Research Paper on Police Diversity in the Post-Ferguson Era: Its Impact on Crime Rates

Abstract

Diversification of police officers, as presented by Todak, Huff, and James (2018), is based on their background and has a dramatic influence on crime data in the United States. In various texts, understanding the rates that the impact of hiring police officers from diverse ethnic background shows considerate consequences on different discipline vary (Rhodes & Tyler, 2019). The main issue identified in this study is the influence of police diversity in the post- Ferguson era and its increase in the rates of crime compared to a pre- Ferguson era. The purpose of the research is to identify the effects of police ethnic diversity on crime rates between a pre and post-Ferguson eras. The research utilizes a quantitative approach to identify significant concerns about the topic. A quantitative research method is the most suitable because it is efficient and effective in determining statistical data regarding the problem. Data is analyzed based on a discontinuous growth approach by assessing the effects of Ferguson in crime rate within urban areas. The results of the research reveal that an increase in police diversity in post- Ferguson era has led to a significant change in crime data as compared to pre- Ferguson era. The hiring of racially diverse police officers before and after the events in Ferguson, MO., is a significant factor in crime rates. Keywords: Hiring police, pre-Ferguson, post-Ferguson, police diversity, crime data, crime diversity, ethnic background, police officers and ethnicity

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Introduction

Police diversity and crime in a pre and post-Ferguson era is the title of the thesis. The role of the police is crucial in eliminating crime across different countries of the world. In the US, the role of the police is highly questioned based on the treatment of individual races. The issue of race and its influence on the security of the US has been a key factor ranging from pre-Ferguson and post-Ferguson era. In this light, the race has become one of the fundamental considerations in the police hiring process. Hiring police officers from different ethnic background portrays a significant impact on the levels of crime during the post-Ferguson era. Post Ferguson era is characterized by a racial stereotyping, which is perceived as a major threat to crime detection. Accordingly, there are changes in understanding rates of crime which is significant for the academic subjects and disciplines. This has a direct policy implication for the criminal and justice system. Since the beginning of the 1990s, the United States of America has benefited from the sustained and longest decrease in crime with the beginning of FBI compilation of crime statistics in early 1930s (Blumstein & Wallman, 2006).

The prevalent question surrounding the Ferguson is, could the surrounding events have changed the trajectory of trends of crime in the USA? Such kind of hypothesis is in line with three key explanations. First among these explanations is the issue of de-policing, whereby negative publicity demonstration regarding the behavior of police results to officers to remove the urge to enforce the laws for fear of lawsuits and criticism. From this dimension, the police officers all over the United States of America may have resorted to being hesitant to be so proactive out of lamentations for being subjected to negative scrutiny by the media for profiling racially of use of force excessively (Nix & Wolfe, 2016). Reduced protection and absence of law enforcement if widely spread, may lead to a rise in rates of crime cases (Braga, Papachristos, & Hureau, 2014). The empirical evidence for the de-policing is classically mixed (Shi, 2008; Stone, Foglesong, &Cole, 2009). For instance, Shi (2008) depicted that in the rise of greatly publicized phenomena involving any white police officer shooting an unarmed African-American young person in Cincinnati, OH as well as the subsequent Department of Justice investigation, the arrests fell greatly (that's the practical evidence of the act of de-policing). However, research indicated that an LAPD consent decree didn't amount to any result in any given form of policing (Stone et al., 2009). Motor vehicle stops and pedestrian doubled after the introduction of the consent decree as well as a higher proportion of such given stops led to an arrest.

According to Beckett (2016), it is believed that animosity is prevalent among African Americans and the police, which contribute to increased rates of crime rates. According to Herek (2017), post-Ferguson led to more rebellions and alliances, which advocated for the rights of the minorities. Common consequences of crime include stigmas which most victims are associated and identified with as a bad state or harmful neighbor to both insiders and outsiders together. Eventually, it leads to harmful consequences of the economic landscape of the area. Notably, understanding diversity in crime rates is vital for an extensive range in the academic disciplines with direct policy implications in the social institutions and the criminal justice's system. As early as the 1990s, the United States has adversely enjoyed a more extensive sustained reduction in crime, especially after the introduction of an explicit compilation of crime statistics by the FBI (Herek, 2017). However, since Michael Brown shooting, one of the unarmed men who were residing in Ferguson, MO, extensive concern has been made of the kind of police being hired to address specific correspondences. The speculation reveals that hiring police from the different ethnic background has led to an increased crime rate (Todak et al., 2018). Significantly, the era hinted the changes in the crime trends that were being experienced in the United States. The shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson led to the conception of several explanations in the negative impacts of crime in both private and public setting. The inception of hiring more ethnically police officers in de-policing perspective reiterates that all the United States the government were hesitant in providing significant concerns about the excessive crime cases that were subjected to the citizens(Nix & Wolfe, 2016). In line with the era, more crimes related to hiring ethnic police officers were realized from the public or other dignified individuals who are opposing their operations.

Conversely, diversity on crime in hiring more ethnic police officers in post-Ferguson era reveals that most agencies organized by the police are compromised due to frequent interactions that the police and their operations of crime incidences can be handled. The evident rise in criminal cases, diversities in their nature and killings are the significant causes of the post-Ferguson era. However, enforcing substantial drawbacks in the activities that are done by the police can reduce the effect of crime diversity in the post-Ferguson period. This thesis aims at highlighting the influence of diversity in police and the link to a rise in crime in the post-Ferguson era compared to pre-Ferguson era.

Research Question

What is the impact of diversity in police hiring on the crime rate in Pre & Post-Ferguson era?

Purpose of the Research

Diversity in crime is studied to enhance extensive knowledge in operation techniques deployed by the police to reduce its rate in the entire population. Existence of controversial reactions on the diversity in crime rates is, however, seen as the cause of its diversity in the attempts to address its main causes to reduce the spread. This study aims at discussing the effects of diversity on crime in police in a post-Ferguson era comparative before. The information retrieved from the presented topics in literature review as the leading cause of crime within a given population shows how consequential the process can be addressed.

Literature Review

The post-Ferguson era introduced the diversification of crime by employing the police based on their ethnic background (Nix & Wolfe, 2016). The aim was to enable the police to deal with the crimes differently and therefore, curb the rising crime rates in the United States (Beckett, 2016).

This era has impacted both the police and the public at large in varied ways. Majority of the research will be aimed at identifying the reality of the Ferguson effect and the impact it had. The findings are varied and will be discussed below.

Crime Reporting in Black Community and Police Violence

The rise of crimes resulted from the increased violence of the police in particular races, mainly black (Woods, 2019). According to Desmond, Papachristos, and Kirk (2016), police violence is experienced by the black men and thus has raised a public threat which has also lowered the reporting of a crime. The violence, according to him, is too much that the public is at the fear of reporting certain crimes for fear that the victim will be armed. The article analyzes the Milwaukee's case on the murder of Frank Jude, which affected the police call on 911 related to this very particular incident (Desmond et al., 2016). The research revealed that over 22, 200 calls were lost within a year over the same request, especially from the resident of the black neighborhoods (Desmond et al., 2016). In the article, one of his major claims is that the violence of the police during this Ferguson era significantly suppressed the primary form of civic engagement, which is the calling of 911 for a matter of public and personal safety.

The use of technology, according to Desmond et al., (2016) publicly spread the scenes around which the police assaulted people. This is referred to as legal cynicism that was rampant, especially among the black community, due to the diversification of crime in the police department (Desmond et al., 2016). The violence decre...