The Myth Of Police Reform Analysis

Every time you manage to watch the news, you always see the same old story. An American dead by the hand of a police officer who failed to judge the situation correctly. Ta-Nehisi Coates, an author for the Atlantic, wrote the article, “The Myth of Police Reform,” to help inform the public of the current atrocities at hand. Sadly, our country relies on the idea that our current social problems should be handled with force. Obviously, this idea is outdated since there are countless incidences in which innocent people end up dead by the hand of the police. Unfortunately, in today’s day in age it seems as if the police feel like they are above the law and demand respect by oppressing people with their power. Some may believe that this problem …show more content…
Our society has been brainwashed to believe stereotypes like all African American’s are thugs and gangbangers. For example, during my freshman year one of my roommates was black and he told me that whenever he gets pulled over, police officers always ask to search his car regardless of his offense. Unfortunately, this may have been due to the fact that he lives in Johnson County, which is a majority Caucasian. This is a very mild example of racial profiling, but it can help us further understand the disadvantages and struggles of being a minority in America. Police just assume certain scenarios when a minority is involved regardless of the evidence at …show more content…
Police are not supposed to be involved in every minor problem our society faces. They are not trained on how to deal with a recently divorced couple or how to handle a drug addict. Their first instinct is to draw their sidearm and in most cases this is completely unnecessary. According to the Journal Sentinel, “In 2012, there were nearly 12.2 million arrests and only 410 uses of deadly force by police in the United States (Kertscher).” Less than one percent of police arrests end with deadly force so, why is it necessary to always be strapped? Having a weapon on hand increases the chances of foul play significantly. There are countless outcomes that could occur between a police officer and a civilian. Sadly, police are only trained to expect one that ends with a gun. Throughout Ta-Nehisi’s article he provides countless ideas that we should dwell upon. Americans should feel a sense of protection when police are involved, but “The Myth of Police Reform” shows us this is clearly not the case. Police officers have the power to do whatever they deem necessary even though it may not be morally sound. Leading us to the conclusion that there are only certain scenarios that require police intervention. If America truly wants change, the judicial system should take a step back and take a second look at what situations truly require police involvement and adjust how they