schaefer Kevin F. Steinmetz University of Louisville, US. brian.schaefer@louisville.edu Kansas State University, US. criminogenic@outlook.com Abstract The internet is considered by many to be a boon for political activists, such as cop-watchers—a free, open, and widespread medium in which to disseminate political messages. While there is truth to these claims, the internet, like any technology, can be used for many purposes and comes with its own arrangement of limitations. To elucidate these limitations and to provide a word of caution about the political potential of the internet, particularly for video-activists/cop-watchers, the theoretical work of Marshall McLuhan is used to understand how the internet, as a medium, shapes and limits political messages. Using McLuhan’s tetrad, this study examines how the internet is problematic for cop-watching groups. In particular, the internet is said to yield consequences through how it (1) enhances or intensifies how the viewer experiences political messages through speed, (2) retrieves the importance of the narrator, (3) renders previous media increasingly obsolete, yet opens up new avenues for commercial dominance, and (4) creates additional reversals or other problems for video activism, such as the mass proliferation of surveillance and formatting discussion in counter-productive ways. ...

Words: 9922 - Pages: 40

Premium Essay

Cultural Considerations

...different culture concerns, and what the influences are in today’s society within the criminal justice system. Also, this paper will talk about how to attend to different culture concerns, security administration, and how influences affect the criminal justice system. Some of the other points that are going to be touched up on are contemporary methods that are used in societies of assorted cultures, how these different influences and considerations related to and affect nondiscrimination practices within the criminal justice system. Last but not least, this paper is going to go over Sir Roberts Peel’s nine principles, and how they coincide within today’s police forces. The military employment across the countries in the Middle East and Europe has brought police forces into question. The local police forces have their own way of training that is similar to the military training. The military is helping individuals that are being abused by the hands of the police. In most of these cases where military law is present and security is more existing the police appear to be more on the military side than working for the countries government or community. This abuse does not happen within the United States, but the problem within the United States that is going on with the police and the security with the employment. With all of these different problems they are examined closely by the military, governments, security agencies, and local and foreign police. Then questions arise about the practices...

Words: 1608 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Short Story Analysis: “a Television Drama”

...Analysis: “A Television Drama” Plot Summary The short story’s plot begins by introducing the main character Carolee Mitchell. Carolee is in her home doing her daily chores when suddenly she looks out her window to find many policeman, police dogs and police cars outside on her street. Carolee did not know what was happening so she continued on with her chores. In a few moments Carolee notices a young man drenched in blood in her garden outside. Carolee wants to call the police but questions what good it would be considering they are already on her street. She wants to call someone but none of her neighbors were home. Thinking that he was injured and maybe was not even the man the police were after, she looked out the window to see him stand up and walk towards the parking area where he tumbled to the ground. Soon after, the police and reporters were there. A couple seconds later on the radio a news bulletin was out saying that the man had robbed a bank, run a car into a tree, shot a policeman, and had been shot at. Soon after her husband Pete came home and Carolee explained everything that occurred earlier. After the explanation the couple turn on the tv to see a news report that summarises the event. Carolee now feels very differently of society. Characters St.Croix 2 In the story there were really only 2 main characters, Carolee and Pete. Carolee is the protagonist of the story. She is a dynamic character and seems like a normal person maybe oblivious and innocent at the...

Words: 858 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Use of Force in Urban Cities and Its Relation to Race

...Use of Force by Police in Law Enforcement Name Institution Professor Course Date Abstract This paper seeks to explore the use of force among police officers in law enforcement in urban cities and how it relates with common variables regarding police officers. Some of the police variables that will be discussed include race, education, experience, age. These variables will be comprehensively studied so as to ascertain if there exists any relationship among these variables and use of force among police office in law enforcement. Introduction The use of force presents one of the most controversial sectors of law enforcement in any given society. Recent developments have escalated concern about police use of force. These ranges from properly publicized occurrences involving accusations of excessive force to the inception of violent policing whose frequent emphasis is on zero tolerance law enforcement. The kind of police actions that most provoke public concern include fatal shootings, severe beatings with fists or batons that result in hospitalization of the victims, choke holds that cause oblivion or even death. The use of force by law enforcement personnel is permitted by law under certain circumstances such as in self-defense or in defense of another individual or group of persons (Barrett 2008). Law enforcement officers receive direction from their respective agencies on when to apply force during law enforcement, but there exists no universal set of regulations...

Words: 4002 - Pages: 17

Premium Essay

Function of the Police

...The role of the police force in society Discuss the role of the police force in society The police force plays a vital role in the maintenance of law and order in society. It is a source of moral strength, confidence and happiness to all individuals who seek to live a good life in society. The ideal of a police force has been conceived centuries ago, when lawless acts were committed everywhere; but it was only in the nineteenth century that effectual steps were taken to build up a strong police force in almost every country. Life, before the introduction of the police force, was indeed insecure. Violent acts such as murder, were committed with impunity by cruel and reckless men. Even those who were weak and feared revenge by stronger men nevertheless found it safe sometimes to commit lesser crimes such as theft and robbery. Without the restraining influence of a powerful organization such as the police force, the passions of men were aroused easily, and lawlessness prevailed everywhere. Individuals grouped themselves together and terrorized whole villages and towns, and there were wars between rival groups. This state of affairs caused great sorrow and acute anxiety to whole communities and everyone lived in constant fear, uncertain even about his immediate future. The establishment of the police force, however, has changed the state of affairs in society. The police force has enabled the law courts, which have existed since ancient times, in certain countries even before...

Words: 593 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Police Orginzation

...Introduction Maintenance of law and order in any society has been the cornerstone of development in many societies over a long period of time. Thus, a societal structure needs to be developed for it to promote and protect the law and order in the society. Communities have in the past been at the forefront in initiating law and order enforcement programs within their locality to enhance a peaceful and progressive society. To be able to run such a program, communal groups are supposed to oversee and execute the relevant policies that promote the idea. This has seen community policing units formed to run the administration and operations of law and order enforcement in a society. They played a great role in developing the social and economic wellbeing of the communities they serve. One of the community policing programs that has been formed in the past, is the Virtual County Police Department. Virtual County Police Department The agency was started by Virtual County community 55 years ago where it was headed by a Chief with an assistant leading small numbers of police officers who relied on farming as their economic activity. Over the last two decades, the initiative has been able to become the primary policing agent in the County (Virtual County Police Department, 2009). This has been a major achievement since it has ended the problems it had with the State Police in carrying out its operations. In addition, the personnel have grown from the initial small figure of officers...

Words: 1474 - Pages: 6