Essay On Police Misconduct

The sensational media should not just report the negative side of the police because it gives police a bad image. This creates hate when the majority of law enforcement officers do their job for less pay at a greater risk. It gives the false impression to the public that all cops are crooked. Police do the dangerous work that no one else wants to do. If someone is out in the streets doing harm, the first person people tend to call is the police, so why do people have so much hate towards them if they try their best to provide safety for the community? Police are supposed to protect people and property. They enforce traffic and laws, some officers wake up to do their jobs daily, not knowing if that traffic stop can be their last. People usually take police for granted, they could say a billion bad things behind their backs but when they are in a serious …show more content…
The media is perfect for reporting the worst incidents that happen. One study demonstrated that "Citizens’ attitudes toward the police are affected by the news publicity of a high profile trial of police misconduct" (Chermak). With what was demonstrated in the study, it makes sense that citizens’ attitudes change if the media only reports on police brutality instead of showing a policeman doing good deeds, why? It is seen as a policemen’s duty to be a model citizen, doing right by the law. Once they make a decision based on their judgment and people do not agree; they are seen as incompetent. A policeman doing good actions are going to change people’s perspective on the negative image that the media are trying to show. “Although many studies have found that teenagers are less satisfied with the police than adults.”(Chermak). Their family, friends, and the media easily influence teenager’s mindsets. Teenagers are known to be rebels and want everything their way and with the police giving orders, most teenagers think the police are their worst