7.1 Policing And The Media

Title page

Policing and media

Police interaction with homeless exists on a limited basis that increases their likelihood of victimization or getting arrested for committing a crime. The treatment of police towards homeless depicts the need for revising policing because they are refrained for taking part in certain activities or are relocated to another geographical area. Police view homeless as a threat to society's security and normally react in response to the complaint of nearby residents or the business owners. Although the existence of homeless people in the area exhibits threats of disorder the absence of adequate policies convinces police to adopt the wrong behaviour. In most of the cases, homeless people are removed from the area when officers receive complaints from the residents CITATION Ron12 \l 1033 (Burns, 2012). Legislation related to homelessness varies among jurisdictions and states. Living on the streets is not illegitimate in some states of America. The central issues claims that policing about homelessness are unclear and ineffective for providing a solution to the victims.

The interaction of police with homeless exhibits inadequate and ineffective response from the officers. The police are convinced to remove homeless from streets irrespective of their financial hardships and other issues. Most of the people who are homeless face the problems of substance abuse and mental illness. They are already undergoing mental issues so relocating or removing them from a certain area could have detrimental impacts on them. The encounter will mentally ill citizens require police officers to make challenging decisions. Homeless who are undergoing mental issues are more inclined to reject help. This can convince officers to use force against them. Police dumping is also a commonly adopted practice for shifting homeless to other jurisdiction. The facts reveal that 10% of the police departments have only formal policies for addressing the issue of homelessness. The police officers have adopted the common strategy of assuring that the homeless people are only living in the areas that allow people living on the streets.

Police perceptions associated with homelessness also impact their interaction with such people. Police commonly believe that homelessness is against social order and peace. Such a population can also threaten the safety of the larger population. However, in reality, the police didn't respond to homeless people until they receive a complaint about their behaviour form people. Complaints are received about the criminal and non-criminal behavior of the homeless people. Homeless are susceptible to be arrested for property crimes and for committing a crime. Study reveals that "38% of homeless individuals abused alcohol and 26% abused drugs" CITATION Ron12 \l 1033 (Burns, 2012). This indicates that a large homeless population is suffering from the problem of substance abuse. This also reflects the role of mental illness and instability.

Facts indicate that it is possible to measure the extent of homelessness and the biggest challenge faced by the police is to locate and determine homeless individuals. During 750,000 people are living in the streets in America. There is also a need for differentiating between the terms homelessness and living on streets. An effective approach is to address these two issues separately. There is a need for establishing strict standards and involuntary commitment to addressing the problem. The major threats associated with homeless people is to ensure the provision of safety to the people and maintenance of order. Critical incidents are reported by police during their encounter with the homeless people. The state must also take action to offer financial support and provide adequate shelters to homeless Americans. Police must also be refrained from using force over the homeless.

References

Burns, R. G. (2012). Policing: A Modular Approach 1st Edition. Prentice Hal.

Jones, A. (2018). Police stops are still marred by racial discrimination, new data shows. Retrieved 06 09, 2019, from https://www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2018/10/12/policing/