Essay on the Role of Police in the American Society

Discuss/debate with your classmates from a system's perspective the political subdivisions of police governmental powers per federalism, including the specific U. S. Constitution Amendments that established their powers, as well as the significant historical events, which helped orchestrate America's move toward law enforcement.

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There exist two authority figures at the federal level. They include the police and law enforcement agencies. The two characters operate freely among the society, and each plays its role to ensure the citizens uphold the law. The federal police possess several powers assigned to them by the constitution. To begin with, there is a general power, which includes that in case a police officer has reason to believe that someone committed a crime, the police have the authority to arrest the suspect (Baldwin & Leng, 2009). Another power is the use of deadly force in the case that the suspect can cause danger to people. The police may also not require using friendly gestures when trying to capture a suspect who may resist arrest.

It was not until the 1920s and 1930s that the police took a professional turn and played the role of law enforcement (Travis & Langworthy, 2008). The improvements in the police department were because of several reforms. Several events that took place in the 1920s and 1930s catalyzed the move of the police department towards law enforcement (Travis & Langworthy, 2008). These events include the acceptance of the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the great depression that led to an increase in the crime rate.

Discuss the role authority plays in society

The police department plays many roles that assist in the holding and functioning of the society. The police functions include ensuring the citizens uphold the law, maintain order, and provide other minor services such as aiding in medical emergencies, providing useful information to the citizens among others and other regular customs such as issuing parking tickets.

For society to function correctly and what attitudes people should have towards authority figures

The society, in general, should respect the authority figures. The society should also be cooperative whenever the police need information from them. These attitudes are important in ensuring the police perform their work effectively and efficiently. The attitudes will ease the workload given to the authority figures hence guaranteeing they attend to the public efficiently.

Also, elaborate on incidents that have occurred in society where people question authority figures like police officers and their commitment to protect and to serve all people equally

The occurrence of several incidents among the society has led to the questioning of the commitment the authority figures have towards their jobs. These events include the falsification of reports such as the accident report, police officers aiding known criminal gangs and exaggerating small incidents such as parking tickets, speeding tickets among others. Others include abuse of power by the police officers.

References

Baldwin, J. & Leng, R. (2009). Police Powers and the Citizen. The Howard Journal Of Criminal Justice, 23(2), 88-98. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2311.1984.tb00496.x

Travis, L. & Langworthy, R. (2008). Policing in America (1st ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson/Prentice Hall.