Good Cops / Bad Cops
January 25, 2012
What can good cops and criminal justice professionals do to stop biased policing? What do “snitches” have to fear? Read this New York Times article and share your comments.
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CJS-360 Diversity Issues 
I believe that the community has to know that the police are not above the law. The trust in the police is foot patroling and meeting the people they serve. The thing is that the rotten apples meaning bad cops are needing to be removed and replace with cops with good ethics to work for their pay and make a impact in the dept. The snitches are being called that because of the bullys in the dept. How do we change the cycle with the law has bullys?
Tammy,
I agree we need to make changes and starts from the top down. Since, usually if this is happening the top knows about it. We also need to educate through continued ed that everyone has rights. I think we need to make a point by showing other officers this will not be tolerated.
Carol
I believe we need a new breed of officers, to change the older police officers. With classes like criminal justice ethics and diversity in the criminal justice system this is a step in the right direction. We need to break down the code of silence, every officer needs to think before they act, they need to be trained. All changes need to come from the top of the chain of command and they have to be 100% backing it all the time. What David Fein said was great. What do you think about his statements?
“There is no place for excessive force in a police station or on the streets,” David B. Fein, the United States attorney for Connecticut, said in a news conference on Tuesday. “There is no place for false statements in police reports.”
“No person is above the law, and nobody — even a person arrested for a crime — is beneath its protection,”
The best thing to do is more training with local and state cops to work together. I believe in getting the rotten cops on the team and putting in place cops that are loyal to the community and their jobs. The shitches have to fear their jobs but lets change that …watchdogs in place
Its so upsetting that this type of activity still continues, we as people who serve are suspose to know the difference between right and wrong, we have been educated, taught and retaught, were susopse to protect. How dare those officers act in such a manner, the community looks up to them and if they see them acting in that way, than the officers are leaving very little guidence for their community memebers to follow.
It’s upsetting that the incident occurred but it’s more upsetting when people say they can’t believe that this is still happening today. The individual officers are to blame but I also believe that the Government and most of Americans are also to blame. We’re all responsible in one way or another. The officers who were accused of singling out Latinos are doing so because of this “illegal immigration” craze that is currently sweeping across America. It’s pretty clear that half of Americans want illegal immigrants out of this country no matter the cost. Just look at the multibillion dollar wall that was placed up between Mexico and America, which ended up in being a lost cause and eventually abandoned due to the budget; It, the wall, sure did look good on paper though. Politicians are using it, the illegal immigration issue, to stir up the publics’ emotions to build support for their groups, republicans and democratic; their righteous cause. It shouldn’t be a shock at all that that took place. I’m surprise that it’s not happening more often. To be upset/angry at the officers is understandable but the full blunt of that anger shouldn’t be directed towards the officers only. The police officers are a reflection of the government’s and the people’s current values.
Why is it that we feel to express our feelings and they are on target but the government or the local police are not listening to public view. The studies of crime and police behavior has cost many states money in law suits. Does the laws matter to the ethics to how we must do our jobs. I think that maybe the police should be suited and not the people of the state to pay the fees.. How do we send a message to people in the police dept. If the police have the right to ticket us maybe the simple answer is that we ticket them for their behavior.
You are very correct in stating that the officers are a reflection of the government’s and people’s current values. And as approximately ten percent of the officers were involved in this activity (five were arrested in a department with over 50 officers) I think it’s a good representation of the U.S. populace. There is a loud minority and a silent, permissive majority that is sitting by and allowing the loud mouths to speak viciously and emotionally on the topic of illegal immigrants. I am opposed to illegal immigration, but mostly because my mother’s family, my wife, and hopefully within the next 5 years my wife’s family, has immigrated to the U.S. legally. We have paid over $2,000 in government processing fees and have more to pay before it is all done. To me it is unfair that my family had to give up so much and we are still not all in the same country, but some illegal families have been here for decades. Despite that, those “illegals” are still people and they deserve the respect of their fellow human beings. But please, don’t believe that we, the citizens of this country, believe that the behavior of those officer was justified, you and I don’t believe that and we are current citizens. But we are guilty of “tsk-tsking” and then forgetting about the issue instead of standing up for those who have little to no voice.
I am appauled that in this day and time we are still discriminating. I cannot believe that anyone in society would think that someone would just want to walk away from their home and move to a new country. I know for me it would terrify myself as well as my family. Then we have officers who seem to think they are above the law. So to speak they have gotten away with quite a bit and no one did a thing. We need to make them the poster boys and show that they are accountable for their actions. When Martin Luther King spoke many years ago I thought things would change. Yet, today we are still doing what we did back then and just adding new people to the agenda. We are all related in one way or another. The only difference is that some of us are small and some are large, some are black and some white and some speak english and some do not. To me that is what makes this America and makes all of us interesting. If we were all the same we would be a pretty boring world.
For my diversity issues class we read chapter 4 Justice on the street. This article closely relates to the chapter in means of racial profiling, excessive force and discrimination. It is absolutely awful that these men “performed” their job in such a manner. The rule of law clearly states that nobody, NOBODY, is above the law. Not only do these men make their department look horrible, but so does the mayor. The changes need to absolutely start from the top. It appears that this entire department or better yet city officials are all corrupt. I’m certain that there are in fact some very good, ethical, and moral police officers or public officials that work for this city, however, these bad seeds make the entire city look bad. It is interesting however, that in the chapter the infamous Rodney King incident is talked about yet that only being approximately 20 years ago made national headlines. Whereas, something like this, which happened just recently barely makes any news. Besides this article, I never would have heard anything about this incident. In way, it is almost fortunate that the media didn’t go completely crazy about it because it still spares some dignity for police officers and public officials, however, it is sad that something that serious isn’t more highlight and noted that police officers are in fact held responsible to some degree for their actions and can easily replaced for better officers.
