The Two Roles of Police Officers
Police officers play a critical role in society, with major roles as crime fighters and public servants. Police as public servants have limited ability to affect crime rates. They are expected to serve all people, including deviants (The police role in society: Crime fighter or public servant, n.d.). The ability of police officers to use force as public servants is limited. On the other hand, police officers also operate as crime fighters. Their primary role is to prevent criminal conduct. Failure of officers to dispense this role may result in the breakdown of social order (The police role in society: Crime fighter or public servant, n.d.). Law enforcement offers have the capacity to use force to maintain social order. These perspectives offer two different outlooks on the roles of police officers in society.
Is the Police Subculture Breaking Down?
Some individuals in society are of the opinion that the police subculture is breaking down. A common perception among people in society is police culture is negative because it is entrenched in masochism and cynicism (8.1 Police subculture, n.d.). There is strong distrust between society and law enforcement. Police have an "us vs. them" mentality which has created a rift with the public. Rampant cases of police prejudice and biases against minority groups have also tainted the police subculture. The negative traits that affect police subculture are associated with individual traits of individual police officers. The negative outlook on police subculture has made the public to view law enforcement officers with suspicion.
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How do Biblical Themes Tie into the Roles of Police Officers
Different biblical themes tie into the roles of police officers. These themes suggest that police are people in authority, and God ordains their authority. Public officers can use biblical themes such as legalism, and licentiousness, to treat all people with respect and serve all people without prejudice and bias. Christian law enforcement officers can employ biblical themes to create a framework with which they can use to navigate policing that affects true justice and glorifies God (Brown, 2019). Finally, biblical themes will help improve relations between the community and law enforcement by improving police subculture.
References
8.1 Police subculture. (n.d.). Pressbooks, https://opentextbc.ca/ethicsinlawenforcement/chapter/8-1-police-culture/
Brown, N. (2019). The Peacemakers: Navigating the Intersection of Biblical Justice and Contemporary Policing (Doctoral dissertation, Liberty University). https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1958&context=honors
The police role in society: Crime fighter or public servant. (n.d.). UMass Lowell, http://faculty.uml.edu/jyurcak/44.280/classes/chapter%207%20the%20police%20role%20in%20society%20[compatibility%20mode].pdf
