Deck 4: Justice on the Street the Police and Minorities

Question 1

What is meant by a contextual approach to examining policing, race, and ethnicity?

Answer 1

Policing:
Policing is the duty of civil force to maintain the law and order and to prevent the crimes in their jurisdiction. The ultimate intention of policing is to protect life and property of every citizen.
Race:
Race refers to the genetic appearance of an individual. The genetic appearance sometime results in the characteristics of biological differences that are displayed among the different group of people. These characteristics including the color of skin, texture of hair, shape of nose, ear, mouth, and eye.
Ethnicity:
Ethnicity refers to differentiate people from their cultural characteristics. Here, the cultural characteristics include religion, language, and group traditions.
Following are the contextual approach to examine policing, race, and ethnicity:
Contextual approach assists to resolve certain issues that are contradictory in nature based on evidence. This approach examines important issues related to police, ethnicity, and people of color. Here, the approach split general issue of policing into different context based on the affects between the police and minorities. Moreover, the approach even recognize historic problem of discrimination against racial and ethnic minorities.

Question 2

How is policing in Native American communities different from policing in the rest of the United States?

Answer 2

Policing:
Policing is the duty of civil force to maintain law and order and to prevent crimes in their jurisdiction. The ultimate intention of policing is to protect life and property of every citizen.
A legal body that is constituted by state government to implement law, control civil disorder, and safeguard public and private property is termed as police force.
The following is the way by which policing in native AM communities differ from other communities in U country:
Each community has different experience with policing. However, the relationship between the native AM community people and the police are well maintained when compared with other community people. In U Country, the immigration increased the pollution up to 13 percent during the period 1980 to 2008. Most of the immigrants do not speak well in English. They usually face linguistic problems.
Police can easily communicate and understand the situation of the native AM community people. However, police officers face difficulties in communication with other community people. They also face difficulties in investigation, understanding the community, and in the religious habits of the people. It makes the task of police officer very critical and challenging.

Question 3

When does police use of force become "excessive" or "unjustified"? Give a definition of excessive force.

Answer 3

Excessive use of force:
Police officers use their force against individuals when they arrest the accused dealing with the mentally ill individuals, and control public disturbance. At that time, the police officers violate constitutional rights or departmental policies by exceeding the permissible level of force and unwanted use of force in given situation. This extra level of force imposed by the officers is termed as "excessive use of force."
The following are the situations in which police use of force becomes unjustified or excessive:
• The unwanted use of deadly force of shooting will cause death to civilians who are not involved in any crime.
• It will affect the routine activity of public and will create unwanted fear from the police.
• When excessive using of force to arrest the suspect only based on the assumption and without any evidence.

Question 4

Are there any significant differences between how Hispanics and African Americans interact with the police? Explain.

Question 5

Is there racial or ethnic discrimination in arrests? What is the evidence on this question?

Question 6

Suppose that a white police officer is sitting around having drinks with some fellow officers (who are also white) and he makes some racially offensive remarks. Is that person unfit to be a police officer? Do his remarks mean that he engages in discrimination on the job?

Question 7

This book argues that some significant progress has been made in controlling police use of deadly force. What is that evidence? Do you find it persuasive?

Question 8

This book also argues that some progress has been made in reducing racial profiling. What evidence supports that view? Are you persuaded? Why or why not?

Question 9

Substantial progress has been made with regard to the employment of people of color in policing. Does that make a difference in actual police operations on the street? In what ways? Explain.

Question 10

Define the concept of affirmative action. Do you support or oppose affirmative action in the employment of police officers? Do you think affirmative action is more important in policing than in other areas of life? Explain.