How and why police officers use excessive force against American civilians has been, and will continue to be, a controversial topic of much debate. Our nation’s history of racial conflict and inequality, both personal and systemic, has left our country more divided than ever after the recent shootings of young unarmed black youth by police officer’s. These events are rich with sociological issues such as inequality and class issues, racial profiling, the militarization of the police, law enforcement interaction with protesters, social media networks, and the “criminalization of black male youth”.
The purpose of this paper is to research profiling by law enforcement officers and how it correlates with their use of excessive force. Beyond the …show more content…
For about 176 years, the police force has been recognized as the primary institution entrusted with the duty of enforcing the law (Fry and Burkes 1983). Yet, since their origination, law enforcement offices have received a significant amount of perlustration by the public over the issues of corruption, unfair policing practices, and excessive use of force (Lersch and Mieczkowski 2005). With communication technology on the rise, incidents of police officers abuse of power and police-public tensions have become more visible (Frank 2009). The excessive use of force by law enforcement officers has initiated violent pandemonium and anarchy (Lersch and Mieczkowski …show more content…
In contrast to the macro-level Conflict theory, Symbolic Interactionism theory emphasizes the meanings and influences of socialization in explaining the patterns of micro-level social interactions. Law enforcement officers and civilians alike learn to behave in accordance with society’s norms, rules, and the expectations of a certain reference group. According to Kendall (2014), the “labeling theory states that deviance is a socially constructed process in which social control agencies designate certain people as deviants, and they, in turn, come to accept the label placed upon them and begin to act accordingly” (p. 157). Police are often labeled as “crime fighters” rather than the figures that protect and serve the public’s best interest (Fry and Berkes 1983). The degree to which each law enforcement agency employs the “paramilitary police model” and appraises the value of attaining control over civilians differs (Fry and Berkes
The purpose of this paper is to research profiling by law enforcement officers and how it correlates with their use of excessive force. Beyond the …show more content…
For about 176 years, the police force has been recognized as the primary institution entrusted with the duty of enforcing the law (Fry and Burkes 1983). Yet, since their origination, law enforcement offices have received a significant amount of perlustration by the public over the issues of corruption, unfair policing practices, and excessive use of force (Lersch and Mieczkowski 2005). With communication technology on the rise, incidents of police officers abuse of power and police-public tensions have become more visible (Frank 2009). The excessive use of force by law enforcement officers has initiated violent pandemonium and anarchy (Lersch and Mieczkowski …show more content…
In contrast to the macro-level Conflict theory, Symbolic Interactionism theory emphasizes the meanings and influences of socialization in explaining the patterns of micro-level social interactions. Law enforcement officers and civilians alike learn to behave in accordance with society’s norms, rules, and the expectations of a certain reference group. According to Kendall (2014), the “labeling theory states that deviance is a socially constructed process in which social control agencies designate certain people as deviants, and they, in turn, come to accept the label placed upon them and begin to act accordingly” (p. 157). Police are often labeled as “crime fighters” rather than the figures that protect and serve the public’s best interest (Fry and Berkes 1983). The degree to which each law enforcement agency employs the “paramilitary police model” and appraises the value of attaining control over civilians differs (Fry and Berkes