University of West Georgia Role of The Police Discussion

Regardless, it is imperative that your comments be substantial and probing. “You have provided some well thought out responses to the questions. You also have some supportive references. Nice work,” “I like the way you make little comments in closed brackets, ““Good post,” “Great references,” “Good learning (from you),” and my personal favorite, “Great list” simply don’t cut it. Let’s be honest, many postings aren’t that good, and what’s so great about a list anyway? So please make sure your postings are on point and move the discussion forward with substantive and probing questions. I’m also less concerned (and you should be too) with all this “I especially liked how . . .” or “Your comments on . . . were especially useful,” etc. You are already in a profession or will hopefully be entering a profession where all this syrup, support and encouragement just do not exist. Perhaps it should, but it just doesn’t. If one is need of “external validation and coddling” (Sam Hanna, NCIS Los Angeles) and constant positive affirmation, then one should probably consider another profession for if one needs that to survive, their survival in criminal justice (and life) will be questionable at best. Additionally, let us dispense at the beginning with all the “this student,” “this learner,” and other similar statements. Again, this might be something different than you’ve experienced in other classes, but that sounds stilted, especially for discussion postings, so please don’t do it!

respond to peers:

1) We have police to keep order together in the community. Police officers are made to protect and serve the citizens of the community and they try to make the community a safer environment for everyone. After reading the article about the Indian police, it was very interesting to see how policing first began and comparing it to how policing is now in the present day. There were things that were done differently when policing first started that have definitely changed after so many years. I do feel like that policing will still have the same concept in years to come but at the same time, there will be many changes on how policing is done and how police are viewed. In the past, police were viewed as kind people who serve and protect the community whereas now there are many people that have lost respect for police in general. Overall, it is very interesting to see how far policing has gone since it first started many years ago. 

2) To say it’s ironic would be an understatement. “In each of the past five years, police in the United States have killed roughly a thousand people” (Lepore, 2020, The Invention of the Police). It’s ironic, yet unfortunate that the people put in place to protect the citizens from acts of violence are the ones we truly need protection from. Would putting a restriction of guns in policing benefit society as a whole? In the Marshal video, the suspects were shot without a second thought or a warning or anything. This supports my belief that there are plenty of officers that abuse their authority. They abide by their own rules instead of living by decent morals and through the eyes of the law. On the other hand, the relationship with police and the public wasn’t always so bad. “In the late 19th century, municipal police departments ran soup lines provided temporary lodging for newly arrived immigrant workers in station houses… (Kappeler, V.E., & Schaefer, B. P. (2019) pg. 5). It’s endearing to know that back in history, the relationship with the police and the public was a tight knit one and they were reliable enough to trust to fulfill their duties. I was surprised to read about the connection between policing and slavery. It definitely makes sense that their infrastructure was influenced by such a critical time in history. Because of this, it is safe to say that this is why some officers commit acts against society with a racially empowered motive. The amount of white officers and young, black men that encounter one another and usually leaves one without a life is atrocious. I do believe members of law enforcement are meant to protect and serve; however, their power is misplaced. Their faith in their system lies in between firearms instead of true justice and serving the community. 

3) My reaction to the readings and videos would be that without police in society many things can go unchecked and go terribly wrong, however having police that are not overseen can cause chaos and an abuse of power. Everyone has their own opinion on police and in recent years there has been many challenges society has faced with police such as an abuse of power, or discrimination against certain groups of people. However I personally believe that the police are a huge key in keeping society running and everyone safe, there are instances where the police has done more harm than good, such as in the short clip we watched the police went into the bar and murdered those people. That Clip shows why we have rules and regulations that police officers must follow to ensure they are not abusing the power that has been awarded to them.