Some policies have become institutionalized with agencies. The police department is one of which have become troubled for some time creating a public outcry on the need for reforms. The debates over policing, race and civil rights continue to unfold. The trust and legitimacy levels between the police and the citizens are deteriorating each day. These issues between the police and the public are much evident in Newark city.
The police have responsibilities of enforcing the law, maintaining order and service. They have a constitutional obligation to stop and frisk someone after suspicion. However, the manner and the frequency they handle the exercise is wanting where most of the victims end up innocent. The issue now comes with disparities in which one race is adding up the highest percentage of the stops. Blacks making 75% of total stops shows that something is not right.
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Another issue of concern is the excessive force used by the police department when maintaining law and order. There are cases everywhere of innocent people being brutalized by the police. The task force on policing recommends the way police should handle the citizens and the use of weapons in certain instances like protests. Cases of people being killed or injured are rampant in Newark. It’s very sad that even the kids do not trust the police any longer (Cook, 2015).
A lot of efforts need to be put in place to repair the damages of many policies implemented. The recommendations by the policing task force would help a lot in rebuilding these bridges existing between the public and the police (Meares, 2016). The officers should adopt a guardian mindset to regain public legitimacy and trust by employing the principles of procedural justice. The agencies should also encourage community involvement in developing and implementing policies and procedures. The question that comes up now is how long will it take for trust to rebuild between citizens and the police.
References
ACLU. (2014, February 25). Analysis reveals black Newarkers stopped disproportionately and bulk of stops involve innocent people. Retrieved from https://www.aclu.org/news/aclu-nj-report-reveals-troubling-use-stop-and-frisk-newark
Cook III, J. A. (2015). Police Culture in the Twenty-First Century: A Critique of the President's Task Force's Final Report. 91 , 106.
Meares, T. L. (2016). Policing in the 21st Century: The Importance of Public Security. U. Chi. Legal F. , 1.
PBS. (2016, June 28). Policing the police [Video file]. Frontline. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/policing-the-police/
PBS. (n.d.). Transcript: Policing the police. Frontline. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/policing-the-police/transcript/
