Abstract
Police brutality remains a challenge in the United States (U.S). Consequently, law enforcement administrators face widespread problems in their quest to maintain public trust. Successful policing is founded on public trust. Therefore, administrators have a vital role to play in ensuring that trust between the public and police prevails. Various challenges are encountered in the quest to achieve public trust. These include poor communication between police and the public, entrenched negative perception of the police, and lack of proper internal regulations for holding the police accountable for perpetrating crimes. To enhance public trust, police administrators must cultivate constant mutual policing with the community. By doing this, the public will understand the role of the police, and how they can support them in enhancing security. There police officers must undergo periodic training to strengthen their communication skills, crisis management, response to crimes amongst other responsibilities. The police must also understand the regulations that govern conduct, the likely punishment for misconduct and how they ought to act under varying situation. Overall, for the success of law enforcement, the police must build a mutual relationship with the public. This is also critical in enhancing public trust.
Introduction
Building and maintaining public trust is the foundation of any successful policing incentive. Ensuring that there is complete trust between the public and police requires lots of effort from the law enforcement administrators. The ever changing, multi-ethnic society needs a well-grounded consensus in order to address the challenges that may arise from maintenance of law and order . The police have been blamed for their approach and use of force in maintaining law and order, especially against minority groups (Cao et al., 1996). This is has been experienced not only in the U.S but also other in other parts of the world. To deal with this challenge , it is critical for both the police and society to establish a consensus on the core values that must guide the police in their daily work ( US Department of Justice Community Relations Service, 2003).
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Currently, police brutality remains a key challenge for law enforcement administrators. This problem ought to be addressed so as to reverse the public’s declining trust in the forces. According to statistics, most Native Americans and African-Americans among other minority groups have experienced police brutality in their lifetime (Cao et al., 1996). For instance, for every million deaths recorded in the U.S, 5.38% are attributed to police brutality and abuse of force. Other related incidences include rape and corruption. The Wall Street Journal reported that the year 2015 had the highest number of allegations of police officers who had perpetrated such crimes as unjustified shootings and various forms of abuse. Despite the reported killings, very few of the police officers were charged with manslaughter or murder (Calacal, 2016) . This dissipated the trust that the public had towards the police .
The media is increasingly laden with reports of misconduct amongst police officers. This is further exacerbating the distrust that already exists between the police and the general public. While developing the trust between police officers and citizens may be hard, it is not impossible. Thus, there have been efforts across the U.S from law enforcement agencies and administrators to address the existing gap between policing and public trust. These agencies are implementing various initiatives to enhance positive relationships between communities and police officers. Some of these approaches include specialized police training, outreach programs facilitated by the police departments, acknowledging the importance of internal affairs and overseeing accountability across departments. Currently, police administrators and departments support the bolstering of communication and trust within their surrounding communities .
Against this backdrop, this paper will discuss police brutality and the challenges that administrators face in a bid to maintain public trust. It will thus provide a brief account of police brutality and the programs that have been designed to enhance trust between police officers and the community. Likewise, the paper will highlight the incentives that police administrators can use to address the existing gaps in their quest to build public trust.
Police brutality and the challenges faced by law enforcement administrators in maintaining public trust
Police brutality is described as an approach to policing that disregards the fundamental human rights and the law that it ought to enforce. In the U.S, law enforcers are expected to exhibit high standards with regard to human rights and freedoms, even when handling the most dangerous criminals. However, this has not been observed in some cases . Consequently, the American Society and the especially minority groups have developed a negative attitude towards police officers. Brutality usually emanates from abuse of power by police officers. It is manifested in the form of overreaction in particular situations and application of excess force when handling criminals. Moreover, some police officers have developed intolerance to people of certain racial, religious and sexual grounds ( US Department of Justice Community Relations Service, 2003 ; Cao et al., 1996 ) . This has significantly tainted the image of police officers in the eyes of the public.
