This paper examines the controversial issue regarding racism in the law enforcement system. Statistics in regards to minorities and white people are included to show in numbers how people are actually being affected by the treatment of those in law enforcement. Two college campus rape cases are discussed in order to display the difference in sentencings given to two athletes of different races. Lastly, the ideas of institutional racism as well as the Implicit Bias theory are explored. Keywords: racism, law enforcement, minorities, African Americans, institutional racism, implicit bias theory Racism in the Law Enforcement System
The idea of racism in the law enforcement system has recently sparked a lot of controversy. Citizens are supposed to feel safe in regards to law enforcement, but how can they feel safe if those with power abuse it and treat some of them differently than others? Granted, not every individual in law enforcement shows racism towards citizens, but there is a great deal of those who treat people of color differently. The racism in the law enforcement system can be seen in …show more content…
Though it is true that everyone has their own implicit biases, those in law enforcement should not be blinded by theirs. For example, the Tulsa, Oklahoma shooting. One of the men in the helicopter above the scene referred to Terrence Crutcher as someone who “looks like a bad dude” (Jazeera, 2016). In my opinion, police officers should not base their way of assessing a situation by the appearance of the offender alone. The actions of the offender are what is important. Crutcher’s hands were up the whole time, and I believe this comment could have evoked some discomfort and worry in the female officer prior to shooting him. The Terrence Crutcher case is just one of the many cases that entail the Implicit Bias
The idea of racism in the law enforcement system has recently sparked a lot of controversy. Citizens are supposed to feel safe in regards to law enforcement, but how can they feel safe if those with power abuse it and treat some of them differently than others? Granted, not every individual in law enforcement shows racism towards citizens, but there is a great deal of those who treat people of color differently. The racism in the law enforcement system can be seen in …show more content…
Though it is true that everyone has their own implicit biases, those in law enforcement should not be blinded by theirs. For example, the Tulsa, Oklahoma shooting. One of the men in the helicopter above the scene referred to Terrence Crutcher as someone who “looks like a bad dude” (Jazeera, 2016). In my opinion, police officers should not base their way of assessing a situation by the appearance of the offender alone. The actions of the offender are what is important. Crutcher’s hands were up the whole time, and I believe this comment could have evoked some discomfort and worry in the female officer prior to shooting him. The Terrence Crutcher case is just one of the many cases that entail the Implicit Bias