Use of Force on Minorities by Police Research Essay

The frequency and regularity with which a police officer is accused of using excessive force in contemporary society have risen to previously unheard-of levels. The scenario in which a police officer, particularly one who is white, detains, fatally shoots, and injures a member of a minority group in the United States—whether they are unarmed African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Mexican Americans, or other—remains all too common. (Brunson & Weitzer, 2011). The shooting by the officer, the news getting to the family of the victim, the organization of a large-scale protest, and the start of civil disturbance are the major turning points in the sequence of events. Consequently, more police officers get deployed to contain the sprawling protests characterized by wanton vandalism and aggravated injuries caused by the avenging groups.

Before the warring factions reach an amicable solution, minority leaders come to the forefront to allege victimization and stereotyping of their communities calling the shootings unjust hence the need for the indictment of perpetrators. In most instances, the officer involved is never arrested or gets acquitted citing lack of criminating evidence. Invariably, the protests continue unabated with heightened security levels and further arrests.

From the preceding, the reactions subside amidst tensions and blame portioning leading to the uneasy truce. It might take some time before the sequence of events gets replicated in different scenarios (Peck, 2015). Such is the troubled association between the police and the minority groups existing in the US. In most instances, they become victimized based on their ethnicity as epitomized by the African American groups that are permanently stereotyped as high-risk criminals regardless of their political, social and economic backgrounds. Few police officers given the opportunity will agree that there exist a sense of cordial relationships between them and the minority groups under their jurisdiction. Harassments and dehumanization of the ethnic minorities sometimes lead to deaths and severe injuries because of the excessive use of force on unarmed indigenous communities. The perpetual continuity of such incidents within the US communities has led to many questions that need redress and provide a legally binding framework that enables the police officers to work with minimal force and improve their relationships (Weitzer & Tuch, 2006).

Factors Promoting Excessive Use of Force

Racially Skewed Law Enforcement

Many US police officers are inherently racially biased. The institutionalization of a skewed law enforcement unit has only propagated the use of deadly force on minority civilians. Cops in most instances follow orders from their superiors which demand that they patrol predominantly impoverished and crime-ridden communities. Such communities have neighborhoods intensely segregated regarding economic and political representation (Brunson & Weitzer, 2011). The worst affected group of individuals are the people of color who are more prone to police brutality because they primarily inhabit the deprived areas.

Therefore, most arrests that occur target black residents which inadvertently impact a disproportionate number of ethnic minorities. The excessive enforcement in black neighborhoods, for instance, tend to highlight the broader disparities that exist within the US justice system. In furtherance, blacks, Hispanics, and Mexicans are susceptible to police arrests for drug crimes as opposed to white offenders (Peck, 2015).

Ethnic Stereotyping and Systematic Bias

Holmes & Smith posit that for a long time now, their growth of systematic profiling of minority groups has led to the widespread negative perceptions towards them and the police have grown to unconsciously propagate bias based on what they believe is the norm (2017). Racist beliefs, xenophobic attitudes, and racial prejudices all emanate from a consistent and deliberate systematic bias against the minority groups. As such, policing in minority communities thrives on the underlying racism and bias within the police culture that goes back to decades of abuse and less extreme on the broader society (Weitzer & Tuch, 2006). The perception that racism propagation among the police is pervasive, expected, acceptable and even fashionable within the predominantly white forces serve to underscore the extent of what stereotyping can do to the marginalized groups. Recent research has also evidenced the fact that a vast part of the police force enjoys the use stereotypes to classify people by ethnicity. In a similar regard, Asian minorities get profiled as thieves, devious liars, and potentially illegal immigrants.

Similarly, black people continue to undergo consistent profiling as they are believed to be more prone to violence, crime, drug abuse, incompressible, suspicious, stubborn, naturally excitable, lacking brain power, troublesome and obviously armed. The mentioned qualities mostly make the law enforcement officers react with excessive force when apprehending black suspects even if they get eventually proven beyond reasonable doubt that they are innocent. Constables and other high ranking officers have built a skewed perception towards blacks and other minorities hence making excessive force inevitable. Most evidently, the conditioning of officers towards implicit bias has not only propagated unintentional criminal behaviour but also created a defensive mechanism where they marginalized minority groups take arms to retaliate police brutality (Weitzer & Tuch, 2006).

