Women and Minorities in Law Enforcement Essay Example
Women and Minorities in Law Enforcement
Working to end discrimination in this country has been a long and hard fought battle. In the early 1950's federal laws began to offer some help to those who had been persecuted against for so many years. During the Nixon Administration the federal government began to push employers to make a "good faith effort" to employ women and minorities and to track their progress. These were known as affirmative action programs. Some minorities contend that discrimination in the workplace is as still alive today as it ever has been; it is just better disguised. Opponents of affirmative action argue that it is reverse discrimination and that such laws only help to "stir the flames of racial hatred" (http://www.crf-usa.org/brown50th/adarand_affirmative_action.htm).
A Little History behind Women in Law Enforcement
For women in law enforcement, it has been a long hard track to get where they are today and, though improvement are still being made today, there is still much to be done to increase the number of female police officers.
The percentage of women in law enforcement is hovering under 15 percent and it is not increasing. (NCWP) Research and history have disproved the notion that women are not suited for law enforcement. Studies show that the female police officer traditionally employs a style of conflict resolution that puts communication before physical confrontation a notable finding as law enforcement agencies come under fire for excessive force. Female officers are also particularly effective in situations involving other women, being able to help victims of sexual assault or child molestation because they may be more apt to open up to the sensitivity of a female officer. Though 15 percent may seem like a low number for 2006, it is clearly higher today than a hundred and fifty years past:
· In 1845, New York officials hired two women to work as matrons in the city's two jails after the American Female Moral
Working to end discrimination in this country has been a long and hard fought battle. In the early 1950's federal laws began to offer some help to those who had been persecuted against for so many years. During the Nixon Administration the federal government began to push employers to make a "good faith effort" to employ women and minorities and to track their progress. These were known as affirmative action programs. Some minorities contend that discrimination in the workplace is as still alive today as it ever has been; it is just better disguised. Opponents of affirmative action argue that it is reverse discrimination and that such laws only help to "stir the flames of racial hatred" (http://www.crf-usa.org/brown50th/adarand_affirmative_action.htm).
A Little History behind Women in Law Enforcement
For women in law enforcement, it has been a long hard track to get where they are today and, though improvement are still being made today, there is still much to be done to increase the number of female police officers.
The percentage of women in law enforcement is hovering under 15 percent and it is not increasing. (NCWP) Research and history have disproved the notion that women are not suited for law enforcement. Studies show that the female police officer traditionally employs a style of conflict resolution that puts communication before physical confrontation a notable finding as law enforcement agencies come under fire for excessive force. Female officers are also particularly effective in situations involving other women, being able to help victims of sexual assault or child molestation because they may be more apt to open up to the sensitivity of a female officer. Though 15 percent may seem like a low number for 2006, it is clearly higher today than a hundred and fifty years past:
· In 1845, New York officials hired two women to work as matrons in the city's two jails after the American Female Moral