Police Minority Interaction

Police Minority Interaction

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Police minority interaction

A national disconnect appear to exist between the police and minority group in the society. A Gallup survey indicates that citizens’ satisfaction with the police is always low and it is at the lowest point among the African American and Hispanic in the society CITATION Cla18 \l 1033 (Edwards, 2018). It is because of several incidents which had happened previously. Studies have also indicated that majority of minority group regard police has authoritative and do not trust the police to address their concerns. In recent time, the police have been accused of racial bias towards African Americans and Hispanic and therefore, majority of these groups do not have a good relationship with the law enforcement. It is therefore, difficulty for ethnic minority across the country to interact freely with the police.

The perception among the minority can be changed if appropriate practice is adopted to create an environment for interaction. Studies shows that police are not trained well on how to deal with minorities and several interactions normally end up a disaster. A situation which has raised a lot of concerns within the police department and therefore, it is important to build an environment for better interaction. For instance, what happened in Charlotte between the police and the African American was unfortunate and it ought to have been handled differently CITATION Amn18 \l 1033 (Amnesty Intl, 2018). The police shoot the African American even when the suspect was not armed and did not show any indication of violation. It violated all ethical and standard practice of police. It is some of the cases which have deteriorated the relationship between the minority and the law enforcement agency.

The interaction between the police and the victim was not handled properly has required. It is important to maintain code of conduct and ethical practice. But the police officers violated by failing to establish any engagement and shoot the suspect based on the perception that he was going for a weapon. An investigation later revealed that the suspect was not armed. This was a violation of code of conducts which the police should observe and the ethical standard established to protect the police and the civilians. According to the police code of conduct, the use of gun or any weapons against a civilian should be the last option. And the police ought to have neutralized the suspect using other means to avoid causing harm to the suspect.

However, if I were the one, I would act different when the suspect car stopped. First, it is important to ask the suspect to identify him or herself and produce the registration number of the vehicle which police rarely ask when an African American or Hispanic s stopped by the police (Hannah-Jones, 2017). Second, I would inform the suspect the reason for stopping him or her and ask the suspect to step out if necessary. This would help in establishing relationship between the police and the minorities. Historically, the police have been used to maintain the position of power among the white majority. This perception can only be washed away by establishing good public relationship between the police and the citizen. It is therefore, important to for the police to establish connection with the society especially African Americans and Hispanic who are affected.

In conclusion, police minority interaction can only be reestablished through good community policing. And this should include working together with community leaders and establishing network between the police and the society. The police should also be trained on how to deal with minorities to eliminate stereotype, which have been the main cause of problem between the police and the minorities.

References

BIBLIOGRAPHY Amnesty Intl. (2018). Police And Minority Groups. https://www.amnesty.nl/content/uploads/2017/02/ainl_police_and_minority_groups__eng_0.pdf?x45368 , 2-34.

Edwards, C. (2018). Race and the Police. https://www.policefoundation.org/race-and-the-police/ , 2-18.

Hannah-Jones, N. (2017). Taking Freedom: Yes, Black America Fears The Police. Here's Why. https://psmag.com/social-justice/why-black-america-fears-the-police , 2-15.