The War Model, Historical Injustices, and Attitudes

Police attitudes towards the minority have taken an aggressive approach where the ethnically profiled gets treated as enemies deserving extermination. Such mentality has made officers perceive that they or on a war with the ethnic minorities hence the need to dominate and win over them thus the reflection of the values of the broader community. The theoretical concept emanating from widespread hostility from the society towards minorities makes the police believe that discriminatory behavior towards them is justifiable. In some instances, police are known to aggravate such existing prejudices depending on their historical perspective. The longer a minority group has endured abuse, the more likely it is considered inferior. According to research, such sentiments emanate from the colonial mentalism that promotes dominion over less privileged groups.

Approaches to Mitigating Police Brutality

The Conciliation Approach

The power of conciliation can help in providing a mutually desirable outcome in instances where the community rebel against the police force. The concept of mediation gets premised on bringing the opposing factions together so that both parties have their grievances heard and acted upon to determine a common ground. Since most of the minority groups have developed a predetermined attitude towards the police force, including the oppressed in reconciliatory processes may seem complicated but can guarantee lasting solutions by reducing tensions and misunderstandings.

Necessarily, a conciliation effort demands that the police department and the minority communities evaluate their overall relationships and highlight the contentious issues resulting to conflict such as the use of firearms. Identification of problematic topics sets the ground and terms of engagement between police bosses and the minority leaders with the support of relevant stakeholders. There is also an inherent need to incorporate willingness and corporation of actions that can offer prospects of creating constructive change in the entire police-minority relationships.

Police-Community Relations

The issue of firearms policy has inadvertently led to the use of excessive force hence souring the quality of relations between the community population and the police enforcement establishment. When the police department fosters a functional relationship with the minority communities, the general friction decreases. Similarly, when the police force works on its image a professionally reputable entity recognizing the equality of rights and promoting the respect of the rule of law, greater respect emerge within entire population (Smith & Holmes, 2014). The cumulative effect is that the police’s confidence grows based on the notion that they have public support of the population in the performance of their duties.

An effective police-minority relationship can contribute significantly towards the reduction of brutal force and societal uprisings. Imperatively, in the event of isolated incidences of excessive force, the community might respond with some level of open-mindedness because of the excellent relationship fostered between them (Holmes & Smith, 2017). Ultimately, the positive relationship built on mutual respect enhances corporation while promoting diversity among dominant groups and the minorities. Alternatively, it becomes realistic also to appreciate the role of the community organizations in establishing communication links with the police force to encourage mutual understanding and respect for law enforcement.

Cultural Pluralism

Currently, the United States gets regarded as one of the most diverse nations in the world. The diversity cuts across religion, race, nationality and indigenous cultures. The need to consider ethnic and racial diversity in America into the broader integration plans portends numerous challenges to the police force because of the already tensed relationship with minority groups. The apparent lack of familiarity with various ethnic groups has often led to conflicts arising from misunderstanding. Instances of cultural parochialism where most of the police force are more conscious of their cultural heritage do not provide a strong foundation for effective policing. Similarly, cultural colonialism where the police think that the values espoused by their cultures become those applicable in law enforcement activities compounds the problems facing the minorities in the communities that they serve. The policing oversight authorities ought to work in collaboration with the various police departments in sensitizing the cops about embracing diversity through language, customs, and traditions to help facilitate relevant mechanisms for efficient communication (Weitzer & Tuch, 2006). Significantly, a component of such communication strategies ought to be the departmental articulation of values promoting community interaction.

