Cjus 300 Research Paper "reacting to officer Involved Shootings"

Officer Involved Shootings

Brennen Lawson

Liberty University

Criminal Justice 300, Section B04

Professor Conn

October 12, 2015

Officers put their lives in danger every day to protect the individuals in the community that they have sworn to serve. Unfortunately, officers on rare occasions must use force to provide for the defense of themselves and innocent civilians. In fact, officer related incidents and how a law enforcement administration responds to the subsequent investigations have recently become more publicized. There are certain steps that can be followed to ensure that every investigation involving a police shooting is conducted professionally and in a way that protects everyone involved.

 Case in point on how not to handle these investigations is the shooting involving a police officer last year in Ferguson, Missouri. Events in that situation quickly spiraled out of control and chaos proceeded to rein in the local community. Unfortunately, there is a wide scale perception that events like Ferguson are the norm and that police needlessly resort to violence. Contrary to this common perception, the statistics show that this is clearly not the case (Landers 1-2). An expected 40 million people will have some type of contact with law enforcement this year and less than two percent of these encounters will result in any type of physical altercation (1-2). In addition, of these 40 million encounters only .0001% “…will be involved in a force related incident that results in deadly force” (2). The evidence and statistics seem to disprove the idea that police officers and civilians frequently have violent interactions.

        The reason many Americans have these false views concerning police officers and their use of force is due to the misinformation presented by many media outlets. Since most Americans learn of events through newscasts and other news services, the information these outlets give is critical to the perceptions formed by the public. However, as Thomas Gibbons notes in his article, “Fair Play to All Sides of the Truth: Controlling Media Distortions,” the “…media’s own aspirations and their social functions are important consideration” (287). Gibbons is encouraging the public to be aware of the agenda and goals of modern news organizations. Media Outlets spend a very small amount of their broadcasts discussing public affairs, while instead focusing their coverage on entertainment issues (289). Even when events like Ferguson are discussed media outlets only report on the final action rather than the process that and events that led to that action (290).

        To combat this misinformation campaign, police departments need to promote accountability in their ranks and cooperate thoroughly with the media. In order to create an accountable workplace, the tone must be set from the top on down. The police commissioners and captains who serve as leaders must be the first to be accountable or else they cannot expect their subordinates to be accountable (Spell 1). As Spell notes, “Leaders need to be constantly aware of how their attitude on any given day can affect their accountability as well as their team’s accountability” (1). One possible way to help develop this accountability in the police ranks is to develop education programs for aspiring officers that will “…provide them with the key leadership principles…” that they will need (Kingshott 66). Another way is to fire and persecute to the fullest extent of the law those officers who abuse their power. For example, the white police officer in Charleston South Carolina was rightfully fired and persecuted after damning video evidence showed he murdered an innocent civilian (Berman). Police must treat the people of their community with respect if they expect to receive the same. A 1990 study of Chicago residents showed that what mattered most to civilians was not the outcome of a police encounter, but whether or not they felt respected by the police officer (Murphy 3).

        After gaining the trust of the local community officers can now work on developing a better relationship with the media. As of right now there is no “…national reporting system or standard to track use of force by all police agencies (Landers 20. If they are not already doing it, local police departments should begin to track all their contacts with civilians to prove that the use of force is rarely required (2). This way when force incidents do occur, local police departments can release their inner statistics that prove this was a very occurrence (2). Like everyone else, police officers will become defensive when they are accused of things such as racism, excessive force, etc. (2). However, when armed with information and a willingness to share this information police departments can earn the respect of their communities (2).

        As in all other career fields, not all police officers are good people. However, the evidence would seem to show that the overwhelming majority of police officers are committed public servants who seek to protect their communities. Unfortunately due to recent events officer related incidents and how law enforcement administration’s responds to the subsequent investigations have recently become more publicized. There are certain steps that can be followed to ensure that every investigation involving a police shooting is conducted professionally and in a way that protects everyone involved. It is very sad that Americans rush to judgement before learning about all the facts. Instead of persecuting officers who used deadly force, civilians should realize how rare these incidents are. In addition, it is important for there to be a thorough investigation of the involved police officer, his partner, and any witnesses to the event. The Constitution guarantees everyone the right to a fair trial and all men are considered innocent until proven guilty. Police officers are no different, and they deserve the rights that are protected for all Americans in the Constitution.