Fixing Police Policy

“Officers with the authority to use force come into a careful balance of all human interest that is required. The policy of the department that Officers will use only that force reasonably necessary to effectively bring an incident under control while protecting the lives of the Officer or the other person.” (Mays and Ruddell 67)

Officers are suppose to be guided by policies that generally spell out the circumstances under which the use of force is permissible. But why is it we are always confronted with Police brutality or excessive force? This is a subject, which seems to linger on the cusp of policing. There are clear-cut policies, which are implemented when officers are put into certain situations. The use of force then becomes an instant factor on those certain circumstances. Those policies can be hard to implement when an Officer is trying to restrain an uncooperative suspect and is confronted with fear. The fear that can they can be injured or killed. These influences are what many officers perceive to be a threat, and then call for the use of force. Every officer knows the rules and procedures on the amount of force that is allowable in each situation. Officers are granted to meet force with a slightly more-than-equal force. This is established with the use –of-force continuum that guides officers in a progression of force options available. They can range from verbal commands, pain compliance, less than lethal and lethal force. Those policies help prepare Officers for all situations

Perceptions of minority crime, media images of minorities as criminals, racial hoaxes, contribute to stereotypes of minorities justify racial profiling. This may be because law enforcement tends to work closely with communities that are more involved. Some Officers may enforce the law rather vigorously more than others, often targeting groups because they do not conform into society. This may be because officers see minorities involved in crimes that increase likelihood of victimization. As in the case where four Oakland officers were gunned downed on March 21, 2009. A black man named Lovelle Mixon, age 26, a parolee fled after shooting the two officers following a traffic stop, then shot two more after a SWAT team entered an apartment in which he was hiding,” as reported by CBS. Its situations such like this that continues to increase tensions between police and minorities. The question now is did those officers use excessive force to make Mixon shoot? As far as it’s been reported, it’s a definite no. However the need to stabilize policies and make reform for Officer use of force is needed.

With policies implemented to helping Officers there is a need to bring a more stable policy to work with officers and all communities. Some of the policies implemented provide a solid understanding of what circumstances officers may use force. However, some of these policies seem to target individuals and can cause friction between the public and Officers. Departments need to ensure that Officers are fully informed of policies and consequences. Setting up early warning system can help deal with police abuse. It also comes down to Officers and the community. Officers are the first to be criticized, so it is with extreme importance that they use the proper policies.