Community Policing

As part of the engagement strategies, community policing enables members of the society to become empowered to address their security concerns at an individual level without necessarily involving the police. Imperatively, the community through the assistance of the police department can form vigilante groups that monitor security situations within a given jurisdiction. The strategy enables for efficient conveyance of information which is often used in the containment of security situations thus preventing them from escalating (Brunson & Weitzer, 2011).

Invariably, the police can develop confidence in the public through their direct engagement, an effort which is reciprocated by law-abiding individuals. The view of community policing which promotes social cohesion emanates from the perception that the society is a long-term partner in the performance of police mission. Also, the minority groups do not get viewed as regional entities needing police occupation thus the community has the inherent responsibility of keeping neighborhoods safe and crime free.

Redefining the Police Culture

The contemporary police culture reflects the fundamental beliefs entrenched within a given police department. As an organization, the police culture can influence departmental recruitment, selection of practices, procedures of operations, training and development. Police culture, therefore, has the supreme ability to define the activities and behavior towards the people they serve within a specific law enforcement situation. Imperatively, every department within the police unit has a culture they follow (Smith & Holmes, 2014).

However, there exists a difference on how such cultures are followed. If a department treats as usual police brutality on ethnic minorities, then that becomes a flawed culture propagating violence. On the contrary, if the same agency prohibits excessive use of force then it becomes an element of best practices in law enforcement (Brunson & Weitzer, 2011). Thus, the department opposed to any form of excessive authority will most likely take administrative procedures against its officers by reprimanding them. Ultimately, a culture that glorifies impunity and punitive actions against ethnic minorities will never improve police-community relations especially in communities of color.

Developing a set Of Values

Coming up with a set of values is perceived as a departmental strength within the police force. As a necessity, having values provide a clear guideline on how the police need to respond to situations or handle scenarios involving the citizens they serve regardless of their tribal, religious, cultural and political affiliations (Peck, 2015). Also, the set of values made by the department need to focus on being qualitative but not quantitative. For instance, if the culture of the unit promotes a service-oriented approach to the people then they need to get reflected in the set of values developed. The subsequent articulation of values within the police units ensure that every value resonates well with the officers tasked to uphold them. The implementing authorities are therefore obliged to accomplish their mandates through an effective communication of the values. Most importantly, the costs ought to reflect the community they serve and which can also act as a framework for any other department to adopt for its local needs.

Conclusion

The role of the police remains a robust and sensitive function because it directly affects the existing public order and the resulting quality of life. Similarly, the responsibility that comes with executing such mandate relates closely to how the police associate with the general populations. Invariably, the existing cultural diversity presents the tribulations that minority groups undergo when they encounter the police. From victimization, racial stereotyping and excessive police brutality, the ethnic minorities have continued to bear the brunt of their cultural inadequacies that makes them susceptible to unnecessary torture in the hands of police officers meant to safeguard their interests (Weitzer & Tuch, 2006).

Imperatively, African Americans are the most likely vilified minority groups because of their history and the socio-political circumstances that have for long reduced their privileges and the right to human dignity. Despite such tribulations, the police force needs to undergo a reconstructive and rehabilitative reformations to help reduce the animosity between them and the marginalized groups. Learning to appreciate cultural diversity, human dignity and responsibility to service will help the police department foster long-lasting and productive partnerships with the minority groups.

References

Brunson, R. K., & Weitzer, R. (2011). Negotiating unwelcome police encounters: The intergenerational transmission of conduct norms. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 40(4), 425-456.

Holmes, M. D., & Smith, B. W. (2017). Social-psychological dynamics of police-minority relations: An evolutionary interpretation. Journal of Criminal Justice.

Peck, J. H. (2015). Minority perceptions of the police: A state-of-the-art review. Policing: an international journal of police strategies & management, 38(1), 173-203.

Smith, B. W., & Holmes, M. D. (2014). Police use of excessive force in minority communities: A test of the minority threat, place, and community accountability hypotheses. Social Problems, 61(1), 83-104.

Weitzer, R., & Tuch, S. A. (2006). Race and policing in America: Conflict and reform. Cambridge University Press.