Police Discretion and Motivations for Police Misconduct
In America, police officers are revered and highly distinguished because of the power they wield and the dangers they must face. Since the profession carries such danger and risk, they must be allowed to perform their jobs to the best of their ability. But how far does their power reach over individuals and society? This issue is hotly-debated and there is no definitive right or wrong answer to this question. After all, the matter of life and death is tenuous for both the police officer and the civilian. But how far is too far? Where is the line drawn between police discretion and police misconduct? I will examine this dilemma and illustrate instances where the police clearly overstep their authority. One of the most controversial distinctions of police authority is their discretion over individual rights. Our nation's concept and respect for individual rights stems from our forefathers and the creation of the Constitution. Being a country with grassroots in freedom and revolution, our outlook towards individual rights and liberty remain strong. Therefore much emphasis is placed on the Constitution as the rule of law and its interpretation of individual rights affects the way police organizations conduct themselves.
Political pressure can sway the actions of policing and can alienate the needs of a community. Once police cynicism sets in, an officer may believe that they don't have to give a hundred percent or be morally upstanding to accomplish their goals. Officers may take bribes in the form of promotions, easy beats, and money if they follow the demands of politicians as opposed to obeying protocol. For a good ten minutes, the footage indicates that the officers repeatedly struck King with their nightsticks like baseball bats, punched and kicked him while he was down, and even tazored him while he was already subdued (The Chase 1). The request was denied in 2001 by the U. In spite of the fact that the police acted in self-defense, many people believed that shooting him 41 times was excessive and served as grounds for police misconduct. In a 1993 case, a New York police officer named Michael Dowd admitted to the Mollen Commission that he ran a cocaine ring out of his Brooklyn station house (Schmalleger 229). Such instances can range from speeding to drunk-driving. The most infamous example of political and police corruption was the Tammany Hall Scandal under William Marcy Tweed (Boss Tweed). His moral struggle reached its climax when he was shot point blank in the face while working on a drug raid. The four men were charged with felonies for assault and assault under the color of authority. S Department of Justice since they believed that there wasn't enough evidence to prove that Diallo's rights had been violated (Schmalleger 274). So extreme, in fact, that it's lead to some of the most horrific acts of police brutality ever witnessed in modern America. It's unfair to generalize every police officer as a bad cop; in fact, many police officers perform their duty honorably and they genuinely care about improving the streets and reducing community violence. Although in other instances, corrupting influences can play a part in their decision-making which can spawn a negative cycle of policing and could promote contempt and recurring violence between the police and the communities that they are sworn to protect.
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