Similarities Between The 60s And 70s

One of the most challenging issues for the police today is that they are stuck in the middle of circumstances that they themselves cannot control between the government, the media and special interest groups. The 1960's and 1970's are known to be a time of unrest for police across America due to the war protesters, racial tensions, civil disobedience and lack of police support (Dempsey & Forst, 2011). The 60s and 70s were extremely difficult for the police. In our current decade, although we have made drastic advances in technology that aid in the fight against crime, there are some eerie similarities when it comes to police work in America that take us back fifty or so years. In August 2014 in Ferguson, MO a white Police Officer named Darrin Wilson shot and killed a young African American male named Michael Brown after a struggle ensued at the driver’s side window of Wilson’s patrol car with Officer Wilson inside the car. Racial tensions were high and looting and unrest was alive and well in the Ferguson and was spreading throughout the nation (Brown, 2017). Once the grand jury announced that there would be no criminal charges filed against Officer Wilson the violence, looting and unrest was in an upheaval with bystanders chanting and demanding retaliation. The media stormed in, “Hands up! Don’t Shoot!” became widely known across the nation and “black lives matter” was a mantra seen on headlines

The study revealed that there is a perception of the brutality, suspicion and an attitude of contempt towards law enforcement (Chaney & Robertson, 2013). Outside sources such as the liberal media and anti-police rhetoric, even the whole taking a knee that started by NFL player Colin Kaepernick kneeling during a national anthem contributes to the anti-police era of today’s