The Image of Law Enforcement in Disadvantaged Communities

Introduction 

Change and improvement that aims at rebuilding any particular service or organization, requires careful planning for effective execution of the mission. In the case of rebuilding the image of law enforcement in disadvantaged communities, various factors have to be put in place in addition to conducting research to make the same possible. Among the factors that are considered in the event of introducing change is the selection of a team tasked with facilitating and making possible the change. In addition to that adequate training is required for the selected team to effectively drive the needed change (Brown, 2012). Depending on the kind of change being introduced it is important to select appropriate locations where those administering change, as well as those who will be affected by change can gather and discuss the matters at hand. This is because it is important to get feedback from those who will be affected by a change in order to make the change effective. It is important to set up locations within areas where the target population is in an effort to make the change feasible. Once the locations are established regular meetings should be held in an effort to communicate some of the steps being taken to facilitate change, especially with community leaders of the target population (Brown, 2012). To rebuild the image of law enforcement in disadvantaged communities, a change process entailing the selection of personnel, training based on established research, the setting up of relevant locations for holding of meetings should be done. The aim of this essay, therefore, is to conduct research on some of the ways in which rebuilding of the image of law enforcement in disadvantaged communities can be done and the mission of rebuilding can be achieved. 

The first step towards rebuilding the image of law enforcement in disadvantaged communities is to establish the disadvantaged groups so as to determine where the problem lies (Schroeder, Lombardo, & Strollo, 2006). Among the disadvantaged communities is that of the African Americans. According to an article in the Huffington Post, the odds of winning a lottery were higher compared to those of a black child getting shot. There have been numerous incidences of police brutality against members of the African American community on racial grounds, thus the reason to deem them one of the disadvantaged groups. Other disadvantaged communities include immigrants such as members of the Hispanic community, as well as members of the LGBTQ community. Upon establishing some of the disadvantaged groups it is important to separate those that are likely to have less faith or trust in law enforcement so as to establish the target disadvantaged communities, which in this case would be immigrants and African Americans (Schroeder, Lombardo, & Strollo, 2006). 

Once the target disadvantaged group is established, a team of personnel within law enforcement to drive the exercise should be set up, who will be charged with conducting the analysis (Schroeder, Lombardo, & Strollo, 2006). Among the chosen personnel for the rebuilding of the image of law enforcement in disadvantaged communities are Problem Oriented Policing (POP) officers, Crime Suppression Unit (CSU) officers, and Police Activities League (PAL) officers. The team will be comprised of culturally diverse individuals to facilitate their ability to handle an equally culturally diverse population. The chosen personnel, already given specialized training in respect to their respective tasks, will drive the exercise based on research that will promote the same. The selected personnel will be assigned specific geographical areas where they are expected to build rapport with the community, as well as build mutual respect between community members and law enforcement. Upon setting up a team to carry out the exercise, it is important to assign each officer to a specific location. This is done in order to make research for the solution of the rebuilding of the image of law enforcement in disadvantages communities relevant and effective. The analysis of the team chosen to help in rebuilding the image of law enforcement in disadvantaged communities should be based on adequate, factual and relevant information that can be established through research. 

The next step, based on the SARA problem-solving model is to engage in scanning, which entails conduct research in an effort to establish some of the ways of rebuilding the image of law enforcement in disadvantaged communalities (Arrington, 2007). This may include establishing some of the areas and communities that are prone to incidences involving disadvantaged communities such as gang-related activities in African American and Hispanic communities (Schroeder, Lombardo, & Strollo, 2006). According to an article by the Huffington Post, young male African Americans are at high risk of dying through getting shot a situation which has been compared to the odds of someone winning a lottery (Abbey-Lambertz & Erbentraut, 2017). As a result, it shows that young African American males are a disadvantaged group that may need to have a better image of law enforcement. According to the article, the son of an African American lady, alongside his friends were shot by during a gang shooting. The article report that the local police did all they could to find the perpetrators of the shooting, which restores the community’s faith in law enforcement (Abbey-Lambertz & Erbentraut, 2017). The article continues to mention that at a time when the relationship between disadvantaged community members and law enforcement is strained, community-orient policing could offer a solution to improve the relationship. 

