The Problem of Law Enforcement, Policing and Social Justice

“Law enforcement officers are never 'off duty.' They are dedicated public servants who are sworn to protect public safety at any time and place that the peace is threatened. They need all the help that they can get.” - Barbara Boxer

Policing is like a will most people give in when joining the task. Everyone is committed to something one point in life whether a person, place, or thing. Maintaining and enforcing justice can be done by anyone with ethical persona and yes, sometimes people have different approach in what “ethical” really means, As a police officer one must never have a corrupt mind, if he/she do, they must overcome that evil so that they can obliterate the evil in the world. “Equals should be treated equally and unequal’s treated unequally” (Aristotle’s). What is justice? A person who keeps this in mind all the time is bound to eventually fall apart. The word ‘justice” has many meanings of its own, mostly translated through how a particular people would describe it. Most people translate justice as righteousness and some translate it as a false image. False image? Most see the world as black and white, but that little percentage of the others sees the gray. In every justice, there’s always an injustice happening to create such thing.

Characteristics are hidden inside us, unseen, yet it slowly reliefs itself.

They say action speaks louder than words, lies. Words that come out of our mouths can change the world. Some are judge people by how they look instead of how speak. “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak.” Remember, God gave us two ears, and one mouth, that should already be hint. “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

I emphasize a person who can listen, who can hear beyond just the meaning of the word, sentence, story, etc. “Information processing starts with input from the sensory organs, which transform physical stimuli,” when a person listen to a story, those stories are played in their head, they are able to feel the emotion and recreate an image of the scene, similar to your brain reacting towards music. . This is one of the important reasons of why listening can be so powerful. These younger generations are fully indulged in their own universe. Unable to listen, some live their life horrible, just because they couldn’t listen! Listening is a great trait to have as a police officer; I believe problem solving and critical thinking is in every day thing in a police officers life and in order to accomplish these things one must listen and reevaluate the processed information so that he successful succeeds. Being able to listen and being honest are two things I believe people have a hard time with. Everyone lies at some point in his or her lifetime and that’s okay. Lies are meaningless and yet so dangerous, so the moment someone understand its better to be honest and be in danger, that’s their justice moment ad if on bring justice to themselves then they can help others achieve it also.

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” (Nelson Mandela), some parents believe the more education means better lifestyle and maybe make a change in world. I can see what they trying to say, the more education you have, the experience you get. “There are numerous models of how the knowledge is organized in the brain”, knowledge is such a powerful thing that even God told Adam and Eve not to eat the damn fruit, and this can go back to my point about listening. Even in the beginning of time Adam and Eve did not listen and so they ate the fruit from the tree of knowledge and instead of telling the truth, they lied about it.

Since knowledge is a powerful source, people who use it wisely can create most beautiful things in the world. But lets be honest here, some people are not meant for college and why is that? Is it intelligence? Is it persistence? Is it a bad character, bad study habits, or simply a bad memory? Is it a deficiency in their earlier schooling, the way they grew up, or the environments in which they grow up? Injuries? Age? Some people just like it to learn through experience, to physically be there and witness the action. The minimum requirements for becoming an officer are an associate degree and 12 to 14 weeks training in the police academy. The minimum education requirement seems decent but I would want to spend more time with the training.

Is local law enforcement adequately trained to make good decisions in tense situations, or rather, due to inadequate training, are they improvising, case by case, to ensure that circumstances justify the end? Since the job can be dangerous, because police officers would confronts criminal and deal with variety of threatening situations, training in defense and learning over area of relevancy is important.

Some people don’t really show themselves at the beginning, but later they eventually spill it out piece by piece. “A single uncouth act committed by a single unprofessional officer can impact the entire law enforcement profession.” As a recruiter, I would make background check thoroughly, I would test them and evaluate their behaviors, basically do all those basics. I believe they should do it as thoroughly as the military does. Sooner or later there going to be a fatal encounter between law enforcement and a citizen that will raise questions as to whether or not the police response was appropriate.

Police officers who recognize their surroundings often can prevent crimes through the use of proper training and learning. Individuals who strive to become police officers often have a natural tendency to serve and protect the people around them. They are motivated by a strong desire that causes them to run toward the gunfire instead of away from it.

“It's often said that no other profession demands a higher ethical standard than that of law enforcement.” My standard is simple, which is to let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never failing stream. To maintain justice always punish those guiltiest, turn from the wrongs and relieve the innocent. Learn to do right, seek justices and defend the oppressed. Qualities such as integrity, honesty and bravery are considered positive. These ideals, these universal values, help guide us toward ethical behavior and ethical decision-making.

“Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.” Even the bible tells us to have a concentrated mind and to never corrupt our mind. “Police seek and preserve public favor not by catering to the public opinion but by constantly demonstrating absolute impartial service to the law” (Sir Robert Peel). Development of ethical officers in law enforcement organizations is an ongoing process that departments constantly must maintain and improve. Focus on ethical behavior as part of formal events and training sessions.

Ethical behavior should be taught throughout all training and stated in lesson plans. Police officers should not assume that ethical decisions are made, but rather they should remind and train members that ethical considerations are a critical component of their daily business activities. Unethical behavior and corruption are sickness building into a community trust. Police require public favor to be effective and must cultivate this favor by exhibiting the highest ethical standards.

A police officer is a respected member of the community. From solving crimes, responding to incidents, disturbance calls, and accident. Protecting the community, a law enforcement official should be seen as a moral obligator, a group that does good service for the good of society.

Training must be conducted consistently on policies and the enforcement of those policies. “Positive reinforcement of mission statements and core values emphasizes ethical environment in both current and future of the police organization.” Officers must work to prevent unethical behavior and set an example. ”Departments should be proactive and use both positive and negative reinforcement to control ethical behavior.” The importance and thoughts of officers determine their ethical behavior as future role models. It is important for officers to instill the highest moral behavior in their field to create the most ethical leaders for future generations.

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