The image of police officers has gone from “good cop, bad cop” to “bad cop, bad cop.” Due to the actions of some officers, the media’s coverage of said actions, and the coverage of what appears to be the militarization of police, people are quickly attaching negative connotations to the term “police officer.” For example, The Daily Targum, a newspaper run by Rutgers University students comments on the issue of police brutality by saying, “When cops are getting hired based on connections rather than merit, their superiors’ priority is to cover up their tracks rather than carry out thorough backgrounds checks and take necessary action against officers with repetitive offenses. We are only fostering a breeding ground for this type of sanctioned
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Looking down upon and turning against law enforcement officials is something that we as a nation cannot afford. Because of mistakes made by a select number of police officers, the media’s capitalization on them, and alleged militarization of law enforcement, they are cast in a negative light that is problematic because it causes many people to feel a sense of disunity as well as unsafe. This growing issue can be resolved by identifying and terminating the genuinely bad ones that are on the force, using positive media coverage to counter the negative, and adjusting the public view of police “militarization." Today, the media is the main source for news updates in the United States. This means that many people thoughtlessly accept what they are hearing on the radio, seeing on television, and reading in newspapers. While that is not necessarily an unreasonable thing to do, it can be detrimental to the overall opinion of society regarding certain subject matter. For example, due to the reports of current policing incidents, a number of people are displeased with law enforcement as a whole. Some are so disturbed that they have taken to rioting in the streets. The press often covers stories regarding shootings and methods of policing that …show more content…
The main goal of law enforcement agencies is to protect the citizens of the United States, many overlook that and see their attempts to accomplish this goal as a way to take away our privacy and control us. While the initial idea of authorities that are meant to protect citizens gaining access to others’ personal information with little to no permission, using tanks and assault rifles, etc. is alarming and irrational, valid reason for the use of these tactics can be found. According to the Small Arms Survey, in the year 2007, civilians worldwide owned an estimated 650 million out of the approximate 875 million firearms that existed at the time. Law enforcement agencies possessed only about 26 million. The United States was by far the country with the highest rate of civilian gun usage (Karp). With such significant levels of armed citizens, it is vital to police safety and overall public safety that they try to stay a step ahead in these circumstances. In order to accomplish this, they must explore all of their options, one being advancing their defense equipment and techniques. Americans should stop making assumptions and claiming that the police are being militarized and instead be more considerate of the efforts that they are making in order to ensure justice, order, and safety in the
Looking down upon and turning against law enforcement officials is something that we as a nation cannot afford. Because of mistakes made by a select number of police officers, the media’s capitalization on them, and alleged militarization of law enforcement, they are cast in a negative light that is problematic because it causes many people to feel a sense of disunity as well as unsafe. This growing issue can be resolved by identifying and terminating the genuinely bad ones that are on the force, using positive media coverage to counter the negative, and adjusting the public view of police “militarization." Today, the media is the main source for news updates in the United States. This means that many people thoughtlessly accept what they are hearing on the radio, seeing on television, and reading in newspapers. While that is not necessarily an unreasonable thing to do, it can be detrimental to the overall opinion of society regarding certain subject matter. For example, due to the reports of current policing incidents, a number of people are displeased with law enforcement as a whole. Some are so disturbed that they have taken to rioting in the streets. The press often covers stories regarding shootings and methods of policing that …show more content…
The main goal of law enforcement agencies is to protect the citizens of the United States, many overlook that and see their attempts to accomplish this goal as a way to take away our privacy and control us. While the initial idea of authorities that are meant to protect citizens gaining access to others’ personal information with little to no permission, using tanks and assault rifles, etc. is alarming and irrational, valid reason for the use of these tactics can be found. According to the Small Arms Survey, in the year 2007, civilians worldwide owned an estimated 650 million out of the approximate 875 million firearms that existed at the time. Law enforcement agencies possessed only about 26 million. The United States was by far the country with the highest rate of civilian gun usage (Karp). With such significant levels of armed citizens, it is vital to police safety and overall public safety that they try to stay a step ahead in these circumstances. In order to accomplish this, they must explore all of their options, one being advancing their defense equipment and techniques. Americans should stop making assumptions and claiming that the police are being militarized and instead be more considerate of the efforts that they are making in order to ensure justice, order, and safety in the