The United States is one of the most diverse countries in the globe. It is projected that in the next few decades, the white community will lose its majority status. Given the country’s diversity, one would expect that it has made progress in promoting integration and harmony. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Such issues as discrimination, stereotyping and prejudice still ail the country. Ethnic stereotyping is a particular problem that demands urgent solutions. Essentially, ethnic stereotyping involves making sweeping and often negative generalizations about members of a particular ethnic community. It is a serious social problem as it discourages integration and fuels animosity. There have been efforts to challenge the American people to abandon their prejudices and adopt new perspectives in how they regard and treat people from different ethnic communities. An examination of the current state of the American nation reveals that these efforts have largely been ineffective. Ethnic stereotyping is particularly rampant within law enforcement in the US. If the country is to tackle ethnic stereotyping, it needs to begin by adopting police reforms.
As a Puerto Rican, I have personally witnessed the damaging effects of ethnic stereotyping. I have observed as police officers target members of my community despite lacking a solid basis. Essentially, the ethnic stereotyping has exposed my community to injustices and unfair treatment. The Puerto Rican community is not isolated. Law enforcement agencies in the US are known for their unfair and unjustifiable treatment of members of minority communities (Wilson, Wilson & Thou, 2015). The stereotype that these individuals are more likely to commit crimes informs the policies that law enforcement agencies adopt in their relationship with the minority communities. Offered the opportunity, I would implement police reforms that focus on training officers on the need for objectivity and respect for all individuals, regardless of their ethnic background.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Police reforms are directly related to the problem of ethnic stereotyping. As noted above, ethnic stereotyping has hindered effective law enforcement. By targeting members of a particular community, the police lose the confidence and support of that community. In an article that featured in the online edition of the Washington Post, Natarajan (2014) discusses how racial profiling damages the relationship between the community and law enforcement agencies. Ethnic stereotyping by police officers has a similar effect. When they treat members of the Spanish and Puerto Rican community unfairly and on the basis of ethnic stereotypes, the police essentially dismiss the community and fail to recognize the importance of the support that this community can offer. Police reforms hold the key to addressing ethnic stereotyping. By challenging officers to acknowledge the equality and value of all citizens, the reforms will go a long way in moving the US away from ethnic stereotyping.
The role that police reforms can play in tackling ethnic stereotyping has been explored extensively in research and literature. Skinner and Haas (2016) are among the scholars who have discussed the need for police reforms. In their article, they call on police departments to educate officers on the importance of objectivity. These scholars make it clear that when officers stop associating members of certain communities with criminal behavior, progress will be made in the fight against ethnic stereotyping. The police reforms that have been proposed above need to aim to transform the perspectives of the police. By recognizing that the mere fact that an individual is from a particular community does not mean that they intend to commit crimes. A change in the perspective of officers will also improve relations with communities. Communities will have enhanced levels of trust and will offer their full support to law enforcement officers.
Carter et al. (2016) are other scholars whose work sheds light on the need to address ethnic stereotyping. Their research focused on the need to address implicit biases and to acknowledge the reality of race so as to boost discipline among students. While this research would mostly benefit academic institutions, the insights that Carter and his colleagues share can help the police to tackle ethnic stereotyping. These researchers underscore the need to acknowledge that race is a real issue. The acknowledgment is the first step toward addressing disparities and promoting justice. When they admit that they engage in ethnic stereotyping and that this practice hampers the delivery of justice, police officers will be effective in their quest for a more just and inclusive society.
The discussion above has focused on the need for police officers to admit that they allow ethnic stereotypes to inform their interactions with and treatment of individuals from minority communities. This measure will help to address injustice in the US. However, the measure need to be combined with such other strategies as adopting reforms that change the culture of police organizations. In their article, Bryant-Davis et al. (2017) observed that the police use excessive force and violence against such minorities as African Americans. They advise that in order to improve effectiveness and deliver justice, the police need to embrace a culture that places focus on warm relations with communities and just treatment of all individuals. By changing their culture, the police will be able to abandon prejudices and stereotypes. Spanish and Puerto Rican individuals will receive better treatment.
All the researchers whose works have been discussed above highlight the importance of police reforms. They note that ethnic stereotyping is a serious obstacle to law enforcement. In particular, when they stereotype individuals on the basis of their ethnic identity, police officers damage the image of the police force. Police reforms will go a long way in enhancing integration. Given the role that they play in securing communities, police officers command immense respect and have a serious mandate. When they lead the nation by abandoning stereotypes, the police will essentially be setting the stage for the establishment of a new nation; a nation that is defined by such values as equality and justice. The successful implementation of police reforms will also enable officers to adopt new cultures and change how they relate with members of minority communities. Since research has found that police reforms work, it can be expected that the implementation of the reforms will inch the US closer to achieving full integration.
In conclusion, the United States was established on the principles of inclusion and respect for all. The nation has strived to uphold these values. However, there are social problems which indicate that the country has abandoned the values on which it was originally founded. Ethnic stereotyping is one of these problems. This problem has seen minorities endure injustice and suffer disrespectful treatment. To solve the problem, police departments need to implement reforms. Training with the objective of changing the minds of officers should be the key component of the reforms. By calling on officers to drop negative stereotypes, the reforms will transform police departments into objective and effective tools for serving communities. More importantly, the reforms will establish a new national philosophy that defines how Americans relate with one another.
References
Bryant-Davis, T., Adams, T., Alejandre, A., & Gray, A. A. (2017). The trauma lens of police violence against racial and ethnic minorities. Journal of Social Issues, 73 (4), 852-71.
Carter, P. L., Skiba, R., Arredondo, M. I., & Pollock, M. (2016). You can’t fix what you don’t look at. Acknowledging race in addressing racial discipline disparities. Urban Education, 52 (2), 207-35.
Natarajan, R. (2014). Racial profiling has destroyed public trust in police. Cops are exploiting our weak laws against it. The Washington Post. Retrieve November 10, 2018 from https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2014/12/15/racial-profiling-has-destroyed-public-trust-in-police-cops-are-exploiting-our-weak-laws-against-it/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.a62e8e75f0c0
Skinner, A. L., & Haas, I. J. (2016). Perceived threat associated with police officers and black men predicts support for policing policy reform. Frontiers in Psychology. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01057
Wilson, C. P., Wilson, S. A., & Thou, M. (2015). Perceptions of African American police officers on racial profiling in small agencies. Journal of Black Studies, 46 (5), 482-505.
