Relationship Between Ethnicity And The Police Part II
Ethnicity and the Police Part II
Stacey Beeckman
CJA/344
Pete Trance
5/4/14
Relationships between the police and minority communities have come a long way, and still continue to evolve as public awareness grows. Although there are still misconceptions about community policing, it is a fact that improvements have been made because of the new and continuously emerging programs, and partnerships that have been created between the police and private citizens. Among these improvements are lower crime rates, higher crime reporting rates, and improved public perception of police effectiveness. The 1960’s were a symbol of inequality within the justice system. The actions of police officers were causing race riots all over …show more content…
Unfortunately there has been a lesser impact of community policing efforts observed by communities with a large number of recent immigrants. In A study, known as the Houston community policing experiment, Latinos scored lower measures of awareness, participation, and effectiveness of community policing than blacks ("The United States Department of Justice", 2014). It is likely that language barriers, lack of understanding of the new culture around them, and a strong mistrust of the police that has been brought with them from their homeland hinders even the strongest efforts from being …show more content…
The public as a whole is still comprised of a large number of citizens with doubts. One of the most dominant misconceptions about police community relations is that is restricted only for efforts that regard minority groups. Although it was this that started the ball rolling, nothing could be further from the truth. Police agencies have a vested interest in creating and maintaining good relationships with the entire community no matter the ethnicity. Another misconception is that these practices are done strictly to receive positive reviews from the citizen review board. In most cases these programs are developed by the department themselves and are not subject to review of any kind (Kreps & Weller, 1973). Police community relations programs have not only improved the attitude of minority groups, and the entire public as a whole towards the police, but have also created a positive impact on communities by lowering the crime rate. Strategies used for community policing are as diverse as the population of the United States itself, but they all share the common goal of promoting strong relationships with those who in the past were underrepresented and abused. These programs continue to ensure an understanding between the justice system and the public, and are necessary for harmony between the
Stacey Beeckman
CJA/344
Pete Trance
5/4/14
Relationships between the police and minority communities have come a long way, and still continue to evolve as public awareness grows. Although there are still misconceptions about community policing, it is a fact that improvements have been made because of the new and continuously emerging programs, and partnerships that have been created between the police and private citizens. Among these improvements are lower crime rates, higher crime reporting rates, and improved public perception of police effectiveness. The 1960’s were a symbol of inequality within the justice system. The actions of police officers were causing race riots all over …show more content…
Unfortunately there has been a lesser impact of community policing efforts observed by communities with a large number of recent immigrants. In A study, known as the Houston community policing experiment, Latinos scored lower measures of awareness, participation, and effectiveness of community policing than blacks ("The United States Department of Justice", 2014). It is likely that language barriers, lack of understanding of the new culture around them, and a strong mistrust of the police that has been brought with them from their homeland hinders even the strongest efforts from being …show more content…
The public as a whole is still comprised of a large number of citizens with doubts. One of the most dominant misconceptions about police community relations is that is restricted only for efforts that regard minority groups. Although it was this that started the ball rolling, nothing could be further from the truth. Police agencies have a vested interest in creating and maintaining good relationships with the entire community no matter the ethnicity. Another misconception is that these practices are done strictly to receive positive reviews from the citizen review board. In most cases these programs are developed by the department themselves and are not subject to review of any kind (Kreps & Weller, 1973). Police community relations programs have not only improved the attitude of minority groups, and the entire public as a whole towards the police, but have also created a positive impact on communities by lowering the crime rate. Strategies used for community policing are as diverse as the population of the United States itself, but they all share the common goal of promoting strong relationships with those who in the past were underrepresented and abused. These programs continue to ensure an understanding between the justice system and the public, and are necessary for harmony between the