According to the Huffington Post article, one way of rebuilding the image of law enforcement in disadvantaged communities is to encourage and promote community policing (Abbey-Lambertz & Erbentraut, 2017). This will promote the forming of partnerships with communities, where there will be transparency, which is one way of gaining rapport with members of disadvantaged communities. Doing so promotes the rebuilding the image of law enforcement in such communities. In addition to that, the writing stories of how the police actively engage in investigations that solve social issues within disadvantaged communities will also restore the faith of such people, thus rebuilding the image of law enforcement. Community orient policing may facilitate the rebuilding of the image of law enforcement since members of disadvantaged communities get actively involved in helping the police force solve social issues within their communities. 

Another solution to rebuilding the image of law enforcement within disadvantaged groups is through police training, evaluation, and promotion (Calhoun, 2016). Training can be done in a manner that facilitates the ability of those enforcing law to practice fairness, accountability, as well as transparency (Calhoun, 2016). In the wake of many incidences of police brutality especially against disadvantaged communities such as those of the Latinos and African Americans, many city leaders are making changes. For instance, in the Los Angeles section of Watts, sworn officers are required to have a five-year residency (Calhoun, 2016). This ensures that such an officer is well conversant with not only the environment within which they work but also with the culture of people living in that environment. This facilitates a better understanding of such an officer, thus preventing instances of police brutality, especially as a result of a cultural misunderstanding between the police and members of the disadvantaged communities. Reducing the instances of cultural misunderstanding between law enforcers and members of disadvantaged communities helps in rebuilding the image of law enforcement in such communities. 

In addition to reducing cultural misunderstanding, some cities engage in co-screening of police officers, where residents, especially such as Latino and blacks, are able to screen officers that will be assigned to their communities (Calhoun, 2016). This promotes the rebuilding of the image of law enforcement as members of disadvantaged communities feel included in the process of assigning police officers within their communities, thus building a rapport based on confidence and trust. Another solution to the problem at hand is that of establishing promotion criteria, where officers are promoted based on the quality and frequency of interaction with members of disadvantaged communities and crime reduction in those communities (Lacher, 2013). This will, in turn, ensure that officer work hard at earning their promotions, which will translate into them putting an effort into making their communities better through better services such as crime reduction. Better services will promote the rebuilding of the law enforcement image as people in disadvantaged communities will see tangible results of the better services, thus increasing their faith and trust in law enforcement. Cities such as Tacoma and New Orleans residents of color and law enforcement have been engaging in conversations as a way of promoting healing, which is as a result of the acknowledgment of the role of law enforcement in historical racial inequalities (Calhoun, 2016). This promotes the rebuilding of the image of law enforcement as it is a show of good faith and accountability, which create a rapport between members of disadvantaged groups and law enforcement. Overall, the idea of improving the relationship between members of disadvantaged communities and law enforcement is among the most effective ways of rebuilding the image of law enforcement in such communities. Therefore, this should be among the consideration that will help in achieving the mission of improving the image of law enforcement within disadvantaged communities. 

Other ways of rebuilding the image of law enforcement, as demonstrated in many cities in the United States include training police officer to police one another, conducting implicit bias training, as well as promoting in data and information sharing between members of the community and law enforcement (Calhoun, 2016). By training police officers to police each will ensure they all act according, which reduced instances of police brutality, thus regaining the trust of people within disadvantaged communities. As a result, regaining the trust of people within disadvantaged communities using this technique will help in rebuilding the image of police enforcement in those communities. Conducting implicit bias training will ensure police officers do not engage in such actions, thus preventing incidences of retaliation among members of disadvantaged communities that may result in police brutality, loss of lives or damage to property. This will promote the creation of rapport between law enforcement and members of disadvantaged communities, thus rebuilding the image of law enforcement in those communities. Promoting data and information sharing between police members of the community and law enforcement promotes trust since such action increases transparency, thus promote the rebuilding of the law enforcement image. However, sharing of information and data should only be done with trusted community partners (Calhoun, 2016). This should be done prevent instances where information from law enforcement can be used against members of disadvantaged communities, which will, in turn, tarnish the relationship between such communities and law enforcement. This may frustrate or prevent the rebuilding of the image of law enforcement making such efforts of transparency futile. 

