Issues Of Police Force Throughout History

Often it is questioned why do police have authority? The answer often given is because they have guns. But anyone who has been in active military or abroad knows that cops in other places don’t use guns. They may have weapons but it is the uniform and the power that it carries. That is the power unto which people give the position. This power is from the trust the people have in the position. This is why police misconduct is such a big deal. It is why it is important to look at different cases of misconduct and see what has happened and what can be done to prevent such incidents from happening. That becomes the key to solving these problems is transparency and honesty. These two things have the power to restore trust to the police industry.

1900-1920

Perhaps the biggest change to come out of this error was the reformation on corruption. Before this time it was common for companies to hire agencies like the Pinkertons. This also meant that cops were for hire. The perhaps one of the most influential leaders for the change was Richard Sylvester. He advocated reform in many different aspects. This was to change policy and make it more uniform. Another influential leader of the time was August Volmer, he advocated for hiring more college advocates and stated that this centralized organization would prevent corruption.

1920-1940

In the 1940s, the big issues and corruption was from the deadly race riots. These were spread out all around the country. Though they came to a head in the 1960s in the south, in the northern states, we see a lot of reform and different ways to adjust. The hierarchy was being established and more people and control were established. During this time we see the misconduct change from wide spread and the support of racism and prostitution to being protection and burglary. These changes were due to people redefining what roles the police could take.

1940-1960

During this time we see that police rather than participating in the violence are just now watching the racial violence. It still undermined the role that police played in society. It is about protecting and serving and protecting the weak from those that would do them harm. This showed the misconduct of inaction. We see it highlighted in the many different protests in the south. You can watch as people are sprayed by hoses or beaten and the cops watch. This inaction is perhaps one of the worst the police have received.

1960-1980

Perhaps one of the most famous cases and something that everyone knows is the Miranda rights. These are a simple set of rules that someone being arrested should know before being interrogated. Most people can recognize the saying that you have a right to remain silent. But this was not the case before movies popularized this. Many people believed that you did not have a right to not incriminate yourself. Police officers also did not dispel this illusion. This was them taking advantage of people’s ignorance and was exploited the poor. The case refers to the horrible criminal Ernesto Miranda. This man was charged with rape, kidnapping and robbery. The police officers interrogated this man for two hours before he eventually confessed. The problem was that the man didn’t even have a high school diploma. He did not understand his rights. This was the police exploiting the poor and uneducated. The way to fix this problem was the work around of having the police read the different rights that criminals had. This would be where the iconic “You have the right to remain silent, you have the right to an attorney, if you cannot afford an attorney…. ” This is a direct result of that case. Because we wanted people who did not understand their rights to have the same chances as a well-educated man who understood that he had a right to incriminate himself.

1980 +

This next instance that should be highlighted is one where there is a silver lining. The situation happened on January 24th of 2017. A man was arrested after the police found a stash of drugs in his domicile. This was after a rigorous search revealed nothing. This was odd because where the drugs were found was not hidden and it was not like a new area had been exposed. Instead the can was visible to all and did not look like a place that would not have been searched. This raised flags and caused other officers to raise concern and an investigation was put into place. This is where the first piece of trust establishment comes in. Body cameras are the way of the future. It gives people an insight into the world of law enforcement and also makes it easier to exonerate police officers. But it also makes it easier to expose misconduct. In the case I am referring to a Baltimore man was exonerated when officer Richard Pinheiro was found to have planted evidence. This was shown through his body cam. Unbeknownst to the officers, the camera records all the time but saves the data for thirty seconds before you actually start recording. This showed the officer getting ready to deposit the evidence. The officer Richard Pinheiro then was audited of all his body cam footage. There became a clear pattern of abuse of the officer’s power. This was highlighted in the fact that it looked similar to a traffic violation where drugs where magically found after he researched an area. This has created more trust in the community and is something that is important. A violation of trust had happened and then it was required that something be done about it. The officer was fired and the other officers were cleared of the crimes. But it showed that efforts which had been made to fix a problem, which there was.

Now there was independent verification of the processes in which the officers use. This has been a useful tool in battling police misconduct. But what other methods have been developed after violations of trust? Perhaps one of the biggest issues that police face is police corruption. That is when the police abuse the power which the public entrusts to them. This can be something as simple as ensuring up evidence up above. But it also extends to police officers abusing their position and power to move up. This was the case of gang inside the Baltimore PD. This group did things which are depraced. They robbed people, extorted and committed overtime fraud. These make them more dangerous than the average criminal. That is because they are criminals with a badge. This is not good for the people around. It is especially not good for the police’s reputation. The recourse for this action was that they were prosecuted to the full extent of the law. It was not some small sentence but the people were made to pay no matter what their role in the crime was. Federal officers prosecuted these individuals. They are now serving jail time for their involvement in a Racketeering scheme and were prosecuted by using different statute.

In conclusion, it is only by establishing good rules and good policies that the people can have trust in the police force. The police depend on this to be able to conduct their business. It is not possible to have an active and effective police force without the trust from the people. This idea of accountability is something that has been in law enforcement since it’s creation. I hope that this has helped bring to light key issues which the police face and what changes have been made to make these changes be real.