Police brutality remains one of the primary challenges in public law enforcement in the U.S. In numerous instances, the police have been blamed for perpetrating several problems including rape. It has been claimed that prejudice plays a primary role in catalyzing these occurrences . Thus the law enforcement administrators are faced with the challenge of building trust in the community. Policing, as an approach to law enforcement, needs to operate or be undertaken in absolute civility and concern for human rights and freedoms. Cases of police brutality are increasing, especially amongst the minority groups such as Native Americans and the black Americans as the society becomes more multicultural. The unlawful policing measures have been imposed on people based on their class, religion, race, color, and sexual orientation. The US Department of Justice Community Relations Service (2003) emphasizes the fact that the police must understand that their mandate is to serve the public and not propel their distorted attitudes towards race, religion, or sexual beliefs .
In the modern America, police brutality is one of the leading causes of racial disharmony. Over the years, crimes perpetrated by law enforcers have intensified. For instance, in the mid-nineteenth century, the white community used the white-dominated police force to abuse minority groups. The abuse still continued after the civil war. The U.S has a long dark history and has been cited as being an enemy of fundamental human rights. According to the US Department of Justice Community Relations Service (2003), police brutality and abuse of power is used to propel racial prejudice and attain a false sense of law and order in public circles .
While there have been considerable efforts to undo the widespread abuse of power and brutality among police, challenges still exist. In this regard, both time and intensified efforts are vital to building and sustaining public trust for law enforcement administrators. A significant number of police officers conduct their business ethically and with the utmost regard for human rights, freedoms, and the Constitution. Despite this, a few officers do not do the same and are the primary cause of the negative image that the public has towards law enforcement administrators. It is dictated that the level of integrity of police officers will dictate the degree of trust that they enjoy from the public. Through the internal affairs department, the state endeavors to re-assure the public whenever an individual crime is perpetrated by an officer (IACP, 2009) .
The administrators in the law enforcement departments have a mandate “to preserve a positive, ethical image of their departments to the public they are sworn to serve and protect” (IACP, 2009) . The way a community views the police department is influenced by several factors . These include how the police interact with the community, and the management of their internal affairs. The ultimate aim of effective policing is to build trust with the community in which the policing activities are done . In the community, police officers are esteemed and held to a high standard of professionalism, honesty, equity, and integrity. When administrators fail to reinforce fair and ethical procedures when handling and dealing with crime, public trust is likely to be affected. The administrators are bestowed with the responsibility of demonstrating proper policing behavior, upholding integrity within their respective departments, and cementing a long-lasting, trustful relationship between the community and the police (IACP, 2009) .
The first challenge that administrators face when building community trust is the establishment of sound regulations within the departments they oversee. Whenever misconduct or abuse of law occurs due to a police officer’s actions, appropriate policies should be in place to ensure that investigations are carried out, and the culprit is punished . These internal policies and regulations are important avenues of earning public trust. Other options include hiring qualified staff, conducting training on ethics, establishing an early intervention system, and properly supervising the staff (IACP, 2009) . Public trust is an esteemed link between the police and the people they have been entrusted to serve. Through proper internal policing and the other outlined strategies, administrators can ensure that operations within their departments adhere to integrity and ethics .
However, transparency and integrity are one way of building and maintaining public trust. The internal regulations and standards should be part of a broader plan. Another leading cause of distrust between the police and the public is a lack of proper training of the police as the culture and society keep changing. Police brutality majorly occurs due to lack of programs to educate the officers and enhance their response to crime in a changing environment. It should be understood that every officer represents the whole department and must thus ensure that he or she projects a positive image in the public spheres (IACP, 2009) . The relationship between the police and the public benefits both parties. While the public depends on the police for protection and service, the police rely on the cooperation and support of the public to be effective. Miscommunication is another cause of mistrust between the police and communities. This is because it undermines the goal of achieving safer communities. Poor communication, as well as language and cultural barriers, are noted as key drivers of mistrust between the police and the public. Poor communication leads to public misunderstanding of police practices, and this is a significant barrier to enhanced community relations (Scott, 2002) .
Communicating with the public must be an active, rather than a passive process. It must evolve from sheer demands and passing of information to engage, listen, and understand what the other part is trying to communicate. The police have the responsibility of ensuring zero crimes are committed within the community while upholding and respecting the rights of the public. In some instance, police officers disregard the need for the public’s mutual support and cooperation (Scott, 2002). Failure of the officers to esteem the public as part of the policing system, distrust is likely to occur. Subsequently, many people hold the view that police are enemies of their freedoms and rights .
