Tackling Systemic Racism in Law Enforcement - Essay Sample

Introduction

Racism is a term that commonly refers to any deed that portrays one person as superior to the others because they have a difference in skin color. Viewing the law enforcement sector, claims of racism every other day. Dwelling on the problem and shifting blame will not lead to any solutions, so in this paper, I saw it fit to concentrate on ways to combat incidents of systemic racism.

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To begin with the law enforcement, as of now, recruits members of each race into the police department. On recruitment, each police get taught how to engage with each other member of the community. This gets done through programs such as the Community Partnership Program and Neighbourhood Policing Programs. This ensures that during the performance of their duty, they treat everyone equally.

Secondly, every police are led to understand racial profiling as being an unacceptable vice. Racial profiling is the act of using ethnic backgrounds or a person's race as grounds to suspect someone of committing a crime. As a police agent, one understands that blaming anyone without a reasonable notion is cause for suspension and even eventually losing one's job.

Another issue is unwarranted arrests and brutality of the police. I am recalling the case of the 56-year man that was hit by a police officer and later charged for resisting arrest. In such cases, the policeman should be fired and forced to pay the civilian's hospital bill. For such cases not to even occur, the police should try opening a dialogue with the people and realize that they are not above the law. Also, they should have with them a body- camera at all times for easy monitoring.

In addition, there are cases of police officers shooting people while they are in their homes. In the case of Saheed Vassell, an older man who got shot in his house. These scenarios can get avoided. Police officers don't get to visit homes of people they suspect without warrants. And even if they have permits, they have no right to shoot someone that they aren't sure is a threat to them.

Also, in cases where a civilian testifies against police in court, his or her life becomes endangered. The police need to realize that they are not above the law. Each employed police should get personally driven enough to do his duty and accountable in case they make a mistake. If the police are responsible, they will accept their mistake, go into a correctional facility for a while and come out as a reformed person.

Moreover, there are cases where the police indulge in excessive tasering or using taser when not necessary. If the civilian is on the wrong side of the law and is resisting arrest by fleeing, tasering becomes essential. However, this is to weaken them. Excessive tasering becomes a bridge of the law. The police need to get informed of when tasering is necessary and how much of it is required.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the police indulging in racism end up violating the rights of the minority groups in a community. Acts such as excessive tasering, unwarranted shootings, unwarranted abuse, and brutality lead to a sense of insecurity in the city, and in turn, no trust in the police. Laws should be put down governing this, and no police should be above them.