Following the death of Eric Garner in the hands of NYPD officer, which resulted in protests across the nation, steps have been taken to improve relationships between law enforcement and minority groups (Kaplan, 2014). Among the steps taken to address the incidences of police brutality that led to the death of three African Americans include conducting full retraining and the implementation of new Smartphone technology for all law enforcement officers (Kaplan, 2014). The idea of retraining is based on changing the policing culture across the country in an effort to change the policing model from one that operates in the community to that of being for the community (Brown, 2012). This will, in turn, reduce instances of racial profiling and the standard use of force, which are steps towards rebuilding the image of law enforcement, especially within disadvantaged communities. In addition to that, police officers are encouraged to increase contact with members of the community as opposed to spending most of their patrol time in their patrol cars (Kaplan, 2014). This will enable them to interact with members of the society, where they ask relevant questions and get feedback that can be used to improve their services. The interaction will help build trusts and improve policing services, which will, in turn, promote the rebuilding of the image of law enforcement in disadvantaged communities. 

Reports have shown that there are numerous instances of racial bias within the Baltimore police department, which is also not uncommon in other police departments across the nation (Lopez, 2017). This has resulted in a policing culture where members of certain disadvantaged communities, such as African Americans, experience constant harassment and brutality on racial grounds. For instance, an article mentions that a certain African American in his mid-50s has been stopped 30 times over public housing loitering in less than four years, despite not having a criminal record (Lopez, 2017). Racial bias is common within the Baltimore Police Departments and is characterized by actions such as racially biased stoppages, searches, as well as the forceful arrest of members of disadvantaged communities. Such actions have caused people’s trust to diminish, which negatively impacts the image of law enforcement in disadvantaged communities (Lopez, 2017). Based on the evidence of police brutality in major cities and states across the United States, solutions to the same have been developed, which will also rebuild the image of law enforcement in disadvantaged communities. 

Police should apologize for centuries of abuse in an effort to rebuild the image of law enforcement in disadvantaged communities. In order for police to effectively police disadvantaged communities and rebuild the image of law enforcement, they need to own up to how such communities view them (Lopez, 2017). Members of law enforcement should be trained to address their racial bias so as to avoid being racially biased when carrying out their duties. This will reduce instances of racially-related injustices, thus rebuilding the image of law enforcement in disadvantaged communities. In addition to that police should avoid instances where they resort to the use of force (Lopez, 2017). To rebuild the image of law enforcement in disadvantaged communities, changes within police departments regarding on-the-job incentives are necessary. This is because certain on-the-job incentives require police officers to engage in that may be unfair or unjust in an effort to meet certain departmental requirements. For instance, it was established that the Ferguson Police Department encouraged its officers to issue as many tickets to generate revenue from the fees and fines (Lopez, 2017). This resulted in the police targeting disadvantaged community such as that of the African Americans, which contributes to the diminishing image of law enforcement. It is therefore important to change such incentives to counter the effect and promote rebuilding of the image of law enforcement. 

In addition to procedural justice, which entails the cultivation of the culture of fairness, voice, transparency, and impartiality, law enforcement organizations have established other ways of rebuilding the image of law enforcement in disadvantaged communities (Sunshine, Tyler, & Fagan, 2017). Owing to the vertical structure of most law enforcement organizations executive leadership is responsible for setting the organization’s vision. As a result, those in the executive leadership positions are charged with the responsibility of integrating consistency and fairness, unbiased decision-making and impartiality, as well as community representation, openness and transparency into their respective department’s organizational culture (Sunshine, Tyler, & Fagan, 2017). By doing so, they facilitate the ability of individual employees such as police officers to employ the use of procedural justice when executing their roles and duties. This has led to the development of a training model that lays much emphasis on clear articulation of core values, thus the significance of the role of executive leaders. An organization’s decision-making process, protocols, as well as policies should be created in a transparent manner to facilitate the adoption and use of the same among police officers while performing their duties. Law enforcement agencies or departments should, therefore, involve all the employees in every aspect of the process of procedural justice (Sunshine, Tyler, & Fagan, 2017). This is because by involving the employees in the process, they are better acquainted to what they are expected to do since they also contribute to how some of the protocols are made. Ideally, the idea of rebuilding the image of law enforcement in disadvantaged communities should begin with changes in how police officers carry out their roles and duties. Therefore, failure of executive leaders in law enforcement departments to effectively cultivate an organizational culture characterized by consistency and fairness, unbiased decision-making and impartiality, as well as community representation, openness, and transparency, prevents police officers from offering better services (Lacher, 2013). This in turn negatively affects their performance. The same has to be eliminated in order to increases the faith of people in disadvantaged communities in law enforcement, thus rebuilding its mage in such communities. 

