Increase of Distrust in Law Enforcement

Increase of Distrust in Law Enforcement
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Increase of Distrust in Law Enforcement
Abstract
The American law enforcement segment of the criminal justice system suffers from a declining public trust. Evidence from diverse research reveals that this attitude remains skewed depending on the racial groupings of the nation, with whites having a positive view while the minorities display resentments towards the force. This difference arises from the discriminative practices of the police that disproportionately leave groups such as African Americans as the leading victims of police brutality. These aspects arise from the structuring of the law enforcement, the racial suspicion, and increasing criminal activities perpetrated by the police officers. As a result, this situation requires the department to rethink its operations, practices, and approaches in communities, rescind the distrust, and improve its perception.
Introduction
The law enforcement departments are fundamental in every nation because of their critical roles in maintaining peace and order through their diverse duties and responsibilities. Brooks et al. (2016) acknowledge that a society without police officers can easily degenerate into chaos. As a result, they are critical in maintaining societies through law enforcement. However, their operations and interactions with communities face diverse dynamics and complexities, leading to differing perceptions about the police. According to Barthelemy et al. (2016), people expect police officers to remain impartial in their duties and to treat all people equally irrespective of the circumstances. Their service-inclined profession should refrain from discriminatory practices to maintain a positive perception from the public. Unfortunately, United States law enforcement is replete with suspicion and accusation of being discriminatory based on diverse aspects, including racial lines, social economic, and even religious inclinations. This aspect has led to a gradually shifting perspective, with many viewing the police from a distrustful viewpoint due to their persistent incapability to demonstrate their impartiality. As a result, this paper explores the reasons for the increasing distrust in law enforcement, associated consequences, and solutions to restore public trust.
Causes of Increased Distrust in Law Enforcement
One of the leading reasons for distrust in police officers in the nation is that the entire organization remains fundamentally constituted to uphold the needs of the ruling groups while marshaling the masses for the benefit of the select few. This argument arises from the discriminative treatment of the economically deprived individuals in the societies while blatantly privileging the rich. For instance, Brooks et al. (2016) clarify this by indicating that the policing development in the nation focused on creating a body capable of cracking down on misfits or people constantly opposing the ruling class. This aspect explains why people historically referred to them as the big stick. Other associated duties, including slave patrol, worsened their historical perception because, despite the continued transformation of the sector to serve all Americans, critics argue that their discriminative traits still linger (Brooks et al., 2016). Barthelemy et al. (2016) indicate that cases of bad cops implicated in dubious policing practices that comprise perjured testimonies, bogus arrests, and evidence fabrications against civilians have dominated media platforms across the United States. As a result, this inherent perception of law enforcement as an entity that predominantly advances the interests of the wealthy and the ruling while quashing those of the common citizens has a significant influence on other associated causes of mistrust in the modern police and policing systems.
Perhaps, the leading cause of police distrust in contemporary America is the racial suspicion that they favor some groups while ruthlessly policing against others. According to Goel et al. (2017), police relationships with minorities in the United States have gradually deteriorated due to inhumane treatment. Various incidences have demonstrated that the police remain skewed in treating the dominant white population and the minorities. This aspect has triggered a widening rift between the forces and the affected communities, making their distrust of the police significantly high. Brooks et al. (2016) indicate that the distrust is worst among African Americans. The author highlights that this reason has a historical element considering that it has remained antagonistic since the Jim Crow era. Brooks et al. (2016) demonstrate that the perception of African Americans towards the police officers remains justified in any form considering that law enforcement has persisted in its oppressive nature among this race for decades. Although recent restructuring and enforcement of regulatory laws sought to address the historical rifts, notable gaps persist, as demonstrated by the numerous black rights-restricting cases reflective of the civil rights era.
The current police officers’ brutality statistics show why minority populations distrust law enforcement in the United States. For instance, Barthelemy et al. (2016) indicate that the nation records an African American male weekly killing by the police. Further findings reported by the author reveal that law enforcement leads to the death of up to 400 people annually. Although other groups like the Hispanic Americans and Asian Americans also have a relatively diminished perception of the police, the one among African Americans is more severe. This aspect has diverse explanations, including the existence of controversial policing practices such as Terry stop or the stop-and-frisk (Goel et al., 2017). Despite convincing evidence demonstrating that this investigatory-inclined stop targets the minorities more than the dominant white population, the courts have upheld it in numerous instances, further contributing to the increasing distrust in law enforcement. This practice has led to questionable execution of suspects, including the recent case of George Floyd in 2013 (Goel et al., 2017). Although supporters may argue that the police approach is preventative, the victims recognize that it remains largely motivated by racial bias. As a result, it accounts for the increasing resentment of the police officers among the minorities.
Arguments have emerged that the criminal activities of the police have significantly tainted their public image in the modern era. According to Barthelemy et al. (2016), police officers have attracted criticism from their peers and other public members for leveraging their position to commit crimes. Most of these individuals comprise the rogue cops who falsely accuse suspects by planting evidence to acquire a conviction and improve their performance rating (Goel et al., 2017). The rampant cases of law enforcement personnel implicated in illicit encounters have cast a negative image on the institution, contributing to the rising public distrust. For instance, Goel et al. (2017) report that these police officers sought to exploit the criminal justice patterns about the sentencing discrepancy in the nation that led to disproportionate imprisonment of minorities, especially African Americans. Barthelemy et al. (2016) indicate that these individuals have abandoned their pledge of serving and protecting the people. Instead, they have become more motivated by greed with minimal concern for the lives that they destroy while using questionable approaches to gain promotions. Others directly participate in criminal activities by aiding and abetting crimes. As a result, they contribute to worsening security in communities, leading to distrust.
Associated Consequences of Police Distrust
The skewed distrust in policing by a section of the American population has set the system up for abuse. According to Wu (2014), the existing distrust has created differing racial positions regarding the trustworthiness of these professional...