How Much has the Relationship Between Police Officers and the Public Changed?

How Much Has the Relationship Between Police Officers and the Public Changed?
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How Much Has the Relationship Between Police Officers and the Public Changed?
Abstract
Trends arising from various studies indicate that the criminal justice system, especially law enforcement, is grappling with a declining public trust. Research illustrates that the perceptions of the police remain a conflicting issue depending on the racial affiliations of individuals or groups in the U.S. While Whites have a favorable view of the approaches employed by police, minorities, especially African Americans, view police with disapproval because of their brutality, and discriminatory techniques of policing. This decline has tainted the police-public relationship, making it difficult for the two to relate constructively in addressing crimes. Thus, the stakeholders, including the state, federal government, and police departments, must find sustainable solutions for stirring trust in the public.
Introduction
The history of the policing system in the U.S. has a significant influence on its long negative relationship with African American communities and other minorities. Brooks et al. (2016) indicate that although the formulation of centralized police departments from the 1830s in many U.S. states sought to maintain some form of organization, the primary objective of police in Southern states was to arrest runaway slaves, impose organized terror to discourage revolts and enforce slave discipline in farms. As a result, this understanding has maintained race and ethnicity as influential factors in determining the public’s perception of the police. Despite these aspects, modern police officers are fundamental in maintaining social stability by eradicating crimes. However, the complex issues and historically-inclined challenges they encounter in society lead to unfavorable perceptions about their work and approach towards the people. According to Barthelemy et al. (2016), the police have a duty to serve all Americans indiscriminately and respect their rights as enshrined in the constitution. Their role is to serve the public without favoritism or extending privileges to any group, as was commonplace in the early policing in the colonies (Brooks et al., 2016). Despite these expectations, police departments in the U.S. frequently raise uproars due to discrimination, brutality, racial profiling, and harassment of minorities. As a result, this practice has increased distrust, deteriorating the relationship between the police and the people.
Problem Statement
The popular perception in the United States is law enforcement officers maintain a discriminative approach in policing despite numerous reforms to end this negative feature in the nation. Wu (2014) indicates that the rapport between law enforcement agencies and minority groups has remained largely concerning and questionable throughout the history of this department. The author considers this norm problematic and will continue to taint the image of police officers in U.S. Brooks et al. (2016) acknowledge that the relationship between police and African American males has remained polarized since the Jim Crow era. Visible gaps persist in contemporary times that demonstrate the suspicion between the two sides, with one perpetrating fear and the other considering law enforcement oppressive to their race. The primary problem in American society is that policing trends illustrate a discriminative approach while dealing with minority races, especially African Americans, unlike the dominant Whites. This concern has questioned whether the nation has achieved meaningful changes in improving the police and public relationship.
Statistics about the harsh treatment of minorities and the police illustrate the concerning relationship between the United States police and the people. For instance, Wu (2014) notes that minorities experience disproportionately more cases of police-instigated violence and mistreatment compared to the White population. Goel et al. (2017) uniquely demonstrate the severity of police misconduct and actions that further worsens their relationship with the communities through the prevalence of the stop-and-frisk practice in New York and other states. The law enforcement officers exploit the support ascribed to this policy by the courts to perpetrate heinous crimes of racial profiling, harassment, and brutality that even lead to deaths in the guise of maintaining law and order in the streets. Goel et al. (2017) confirm that these popularly termed Terry stops remain replete of racial discrimination and an avenue of aggravating the already unstable relationship between the police and the communities they frequent. The problem becomes even more concerning when highlighting the ramifications of excessive force and police brutality among African Americans. The brutal killing of citizens by the police has remained a significant highlight of the police presence in communities since the 1970s (Brooks et al., 2016). These trends have remained throughout the years, leading to approximately 420 African American deaths perpetrated by police between 2003 and 2009. Brooks et al. (2016) report that such incidences have remained commonplace, including 140 deaths in 2012 and many other related incidences that led to the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement.
The over-policing of minorities contributes to the American public’s popular negative perception of police. Although Wu (2014) agrees that Whites have a favorable view of the police, the case differs from many other groups because they remain on the receiving end. As a result, Barthelemy et al. (2016) indicate that society often sees law enforcement officers as bad cops due to their normalization of perjured testimonies, bogus arrests, and planted pieces of evidence. Since the community questions the commitment of these departments to serving and protecting them, it becomes challenging for them to interrelate despite the introduction of community-oriented policing (Peyton et al., 2019). Such concerns illustrate a deeply-rooted problem affecting the relationship between the American police and their society.
The Purpose Statement
This research paper investigates further the degenerating perception and trust of police officers in the United States, the arising complications in society, and potential solutions. The issue of police brutality in the pretense of maintaining order leading to the deaths of African Americans has drawn significant attention to this issue in the last decade (Brooks et al., 2016). Brooks et al. (2016) demonstrate that such deaths have remained an expected outcome of police interactions with minorities, making exploration of this issue fundamental for informing appropriate changes for improving the relationships between law enforcement officers and the public.
The hypothesis of the Study
Null hypothesis. The relationship between police officers and the public has not seen any positive changes.
Literature Review
Explored literature reveals concerning aspects of the interactions between the police in the U.S. and the public over the years. For instance, research by Barthelemy et al. (2016) explores the BRAVE to determine the status of this relationship and the mechanism that stakeholders can integrate to improve it. Findings revealed contrasting views, with the police citing the community’s fears as their primary reasons for harboring negative perceptions towards them. In contrast, the community illustrated the blatant discriminative treatment and excessive use of force...