The primary duty of law enforcement officers is to safeguard the well-being of the public. They protect both properties and lives by ensuring that people follow the laws and regulations that govern their societies (University of North Carolina | Police, 2020). In some instances, fulfilling the stated requirements necessitates the use of police force. The undeniable truth is, when officers forcefully execute their duties for the well-being of the greater majority, regardless of the ‘gentleness’ of the force, there is a high likelihood that those on the receiving end will get hurt (Long, 2012). Resultantly, the conflict between law enforcement and the public arises, following the perception that the police are harming rather than protecting. Therefore, understanding the factors that contribute to the law enforcement community conflicts is vital to finding relevant solutions to remedy the situations.
Among the agents that contribute to the police-public conflict on the law enforcement’s side are poor task execution and misunderstanding of the interests of the public. Law enforcement officers interact with the public daily. The manner with which they execute their tasks, especially when handling the individuals in their custody defines the public’s perception of them. The higher the number of assaults and injuries on suspects, the greater the likelihood of conflict emergence. Additionally, when officers are dealing with citizens in high tension scenarios such as riots, they are likely to misinterpret the intentions of the citizen’s actions. The latter may result in the use of force inappropriately, which the public capitalizes on as grounds for conflict (Fielding, 2017). Similarly, the public contributes to the creation of conflict with law enforcement due to insubordination and inciting. When police officers issue orders, they expect citizens to follow them. In instances that individuals refuse to concede, law enforcers are forced to take drastic measures to protect both themselves and other members of the public. The decisions made under the stated circumstances may result in injury or death of the insubordinate individuals, a factor that the public can use as grounds for conflict. Moreover, some groups within communities may incite their members to partake in unlawful activities. Since law enforcement officers must mitigate wrongdoings, run-ins with such citizens breeds conflict (Hills, 2013). Thus, both the police and the public play a role in creating the conflict that exists between them.
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The public’s perception of power and its applications is vital to the successful execution of police duties. Law enforcers can never please all. However, if police officers’ actions satisfy the greater majority, the community backs the authority used to maintain law and order. Nonetheless, when the majority’s power perception changes to viewing policing actions as those that are exerted on the public rather than in alignment with citizen needs, conflict ensures. When citizens feel like the police are using their power to restrict rather than safeguard their freedom, they mistrust the force. Instead of cooperating with law enforcement, the public resists the efforts thereof, intending to right the power balance (Awan et al., 2019). On the other hand, police perception of the power that the law accords them determines the nature of the relations that law enforcers have with the public. If police view themselves as a superior force that ‘citizens must abide by or suffer the wrath of,’ they are likely to exert a lot of authoritative force when conducting their duties. The use of force, even in its slightest form, increases the likelihood of conflict (Muñiz, 2015). As such, the maintenance of the police-public relations in a conflict-free state relies on the ability of both parties to acquire power perceptions that depict them as equal partners rather than superiors and inferiors.
The relational theory of power describes the status of interpersonal relations. It conceptualizes power as a component of social relationships and not individual qualities. As such, power becomes the product of communication between parties. The qualities of a relationship, such as resources and networking, result in one party giving power to the other when conflict arises. However, the fluidity of most conflict situations is associated with the flexibility of power dynamics in both specific and other relations. The underlying principle asserts that the determinant of power is a party’s dependence on the currencies that another controls (Azmanova, 2018). The relationship-based power dynamics highlighted by the relational theory determine that the resolution of the police-community conflict depends on the perceptions the parties have towards each other. For instance, in cases that the public views the police as the authority that controls the nature of the lifestyle within communities by asserting authoritative force depending on race or ethnicity, the difficulty of conflict resolution between both parties is heightened. Anytime a white officer issues an order or acts against a person that belongs to a racial minority group, they are deemed as oppressors, despite the legitimacy of the actions thereof. As such, conflict may ensure between minorities and the police, whereas the relations of the law enforcers and white community members remain intact. Offering conflict solutions in such situations becomes difficult because of the perception differences elicited among community members, depending on their ethnicity.
Similarly, some communities are home to criminals. The lawbreakers run their enterprises and control the regions they operate in either by eliciting fear among their inhabitants or fostering a misguided sense of loyalty. Examples of such communities are areas within which drug kingpins operate. The control that the criminals have in such neighborhoods threatens police authority. Law enforcers perceive the kingpins as the power holders because they control the majority of the community members, making it difficult for the police to execute their duties. Therefore, police attempts to tip the power balance in their favor are forceful. As established, force escalates rather than resolves conflict. Hence, misguided loyalty in kingpin controlled communities inhibits communication between the public and the police. The latter impacts law enforcement power perceptions and elicits retaliatory actions that often heighten rather than mitigate conflict.
One of the conflict resolution strategies that may apply to the law enforcement community conflicts is collaboration. It requires that the conflicting parties be cooperative and assertive to facilitate the creation of a collective solution that all can support. A collaborative strategy applies to the police-public conflict because it would elicit trust, which is vital to enabling both parties to work towards a similar goal of making communities safer. Secondly, an accommodating strategy may facilitate conflict resolution between law enforcement and citizens. It would require the police and members of the public to cooperate and assimilate the demands of each other. Accommodation can elicit a solution that both parties can support, but if it is not well-handled, and avoidance drives the processes thereof, unresolved issues may surface in the long-run (Bercovitch, 2019). Of the two strategies, the collaboration approach would be the most viable solution to the law enforcement community conflicts. When the police involve the public in decision-making and their protection, as is the case with community policing initiatives, both parties begin to understand each other better. Consequently, the police trust the public, and vice versa, creating a community environment that elicts positive power perceptions. Both parties view each other as partners in creating safe communities, resulting in better security and diminished conflict levels.
Both the police and the public must accept the role they play in creating law enforcement community conflict. Each party must take initiative to remedy such situations for the benefit of the community as a whole. Through collaboration, the police and the public can come together and create safe environments where they can coexist and effectively work together.
References
Awan, I., Brookes, M., Powell, M., & Stanwell, S. (2019). Understanding the public perception and satisfaction of a UK police constabulary. Police Practice and Research , 20 (2), 172-184.
Azmanova, A. (2018). Relational, structural and systemic forms of power: the ‘right to justification’ confronting three types of domination. Journal of Political Power , 11 (1), 68-78.
Bercovitch, J. (2019). Social conflicts and third parties: Strategies of conflict resolution . Routledge.
Fielding, N. (2017). The police and social conflict . Taylor & Francis.
Hills, A. (2013). Policing post-conflict cities . Zed Books Ltd..
Long, D. (2012). Understanding police-citizen conflict: A neighborhood environmental perspective.
Muñiz, A. (2015). Police, power, and the production of racial boundaries . Rutgers University Press.
University of North Carolina | Police. (2020). Officer Expectations and Duties. Retrieved 9 March 2020, from https://police.unc.edu/recruitment/officer-expectations-duties/
