The police or law enforcement officers play a critical role in any society because they ensure the safety and security of the people. To maintain law and order, the police are sometimes required to apply some force, especially when they are dealing with violent individuals or a group of people. The use of force, therefore, is one of the major components of policing. However, the police have severally been accused of using excessive force against innocent people, leading to deaths and fatal injuries ( Garner et al., 2018) . Thus, the use of force has remained one of the most controversial issues in both developed and developing countries, including the USA. It is essential, therefore, to examine the use of force by analyzing scholarly articles.
Description of the Issue
The use of force is one of the controversial issues facing policing in the USA and beyond. A significant number of police officers have been accused of injuring and even killing many civilians due to the excessive use of force. In the USA, for instance, the killing of young, innocent people like Eric Garner and Michael Brown in 2014 resulted in public protests ( Garner et al., 2018) . The public accused the police of using excessive force against unarmed civilians, leading to their deaths. The issue has ruined the relationship between the public and the police. At the same time, it has adversely affected the image and reputation of the law enforcement officers and agencies. Also, the police face many dilemmas concerning the use of force, especially when they encounter unruly individuals or a group of people ( Garner et al., 2018) . The use of force is an issue that should be explored to come up with the appropriate to the problem.
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Analysis
The article ‘‘ An examination of police’s use of force utilizing police training and neighborhood contextual factors: A multilevel analysis’’ by Lee et al. (2010) mainly focuses on how the use of force by law enforcement officers is influenced by many factors such as neighborhood, individual and situational, approaches, and police training. The sources that were reviewed and analyzed by the authors show that the three main factors influence the use of force significantly. Scholarly sources confirm the common notion that the police are likely to use excessive force against minority racial groups, especially African Americans. The available evidence shows that the majority of victims of the use of force are African Americans. Interestingly, the articles argue that the police are used as a social control mechanism to maintain the status quo, especially against the threat of minority racial groups. Conversely, the research findings by Lee et al. (2010) reveal that race is not a significant factor in the use of force. Therefore, based on the findings of the research, the notion that the police are targeting African Americans or blacks is likely to remain a controversial issue in policing due to conflicting findings by various researchers.
In their article, Lee et al. (2010) also opine that neighborhood influences the nature of the use of force by law enforcement officers. It is true, especially based on the finding of the study, that the police are likely to use excessive force in neighborhoods that are associated with high crime rates or violent activities. The finding is in line with the theory, which explains that the police always use force in areas that are liked with high violent crime rates. Also, the use of force is common in areas where there is a high rate of unemployment (Lee et al., 2010). Thus, the article confirms the relationship between the use of force and the level of crime in the neighborhood.
Also, the authors comprehensively discuss the relationship between police training and the use of force. It is true, as found by Lee et al. (2010), that highly educated police are likely to limit the use of lethal force against civilians when they are maintaining law and order. Training helps the police to effectively manage emerging conflicts in the line of their works, leading to the reduced use of force. The finding by Lee et al. (2010) is in line with many other studies that emphasize the use of police training to reduce the use of force. There is no doubt that the nature of training is one of the factors that have led to the increasing cases of the excessive use of force by the police. Therefore, as stated by Lee et al. (2010), proper police training, especially pre-service and in-service training, can help in reducing the use of excessive force significantly.
Discussion
The use of force by the police is one of the topics that have attracted the attention of many scholars, especially criminologist. Many researchers have tried to understand why the police sometimes use excessive force against civilians, including those who are not armed. The research by Lee et al. (2010) is relevant because it explores the individual, organizational, and situational factors that influence the use of force by police officers. Specifically, the article makes it clear that the use of force by the police is influenced by many factors, which are sometimes beyond the control of individual police officers. For instance, it is natural for people to respond with force in an area where they do not feel safe. Thus, it is not unique for the police to use force in neighborhoods that are associated with high crime rates. The article also reveals that police training is a critical factor that influences the use of force substantially. The article provides sufficient background to understand why the police use force and some of the interventions that can help in addressing the problem.
Critique
Lee et al. (2010) confirm some of the issues that have been linked to the use of force. The authors have proved that the use of force is a complex issue because several factors influence it. It is essential to explore the main factors that influence the use of force in the policing process to develop and implement effective strategies aimed at addressing the problem. However, the findings by Lee et al. (2010) that race insignificantly influences the use of force conflicts with the previous studies that have found a strong positive relationship between the two variables. The available quantitative data proves that the majority of victims of the use of are African Americans. Therefore, it is likely that race is one of the significant factors that determine the use of force. On the contrary, the researcher could have argued why race is not a factor in the use of force.
Conclusion
The use of force by the police is likely to remain a controversial topic because it is one of the major components of policing. However, researchers can help in addressing the issue by providing evidence-based interventions that can help in reducing the use of excessive force. Appropriate and effective police training is one of the major interventions that can reduce the excessive use of force by the police. The police should use force responsibly.
References
Garner, J. H., Hickman, M. J., Malega, R. W., & Maxwell, C. D. (2018). Progress toward national estimates of police use of force. PloS one , 13 (2).
Lee, H., Jang, H., Yun, I., Lim, H., & Tushaus, D. W. (2010). An examination of police’s use of force utilizing police training and neighborhood contextual factors: A multilevel analysis. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management , 33 (4), 681-702.
