Essay Sample on Police Shootings: An Unfortunate Reality in Society

Introduction

Shootings cases by law enforcers are not something new in today's society. Importantly, despite the strategies employed to curb this problem, such incidences keep on recurring. The reasons behind these events are usually associated with police's recklessness or mere accidents that can be termed as "honest mistakes." The worse part is that whatever the explanation, the outcomes are usually gross as the shootings result in killing or hurting people. As a result, the law enforcers paint a bad image to the public that makes the community lose faith in them, which, in turn, challenges them in playing their role of maintaining order. Researchers have differed regarding the severity of this problem considering the activation of human rights as well as police laws. Others have claimed that the situation has currently worsened while others have argued that it has improved. This paper, therefore, analyses studies concerning law enforcement shootings that compares this issue in the current times with 20 years ago to determine whether it has worsened or improved.

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The aspect of social discrimination has been the main reason for police irresponsibility. For instance, In the US, blacks are considered the minority and inferior; thus, they encounter police brutality the most. A study by Campbell that combined media coverage that concerned police killings in the 1980s and 1990s revealed that the shootings were ethnical with the blacks suffering the most. According to Campbell (15), the black community was mistreated by the Whites who had the social dominance. The blacks were denied both social and economic opportunities, which, in turn, made their majority of living in crime to gain a living (Campell, 16). As a result, they faced police brutality who thought they were protecting the law.

Notably, the racial and ethnic discrimination in law enforcement has not ended even after over 20 years. Mesic and his colleagues (114) concluded that there are relationship racism and police shootings in the current era. Even though the blacks have better positions as compared in the 1990s, they still get shot even when they are unharmed (Mesic et al., 106). Importantly, according to Mic and his fellows (106), the racial shootings had risen by 24% by the beginning of the year 2018. These statics show that despite the efforts by globalization to equate all cultural and ethnic backgrounds, mistreatment of minority groups, especially concerning law context, still exists as a result of negative perception.

Also, the researches in the past showed that reckless or "mistaken" was as a result of the enforcers' mental condition. Police needs have not always been put into consideration by the government, their employer. For instance, they are paid a little stipend that is not enough for the growing economy's status. More so, inconsiderate policies such as deploying as demotion also affect the psychological wellbeing. Juneau (50) insisted that police brutality culminates from social and psychological factors. According to Juneau (50), the police's conditions were deplorable as no policy was employed to improve their lives. Notably, Unstable, mental states impair police judgment and decision making, especially when handling cases.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it seems that the situation regarding law enforcement shootings 20 years ago has not changed. The conditions worsen daily as media reports of such incidences never cease. Again, the people who are victims of this crime are still the minority who are negatively perceived to be associated with crime. Importantly, the police are still affected mentally since they live poorly, a factor that enlarges the problem.

Works Cited

Campbell P. Policing Race: A Case Study of Media Coverage of Police Shootings. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2012.

Juneau A. Police Shootings in Ontario: How Social, Psychological, and Situational Factors Lead to Pulling the Trigger. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2013.

Mesic A., Franklin L., Cansever A., Potter F., Sharma A. Knopov A. & Siegel M. The Relationship between Structural Racism and Black-White Disparities in Fatal Police Shootings at the State level. Journal of the National Medical Association. 2018, 110(2), 106-116.