Criminal Justice/Law. Police Reforms as Political Reforms

Police Reforms as Political Reforms
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December 4, 2020
One of the public's common misconceptions is that the field of policing is separate and distinct from the field of politics. This stems from the idea that while politics might vary between various ideologies of the candidates' parties and personalities, policing strictly adheres to the Standard Operating Procedures provided by the law. Nonetheless, scholars have noted that the relationship between these two fields is neither mutually exclusive nor separate. A closer look at the realities in the United States would show a seeming correlation between the dominant political ideologies and the police's actions. Thus, in this article, the author would understand why police reforms are inherently political reforms. He believes that since politics is inherently embedded in policing due to the legal system of the State, then any reforms in the police must always start within the State's political system.
The Relationship between Politics and Policing
One of the main reasons the police reforms are inherently political reforms is that the internal mechanisms of the two systems are inherently intertwined within the legal system. It must be noted that despite the need to adhere to the SOPs of law enforcement, the police have a certain latitude of discretion in enforcing the law CITATION Gol63 \l 1033 (Goldstein, 1963). One example where this discretion could be seen is in arresting individuals based on the policeman's interpretation of the "probable cause", which could vary depending on his subjective idea. Accordingly, since authorities that govern the police are merely elected by executive officials such as the governors, mayors, and the President, it is highly possible th...