The current state of Law Enforcement

Interesting facts about law enforcement. I did a reflection post in my class last night on educational requirements for law enforcement.

Research is suggesting that most police officers should hold an associate or bachelor's degree in order to be more effective in local communities.

I DISAGREE with all of this! A degree does NOT change the heart of an individual. Other literature has some evidence of a couple of alarming factors.

1) Theory of racial threat -"assumes that citizens and authorities
perceive members of racial and ethnic minority groups as a criminal threat to the
social order" (Tittle & Curran, 1988).

2) " Racial Profiling has been recognized as a serious problem that affects many segments of our society and is especially notable in law enforcement. Governments and police services have pronounced that racial profiling is not acceptable and will not be tolerated. They have gone to great lengths in trying to eradicate racial profiling through prosecutions on the punitive side and training on the pro-active side. However, education in this area is problematic both in content and in the willingness of participants to take part in this type of training. Often people who are ordered to take these courses feel that they do not need to be told how to be sensitive to the issues" (Margolis & Shtull, 2012).

3) Here's the bomb FACT: "The general focus of police response to mental illness has been to: (a)reduce injuries or the application of force in the encounters" (Margolis & Shtull, 2012).

Now, how is that SOME police are okay with training for mental illness but not okay with racial profiling..

I am in no way against GOOD police officers. I have respect for authority that walks in TRUE authority. I am saddened at the recent deaths of the NYPD officers and all officers that lost their lives in the line of duty. HOWEVER! This does not change the facts, statistics, and cases of some law enforcement.