In the mid-19th century, police officers used less lethal weapons while handling offenders. They mostly relied on wooden clubs. However, in the late 19th century, police officers were issued with firearms to handle criminals that were heavily armed properly. Nevertheless, in the current days, many official agencies have begun stressing on the use of less lethal weapons, but in this case, high tech devices are used compared to the wooden clubs of the 19th century. The use of force, including compliance weapons is a common occurrence to police officers. Whenever force is used, incidents of injuries are possible. Some may be minor such as bruises while others may be major such as broken bones (Davison, 2009).
The use of physical force such as fists, hands, and feet causes injuries to both the suspect and the police officer. However, the use of less lethal weapons such as pepper spray and conducted energy devices by the police officers have reduced the rate of injuries experienced by the officer and the suspect (Dymond-Bass, 2014).
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The media has a significant effect on the public attitude towards police and how the police carry on their activities. Watching news and other police shows increase favourable opinions of the police from the public. Police shows and news in most cases portray police in a positive view doing their work efficiently. Most of the media reports show the humanity of the police relating to the public while enabling them in solving their situations (Beglau, 2014).
The attention focused on police officers on how they handle the public while in contact with them by the media has caused a positive behavior on the police. Police officers are given much attention by the media on how they conduct their activities, which makes them restrain themselves from going against the law and violation of people's rights (Dowler, 2002).
References
Beglau, D. (2014). The Use and Implementation of Body-Worn Cameras in Policing. doi:10.15760/honors.403
Davison, N. (2009). ‘Non-Lethal’ Weapons in the 1990s. Non-Lethal Weapons, 40-69. doi:10.1057/9780230233980_3
Dymond-Bass, A., & Corney, N. (2014). The use of ‘less-lethal’ weapons in law enforcement. Weapons Under International Human Rights Law, 32-52. doi:10.1017/cbo9781139227148.004
Dowler, K. (2002). Media Influence on Citizen Attitudes Toward Police Effectiveness. Policing and Society,12 (3), 227-238. doi:10.1080/10439460290032369
