Police Today Essay

Police officers are around to keep us safe and are viewed as individuals who not only follow the law but ensure that others do the same. Though this is the usual case, not always do our police officers practice these ideas. Problems amongst the police force have been around since prohibition and are only increasing in our dangerous and corrupted society. Corruption, on-the-job dangers, and the use of deadly force are all issues facing the police departments today. Since the days of prohibition, corruption amongst officers has been a problem. Back when bootleggers were on the rise, officers were paid off to keep quiet about the consumption of alcohol. In today’s society Police crimes consist of beating innocent citizens, protecting drug dealers, accepting bribes, and murder. Often time’s big cities experience this through the protection of street gangs and drug dealers. It seems the tradition of paying officers off for illegal activity hasn’t yet dissipated in our modern times; in fact, it appears it’s gotten worse. The old pattern of payoffs by the mob to top cops has changed to local police officers being bought off by drug dealers and street gangs. So now instead of just the select few cops being bought, the city police who might have actually been trusted before are being controlled by criminals as well. Everyday police officers experience crime first-hand, and their jobs can potentially be extremely dangerous. This year, twice as many police officers have been killed in the line of duty than last year. Easier accessibility to firearms, weapons, and the growing amount of illegal narcotics on our streets play a big role in the perils of the criminal justice field. Illegal narcotics link directly to violent crime. Gangs, prostitutes and other illegal activities being disregarded by corrupt officers also have something to do with the toils and hazards that confront an officer who is committed to their job. Another factor is our juveniles, who are becoming more violent and willing to do wrong th an ever before. With the rest of our world being such a treacherous place, and with drugs and trafficking appearing easier and more prosperous than education and a career, it’s no shock that so many kids are pursuing that lifestyle than ever before. Police officers have to handle these threatening activities on a day to day basis. When there’s so much corruption in the force, it’s difficult for anyone, even the most committed; to make an impact on the crimes, especially in big populated cities. Every day in the United States, police officers face challenges that may cause them to resort to deadly force. Under these circumstances, officers are forced to use what they know or have learned during training to come to a reasonable conclusion of what to do next. Their decision may at the time seem like it is a necessary one; however, an officer must understand the repercussions of his or her actions. Deadly force is a serious item of interest in the community. Citizens like to jump to insane conclusions, such as: hate crimes or racism. Conclusions like these can scar an officer’s reputation no matter what the verdict in a court of law. This can make malice family members and friends of the victim, and essentially mar the police force as a whole. The Department of Homeland Security helps to secure our borders, airports, seaports and waterways; research and develop the latest security technologies; respond to natural disasters or terrorists assaults; and analyzes intelligence reports. The Department of Homeland Security is above state and local police and tells them what to do and when to do it. They are the brains behind everything states do. The federal government and the DHS interact with each other to develop new technology, stop and prevent terrorism, and secure borders. The DHS could improve relationships with the local and state police by involving them more in the decision making, seeing as how they know the area they are policing better than the higher ups who are elsewhere involved. Police officers, as necessary to our safety and well-being as they may be, have many flaws. Corruption, on the job dangers, and deadly force are just a few of the contributing problems of our law enforcement. Never will these dangers completely reside but with a rise in police patrol and less corruption amongst the force, our police system could be stronger than ever.