Police Misconduct Essay

A leading cause for friction between officers and the communities they are policing tends to lye in the various interpretations of the term “correct policing.” Certain communities may feel that the police are ‘not doing their job’ simply due to their interpretation of proper policing, and/or their lack of knowledge in proper policing methods. Many times members of the public will voice accusations against officers for misconduct, when they themselves don’t realize the connotations associated with the term “Police Misconduct.” Oftentimes these accusations occur following a citizen’s interaction with an officer, an interaction in which the officer was acting rationally, based on the situation. Nobody appreciates being pulled over by a police officer, and they often claim that they did nothing to warrant the stop. …show more content…
In reality however, the only difference between an officer and a civilian remains the officers’ sworn responsibility to enforce the law by any and all means necessary. After all, the police do have a rule-book they must abide by, with any deviations resulting in hefty repercussions. As stated by Sir Robert Peel: “Police, at all times, should maintain a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and the public are the police; the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.” From this we can begin to comprehend the importance of community relations in a society, and moreover the encouragement of positive engagement between the police and their