Police-Public Relations In America

It is a common belief that the primary duties of the police officers are to serve and protect the public. In fact, it is embedded in our heads as children to remember the special three-digit number, 911, a number that is associated with safety, security, and at times hope. However, what if you find yourself in a position where this three-digit number does not assure your safety and instead you are told to avoid dialing this number in fear of your life, simply because you look different? For many black people, their interactions with police officers is just one of the many aspects in which they find themselves disadvantaged in in America. Tense police-public relations have been a controversial issue that has unfortunately caused greater tensions

Aside from these studies, historical facts and events of the 16th century have been seen in connection to the racial and ethnic disparities amongst the trust and confidence Americans give the police. For example, the origins of policing in America can be traced back to its colonial years of the early 1600s (Kappeler, “A Brief History…”). Unlike the formal police forces of today, policing took different forms during its early years. In fact, post-civil war, the “Slave Patrols” of the early 1600s evolved into formal police forces that continued to persecute slaves, regardless of their earned freedom (Kappeler). Namely, racial discrimination and persecution of people of color persisted long after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Kappeler). Aside from the origins of police development, information regarding one of the pivotal moments that began such current, tense relations between black people in America and the police is the shooting of Michael Brown in 2014 in the city of Ferguson, Missouri (Chaney, Cassandra, and Davis, “No Justice”). The fatal death of unarmed, black youth caused protests, rioting, and complete social unrest for several days (Chaney, Cassandra, and Davis). Overall, many policy-makers have attempted to resolve this issue by increasing police officer accountability through the use of body-worn-cameras (Kappeler). As these have been recently introduced and not yet adopted by all police forces, it is not sure whether they have proven