The next step, post conducting research on some of the ways of rebuilding the image of law enforcement in disadvantaged communities, is to conduct an analysis of those established facts (Schroeder, Lombardo, & Strollo, 2006). This entails conducting a verification on those involved, who based on the research conducted are African Americans and members of the Hispanic community. This is then followed by establishing some of the problems they face, which has resulted in them having a negative view of the image of law enforcement. Based on the research conducted such problems include racial injustices such as police brutality and the use of force, constant harassment, as well as mass killings. Such actions by the police have resulted in protests, as well as retaliation owing to the fact that members of disadvantaged communities no longer trust law enforcement. However, analysis conducted on the established research will show that there are solutions for rebuilding the image of law enforcement in disadvantaged communities. These include promoting transparency, building trust and rapport, apologies by the police for centuries of injustice, better administration of law enforcement agencies. 

Conclusion 

Upon establishing some of the possible options to rebuild the image of law enforcement in disadvantaged communities, planning the solution occurs, which is among the final steps of this mission (Schroeder, Lombardo, & Strollo, 2006). This is where the setup locations come into play because they will serve as the centers where the meetings to plan the solution will be held. After careful deliberation on the suggested plan of action, as well as the contribution of members of the affected communities, the solutions will be implemented. Thereafter, the solutions will be evaluated to establish their effectiveness, which is also assessment according to the SARA problem-solving model (Milller, Hess & Orthmann, 2013). This will entail holding subsequent meetings to see the progress upon implementation of the solutions, which will eventually see that the mission to rebuild the image of law enforcement in disadvantaged communities is accomplished. Overall, careful consideration of each step is important for the effective rebuilding of the image of law enforcement in disadvantaged communities. 

References 

Arrington, R. (2007).  Crime prevention: The law enforcement officer's practical guide . Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. 

Brown, L. P. (2012).  Policing in the 21st century: Community policing . Bloomington, IN: Authorhouse. 

Lacher, D. (2013). Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice Management (1st ed.). Cognella Academic Publishing. 

Miller, L. S., Hess, K. M., & Orthmann, C. M. H. (2013).  Community policing: Partnerships for problem solving . Clifton Park, N.Y: Delmar. 

Schroeder, D. J., Lombardo, F., & Strollo, J. (2006). Management and Supervision of Law Enforcement Personnel (4th ed.). Charlottesville, VA: Gould Publishing. 

Kaplan, R. (2014, December 7). How do police improve relations with minority communities? CBSNews . Retrieved January 25, 2019, from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/are-police-doing-enough-to-improve-relations-with-minority-communities/

Calhoun, J. (2016, November 20). Building Trust Between Police and the Communities They Serve. CitiesSpeak . Retrieved January 25, 2019, from https://citiesspeak.org/2016/11/20/building-trust-between-the-police-and-the-communities-they-serve/

Lopez, G. (2017, September 1). American policing is broken. Here's how to fix it. Vox . Retrieved January 25, 2019, from https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2016/11/29/12989428/police-shooting-race-crime

Sunshine, J., Tyler, T., & Fagan, J. (2017, November 3). Procedural Justice: A Training Model for Organizational-Level Change. Police Chief Magazine . Retrieved January 25, 2019, from http://www.policechiefmagazine.org/procedural-justice-a-training-model-for-organizational-level-change/

Abbey-Lambertz, K., & Erbentraut, J. (2017, December 6). The Simple Strategies That Could Fundamentally Change How Communities View Their Police. HuffPost . Retrieved January 25, 2019, from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/17/community-policing-police-trust_n_6607766.html