Negative Attitudes Towards Law Enforcement

Unfortunately, some of today’s teens and young adults have unfavorable attitudes towards Law Enforcement. Due to the fact that, they feel they are often being harassed and detained for non-criminal matters. Some officers may display a lack of respect towards a younger generation because of their dangerous and destructive behaviors, which in turn, causes them to feel threatened by authority and left feeling like a victim. Negative views of police stem from having negative encounters, thus causing a cycle of distrust between Law Enforcement and younger generations. Moreover, parental attitudes and opinions towards Law Enforcement transpire and are passed down to each new generation making it difficult change the perceptions of today’s Community police officer. In order to increase positive contacts and change the perceptions of youth in the community, Law Enforcement officers need to interact and become part of the community. For instance, the program PAL which stands for Police Activities league is a youth crime prevention program. This program aids in building relationships between officers and teens by means of educational, recreational and athletic activities. If an officer and a younger person can interact by playing a game of baseball or hanging out in the gym, eventually trust …show more content…
Law Enforcement should look to the leaders of the community and work together to break down the barriers of communication; as well as, addressing the community’s needs. By doing so, a relationship will develop between officers and citizens. It is also vital that departments enforce all of their officers to seek the proper training such as P.O.S.T to avoid racial