Students Post and Response Week 5 (for Hifsa Shakaut)
Alessandro Volta
Student3.docx1
#1: Key Concepts in Building Law Enforcement Legitimacy
Law enforcement legitimacy is very important for both the agencies and the communities they serve and protect. There must be public trust and confidence in the police for their overall mission and objectives to be attained. There must also be a sense of obligation and responsibility by the citizenry to accept police authority. For legitimacy to exist, a belief that police actions are morally justified and appropriate to the circumstances should be shared by the public. The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) is just one organization in the U.S. that promotes the notion that when police are perceived to be procedurally just in their actions, public recognition of police legitimacy improved along with the ability of police to carry out their responsibilities effectively (http://www.icjia.state.il.us/articles/procedural-justice-in-policing-how-the-process-of-justice-impacts-public-attitudes-and-law-enforcement-outcomes).
#2: Prevailing Opinions of the Legitimacy of Law Enforcement in the U.S.
Many general opinions on the legitimacy of law enforcement may be formed by the perception of police behavior being lawful vs. procedurally just. The general public have a limited understanding of the law as it pertains to statutes and the Constitution, but most people have a strong understanding of behavior that is considered procedurally just and unjust. In other words, an officer’s behavior may be within the legal scope of authority but completely wrong as being procedurally just. Officer behavior during traffic stops, searches, attitudes, verbal commands and overall interpersonal exchanges with the public all contribute to the public opinion of legitimacy in law enforcement (http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/RIC/publications/cops-p241-pub). Prevailing opinions among member of communities of color tend to be more negative toward legitimacy of law enforcement because of issues pertaining to racial profiling, higher arrest rates, mistreatment and over enforcement, in comparison to predominantly white communities.
#3: The Impact of Racial Profiling and Disproportionate Contact with Ethnic Groups
Both racial profiling and disproportionate contact with certain racial groups undermine legitimacy because it destroys trust between law enforcement and those respective racial groups. It erodes the belief that police actions are morally justified and should be supported and adhered to. Racial profiling also undermines the effectiveness of law enforcement by having the opposite affect on the goal of detecting and reducing crime. Policing efforts focused on race allows other important factors to go undetected when seeking to detect and reduce crime. If minority groups have lower hit rates compared to whites, an entire swath of criminal activity goes undetected to the detriment of the community. Additionally, the use of statistical discrimination have further advanced the notion that use of demographic information will assist law enforcement to pin-point criminal behavior with certain racial/ethnic groups As pointed out by Bernard Harcourt in Henry Louis Gates and Racial Profiling, the Rachet Effect develops out of this scenario where a specific group is profiled and targeted at a higher rate than other groups, thereby producing a higher offending rate within that targeted group. The affects are long term and have economic impacts that are detrimental to that particular group, as well as society overall.
#4: Building Law Enforcement Legitimacy with Probation, Parole and other Law Enforcement
Building law enforcement legitimacy takes a united and consistent effort on the part of all aspects of the criminal justice system. Racial profiling that was used to identify certain racial groups, in particular, African-Americans, lead to disproportionate number of arrests that lead to their conviction, placement on probation and/or incarceration and return to the community on parole. By utilizing evidence-based programming to increase their probability of meaningful employment, training, schooling, etc. it will assist in eliminating distrust and create a more cohesive partnership with affected groups. In doing so, the negative economic and societal impacts can be mitigated.
#5: Building Integrity and Legitimacy within the Organization – Early Findings
My research paper is focused on auditing the active shooter protocol and policies of the Salem State University campus police. The audit will be focused on determining if their policies and procedures are consistent with law enforcement standards for such incidents and if they are adhering to them during active shooter events. By doing so, the audit will reveal a connection between policy, practices and the existence of any discrepancies. The audit is hoped to also determine if their protocol and policies create a relationship of trust and confidence between the agency and the campus community in instances of an active shooter incident.
I have given preliminary review of the campus police’s public disclosure information on procedures for “shelter in place”. I have yet to make any early findings given I am still in the process of obtaining auditing data for the department’s policies and procedures.
References
Harcourt, B.E.(2014). Chapter 14: Henry Louis Gates and Racial Profiling. In B. D. Fitch (Ed.). Law Enforcement Ethics: Classic and Contemporary Issues (pp.295-324). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/RIC/publications/cops-p241-pub