The public lacks trust towards the police due to a real or perceived lack of transparency and accountability by the police (Scott, 2002) . In many instances, the public complains about the way cases of police abuse and brutality are handled . Law enforcement administrators have been accused of acting in favor of the officer when the public reports cases of police misconduct. In this context, it is vital for police administrators to communicate to the public how officers accused of abuse are punished . Moreover, the outcomes of punishments imposed on unlawful policing must be publicized so as to earn the assurance and trust of the public. The Internal Affairs office, which is mandated to enhance both the internal and public image of the agency, must ensure that the police are adequately trained . This must incorporate proper communication skills and response in various cultural settings (Scott, 2002) .
Trust is rooted in the interactions between individuals and institutions that help them to define how they seek to be treated in the future. The public most often mistrusts most government-affiliated institutions . Goldsmith (2005) attributes this to broken promises, incompetence, and the antagonism that government officers show towards those they are mandated to serve. To the citizens, the mistrust is justified because the police regularly disregard their rights. Thus, the residents reckon that they could find protection from other avenues. The attitude with which police carry out their mandate influences how the public response . Whenever the policing system seems to favor a particular social group while maligning another, the public’s perception of the officers is destroyed (Goldsmith, 2005) .
During the civil movement, the police were used to mistreat the people of color, and this fueled this group’s hatred for the officers. Conversely, when the police are used to discipline particular social groups, the officers are put in conflict with such groups. Police chiefs must, therefore, recognize their key role in enhancing racial harmony. Thus, every law enforcement activity must be carried out in a way that does not harm or abuse the fundamental rights of all persons (Goldsmith, 2005) . On the other hand, the punishment for committed crimes must be fair among all races. Further, the way an office reports a particular crime must be judged by the public as fair and not catalyzed by racial prejudice .
Law enforcement officers must ensure that the persons being recruited into the police agencies have an orientation for service. Officers must possess such characters as high standards of accountability, honesty, and integrity. Those mandated to supervise the officers must receive continuous training as they advance the ranks of administration to ensure that their decisions are not at variance with the expectations of the public (IACP, 2009) . The public has an entrenched view of the way police handle their day to day activities. Goldsmith (2005) argues that the antagonistic relationship between the police and certain sub-groups of the society indicates the lack of trust that is prevalent between the police and the public. Majorly, this is attributed to police brutality when handling offenders.
Conclusion
Police brutality is the leading cause of public mistrust of the police force in the U.S. To undo this misunderstanding between the police and public, law enforcement administrators must respond through various strategies. First, the regulations within the agency must uphold, support, and enhance public trust. When police are convicted of any crime, the public must be assured that appropriate punishment will be imposed on the individual. The administrators also need to promote communication and engagement with the public. Moreover, the administrators must share their views on how security can be enhanced with the public. Through properly established communication structures, the public will be made aware of what to expect from the police and the role they can play in the law enforcement process. Despite the many challenges, effective policing requires public trust and enhanced cooperation between the police agencies and the targeted communities. Overall, to build trust, the police must build a mutual relationship with the public.
References
Calacal, C. (2016). This is how many people police have killed so far in 2016 . ThinkProgress. Retrieved from https://thinkprogress.org/this-is-how-many-people-police-have-killed-so-far-in-2016-7f1aec6b7098#.tzmzum7jx
Cao, L., Frank, J., & Cullen, F. T. (1996). Race, community context and confidence in the police. American journal of police , 15 (1), 3-22.
Goldsmith, A. (2005). Police reform and the problem of trust. Theoretical Criminology, 9 (4), 443-470; 1362-4806.
International Assoc of Chiefs of Polic e (IACP) (2009). Building Trust Between the Police and the Citizens They Serve: An Internal Affairs Promising Practices Guide for Local Law Enforcement. Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, U.S. Department of Justice.
Scott, J. D. (2002). Assessing the relationship between police-community coproduction and neighborhood-level social capital. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice , 18 (2), 147-166.
US Department of Justice Community Relations Service (2003). Principles of Good Policing: Avoiding Violence Between Police and Citizens.