I find this article informative and eye opening yet sickening at the same time. It’s no wonder why biases are developed in minority communities against law enforcement. When the social contract between law enforcement and the citizens in the community they serve is broken community relations and a respect for authority breaks down. It has been suggested that disrespectfulness and lack of trust may lead to a increase in arrests. In the context of this article, wouldn’t this lead to a cycle of trust and higher arrest rates for those involved? Swift and decisive disciplinary action on the behalf of the first immediate superior in the chain of command within the law enforcement or government agency would likely remedy this problem. Without leaders who are stepping up to the plate with integrity and a willingness to adhere to their oath to uphold the law, this unfortunate situation will likely continue to play out across the nation.
Joseph,
While I agree with many of your points in your response, I think it’s important to remember that cases like this are relatively rare. They are an exception to the rule. I’ve been working in law enforcement in one capacity or another for the past six years. I’ve worked for a number of departments and done ride alongs with many police agencies here in the metro with a high Hispanic/Latino population. I can tell you that not once have I ever seen an officer engage in racial profiling or in depriving a person of their civil rights. The people that we stopped were individuals who were in violation of the law. A majority of time the driver didn’t have a valid Minnesota driver’s license. The officer and I didn’t know the driver was Hispanic/Latino until we approached the car and usually what prompted us to stop the car in the first place was either a moving violation or an equipment violation. More often than not the driver will accuse us of pulling him or her over because they’re Hispanic/Latino. Then you ask some more questions and find out that each time this individual has had contact with the police. Frequently such contact occurs because they’ve instigated themselves and are just refusing to take responsibility for their actions. What is unfortunate about stories like these, which as I stated before are the exception not the rule, is that these are the stories that people take hold and shape their opinions. No one ever hears about the rule or police departments who partner with members of the minority community in an effort to make their community a better and safer place to live. We need more stories like that.
We live in a society of law and order. There will always be good and bad cops, and we also live in a society that will punish police officers. Police officers do not have immunity from the law. It’s sad to read stories like the New Haven police department. I think that the incident only puts more tension between the police and Hispanic community. Who will trust law enforcement officers when they treat their minorities like second class citizens. A police officer represents the police department and community in which they serve. Their mistake or misconduct also effects the police department. Many minority group will not separate the to. If there is one bad cop, then they’re all bad cops.
This is extremely sad to read. Not only do these officers change/ruin the perception of police officers from that department, but they create a label for officers around the country. Not all police officers behave and treat citizens that poorly and it is devastating that the good cops get a bad rep because the bad cops have authority and ego issues. I agree that every chain of command needs to be on the same page regarding what is not tolerated within an agency. Every officers needs to be held accountable for their actions, no ifs and or buts about it.
I found this interesting because of what the minority communities have to go through with the police of New Haven, Connecticut. Being arrested for no reason is not something that should have happened with this police department because from what I know, from someone to become a police officer, they would have to be trained and taught from what is right and what is wrong. Surely these police officers were not taught to do the right thing because if they did this would not have happened. What I found shocking was that the police not only arrested them for no reason but they were, “sometimes slapping, hitting or kicking them when they were handcuffed, and once smashing a man’s head into a wall.” The police are suppose to be the ones that deter the violence in the community and not only that but they are suppose to have the trust of the community not the fear.
Diversity training and more community policing, where officers have the chance to interact with different cultures might be helpful. If the officers are found guilty, they need to be punished, not only for justice for the members of this community, but also as a lesson to others that this type of behavior will not be tolerated. This kind of biased policing is happening more often than we think. It is part of the reason our prisons are overcrowded with minority groups. The African, Hispanic, and Native communities are overrepresented in the criminal justices system. I believe some of this overrepresentation is because our justice system discriminates against minority groups. Only by acknowledging the system has flaws, and working to rectify them, do we give hope to these groups, that maybe someday they will feel protected by the system, instead of being another statistic within it.
I am shocked, disappointed and in disbelief by these allegations brought against the East Haven Conn police department. Even more surprising is the just how far up the ladder these allegations go to include the chief of police. I’m extremely confused as to why the mayor would reinstate the police chief when he’s being listed as Co-Conspirator No.1 in the indictment. The article states that he tried to have the priest removed from his parish after the priest attempted to video tape the officers who were violating the civil rights of some the Latinos in the community. The article then goes on to state the he also tried to block members of the police commission from investigating the complaints. I’m not sure what exactly the mayor is thinking but if it were me, I’d find the actions of the police chief in this regard completely suspect. If your innocent and have nothing to hide you let the allegations of your department be investigated and take action yourself. To me his actions tell me that he’s hiding something. I’m also happy that someone in the department had the courage enough to speak up and while it may not have been an easy thing to have done and there are possible consequences for it, this person or persons did the right thing. This is how unfortunately sometimes change must occur in order pave the way for brighter and better future. I can only hope the Latino residents and the community get the justice they deserve and are treated better in the future.
This article just makes my blood boil. I cannot believe that someone in such authority, as this, would abuse that authority to commit heinous acts to those in the Hispanic community. None of these Latinos deserved to be treated like that. Yes, these officers absolutely believe that the laws do not apply to them because all of these officers think that they are “above the law.” No matter a persons rank in military, politics, law enforcement, etc.. those individuals will never be ” above the laws.” Those people need to obey the laws just like the next person. Another, huge issue that this article brought about was the fact that these Hispanic people in this community are being treated like dirt. A community should work together to and improve the community not tear it further and further apart.