Law Research Paper: With Consideration to Non-US Police Forces, How Can Police Shootings Within the US be Reduced?

With Consideration to Non-US Police Forces, How Can Police Shootings Within the US be Reduced?
Name
Institution
Introduction
Police officers in the United States record most police shootings annually than developed countries like the UK, Russia, and Canada. The structure of the US police includes 18,000 police departments, with most having few officers. On the other hand, Europe employs a more centralized policing model, contributing to efficiency in policymaking and evaluation. A logical explanation for the differences between the US and other developed nations could be the high numbers of gun violence in the US than in other developed countries. For instance, a JAMA study established the rate of US gun deaths at 10.6 in every 10,000 people in 2016 (Naghavi et al.). The rate in Canada was 2.1 while that of the United Kingdom was 0.3. America makes up only 5% of the world's population, and yet they possess an estimate of 45% of the world's privately owned firearms (Vox). It is not logical to compare the United States with other developed countries due to disparities in crime rates, historical cultures of gun ownership population, and social challenges. However, techniques can be borrowed from these countries to help the United States mitigate police shootings.
For instance, Europe has been prosperous in mitigating the number of police shootings through reorientation of policing. Among the differences between policing in the US and Europe is unarmed police's policy to de-escalate the crisis. Developed countries such as Britain and Canada have developed a solution that could be perceived as the right balance between maintaining community-oriented policing and ensuring the nation's safety. Furthermore, methods such as defunding, rigorous training, investing in alternatives, and performing oversight have been incorporated to help minimize the rate of police shootings. The US can borrow cultures and techniques used in other developed nations to mitigate police shootings' escalating rates. This paper focuses on the methods of reducing police shootings with consideration to non-US police forces.
Chapter 1
Definitions
Several words used in this paper have been understood differently by different authors. For this study, the following definitions shall suffice.
Demilitarization is the reduction or even total disarming and military presence in a specific geographic area. It implies the dismantlement of arms, ammunition, and armed forces to put them beyond military use in operational terms. Demilitarization also connotes the process of sustained reductions in the military's influence in a given state and society. In many respects, demilitarization is the opposite of militarization; the complex mobilization of resources ("Demilitarization," 2015).
Defunding Police is the reallocation or redirection of funding from the police department to other government agencies (Ray, 2020). In this paper, defunding implies reallocating resources and roles from the police departments to other government departments.
Policing is the maintenance of law and order by a police force, which includes the enforcement of regulations and ​the activity of controlling an industry to make sure that people obey and follow the rules ("Policing | Definition of Policing by Oxford Dictionary on Lexico.com also meaning of Policing," 2020). According to this paper, policing has been used to refer to the police force's guiding principles in executing their roles. These roles go beyond the essential maintenance of law and order.
Chapter 2
Training
Good training is an essential part of becoming a qualified police officer. There is a considerable variation in training and the duration of training in various parts of the world. The United States can gain inspiration from the training of other countries. In the United States, the recruits spend less time in the police academy than those in the European countries. Basic United States training programs can range from ten weeks to thirty-six weeks, including field training. After the training, the United States' police are allowed to carry guns on behalf of the State. The level of training in the United States is a far cry from the high level of training in western European countries that can sometimes last up to three years. During training the United States academies emphasize technical skills rather than restrain and communication skills. According to the United States Bureau of Justice statistics report of 2013, academies spend an average of seventy-one hours on firearm skills compared to twenty-one hours on de-escalation training (Reaves, 2016). In the United Kingdom countries such as England and Wales, training is based on using space and time and less dangerous weapons such as tasers in controlling a threat. Unlike in the United States, the police force in England and Wales do not routinely carry firearms. There are fewer incidents of dangerous clashes between criminals and police in the United Kingdom since without having guns, and the citizens can easily approach the officers. Officers in the United States are much more militarized and respond to riots heavily by using rubber bullets, flash grenades, and tear gas. Offices in the UK try not to escalate any further riots by waiting it out, which is not the case for the United States officers who attempt to use military tactics in scaring off the protesters. The police officers in the United Kingdom avoid chokeholds and other similar restraints, which are forbidden. These restraints have also been prohibited in some parts of America, such as Minneapolis, Newyork, and California. The difference in training and restrictions between the United States and other nations demonstrates why police-related deaths in the United States tend to be more prevalent than the other countries. The United States recorded the highest number of killings by law enforcement compared to Canada, England, and Wales, which had only three killings. Americans should learn from other countries by revamping the training program for prospective officers. Emphasis should not be placed on using weapons or shooting; instead, the trainees should be encouraged to de-escalate by measurable approach with a shallow risk of harm, resorting to lethal force when necessary. Through search training, it becomes easier for the officers and citizens to communicate, therefore establishing confidence in the law enforcement system in the United States.
Chapter 3
Policing Oversight
American law enforcement is mostly decentralized and has no policing federal oversight authority compared to other similar countries. FurthermoreThe United States has a high number of police officers, which surpasses those in other advanced democracies. Many countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development have a more centralized police system than the United States. Trying to enforce similar law enforcement standards on a national level in America can be difficult due to its decentralization system. The eighteen thousand law enforcement agencies across the United States, including the state, local, and federal police forces, are run at the city or county level. Moreover, the system's decentralized nature indicates that the practices and standards that the various agencies employ can vary widely. Within the United kingdom, there is a tripartite system of control for the police, which includes the central government, local government, and the police organization (Seneviratne, 2004). Furthermore, countries such as England and Wales have original forces that still comply with the Federal Government standards on training and investigations. On the other hand, Canada administers police at the provincial, municipal, and federal level has fewer than three hundred law enforcement agencies. The enforcement of the federal criminal code is the same throughout all provinces and territories in Canada; therefore, police training and practices are standardized throughout the country. Through centralized administration in the United States, it could be possible to set and enforce uniform standards throughout the police force. Furthermore, the centralized system will encourage the accountability of individuals throughout the police departments. In England and Wales, the police forces are required to refer severe cases to the Independent Police Complaints Commission( IPCC)( Seneviratne, 2004). The overall agency also sets standards for how the local police departments should handle complaints. The England and Wales system is in contrast to that of America since America allows local police departments to investigate themselves; this creates room for corruption in the police department. Lack of Justice for the victims of shootings by law enforcement will be rampant since the local police department will be corrupted. Moreover, there is a lack of legal consequences that US officials should face for shooting civilians. The doctrine of qualified immunity in America usually Shields the police officers from lawsuits. The United States should follow the example of countries such as England and Wales. Their police agencies are subject to the scrutiny of Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary in strengthening their oversight. America should create a federal policing oversight by creating new bodies that will review complaints and investigate police misconduct towards the civilians. In court agreement with the local law enforcement agencies, the Department of Justice can pressure departments to use the consent decrees in addressin...