Essay Sample on Police Operations: Leveraging Law Enforcement Officers and Technology

Introduction

Police operations involve both patrol and investigative roles, which are essential in that they show the public how the country is fighting, preventing, responding, and solving crime issues. However, the police department's goals are usually impractical due to the police resources stringent, thereby making the process of fighting criminal behaviors challenging. The paper seeks to emphasize the changes in a police operation, which include law enforcement officers and technology, police involvement in improving quality of life, and handling violence in schools, workplaces, and homes.

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Law Enforcement Officers

Law enforcement in society aims at promoting public safety and upholding the rule of law, which impacts individual liberty. When law enforcement in society is executed professionally, and the right way, trust, and accountability are developed between the communities and the law enforcement officers (Crimesolutions.gov, 1). The government has the power to exercise force to ensure that the citizens comply with the set regulations and policies. However, the government must ensure that law enforcement is executed in a manner that protects the civil rights of the public, and techniques applied do not involve the use of excessive force against them.

Law enforcement officers have promoted policy and oversight reforms that aim at collaborating with the communities around in formulating policies and strategies that enhance healthy relationships, which spur the communities to participate in the war of curbing crime through reporting law offenders. Law enforcement officers have impacted to the building of trust and legitimacy following the four stipulated principles; treating the members of the public with respect and dignity, providing the people chances to give their voice when they encounter with law enforcers, being transparent and non-partisan during the process of making and decisions, and spurring motives that promote trustworthily. This has been achieved through the adoption of procedural justice by the police and sheriffs, which provides for policies and regulations that guide them during interactions with the members of the public.

Technology

The police department is incorporating the use of technology in daily operations. Currently, the use of surveillance cameras, gun detectors, automated license plate readers, facial recognition systems, and drones are some of the policing technology applied to curb, investigate and respond to crime (Purdue University Global, 2). With the rapid technological advancements realized at this era, there are possibilities of driverless patrol police cars which will use signals and camera to collect relevant information in the streets (Deloitte, 3). However, with the use the technology, the police department must identify the adverse social and ethical impacts that arise and therefore seeking the best channel to mitigate them.

The technology application in policing is guided by a stipulated ethical framework that aims at building digital trust. This has helped the police serve many people using digital systems, which have enhanced the process of service delivery while assuring users security with their private information. Although there are a lot of existing controversies with social media platforms, the police have incorporated them as major channels to communicate to the public considering the dramatic use of the platforms as well as ease in accessing the information (Nola, 4).

Big data have served as an essential aspect in the police department since collected data assist the police in investigations. For instance, collected DNA and fingerprints during various activities are stored in databases and used during criminal investigations to identify suspects more effectively and efficiently (Purdue University Global, 2).

Importance of Police Patrol in Modern Policing

Police patrols officers are mandated to ensure safety and crime-free in a particular area and usually patrolling done on a bike, police cars, or foot. By patrolling in the same areas, the police can identify when there is an unusual occurrence or suspicious activity (McQuerrey, 5). The police patrol plays a vital role in responding to assistance requested through phone calls or other channels. They disperse unauthorized or non-permitted crowds who might cause trouble and disturbances or flout the law. The police patrol has a duty of controlling traffic; therefore, ease congestions in major cities through arresting traffic rules offenders and those whole violate parking rules. In the current modern policing, the police are using a professional and lawful approach to enforce the law (McQuerrey, 5).

Quality of Life

Homeless persons are generally at a higher risk of committing crimes. Therefore, in modern policing, the police have commenced the new response to homelessness aiming at outreach and provision of services rather than arrest. The police and sheriff's department take up the tasks of seeking an appropriate solution for the homeliness problem through various activities like partnerships with social service agencies and other governmental agencies. Through the move, the law enforcement departments have been able to execute direct outreach the homeless individuals through the partnerships and training the officers on how to be empathetic and compassionate to the homeless persons (Welxer, 6, p.5).

Mentally ill persons' response has become a core function of the police with a view to peacekeeping. This because of the limited tolerance and understanding of the mentally ill persons in society, which leads to them being neglected. In modern policing, the role of police in handling this group of persons is governed by various law principles, which include; protection of safety and welfare of the public and security of the persons living with a disability. When police during their operations encounter a mentally ill person who is flouting the law or causing disturbances, they have three choices, taking the person to a mental hospital, arrest or solve the issue with the persons informally (Teplin, 7, p.10).

Compare and Contrast Police Reactions as They Relate to Violence in Schools, Homes, and Workplaces

The high rate of crime in schools has spurred the police to implement new strategies aiming at responding to violent incidents. School shootings have become prevalent in both urban and rural thereby attracting the attention of the public in most states across the US. Since the police intervened, the issue of victim homicides has reduced, but physical confrontations, harassments, and threats are frequent in many schools (ICAP, 8, p.1). An example of a violent incident in school is one that occurred in Winnenden, Germany that involved a 17-year-old male who entered his previous high school dressed in military gear and shot dead nine students and three teachers on March 11, 2009 (ICAP, 8, p.2).

Violence in the workplace has adverse impacts since it drains the energy and morale of the employees and decreasing organizational productivity as well as the quality of life in the working environment. Police involvement in combating workplace violence has resulted in the introduction of training sessions and modification of policies and practices to enable the police to handle abuse in the areas (Timm and Chandler, 9, p.1). Major violence incidences in the workplace include robbery, terrorism, and assault. For example, the incident of an ex-employee at Fiamma-Orlando, Florida, who returned to his former workplace and opened fire, killing four males and one woman before he shot himself (Neuhaus, Bever, and Berman, 10).

Domestic violence is perceived as a universal phenomenon due to its prevalence. Police have the right to take aggressive actions against abusers, including warrantless arrests. An example of domestic violence is that of Angela, who testifies to have survived gunshots from an abusing husband (Amnesty International, 11).

Conclusion

In conclusion, police operations include patrols and investigation, which aim to maintain law and order. Law enforcement officers play a vital role in promoting safety, which leads to the growth of individuals' liberty. Application of technology in police operation have eased the tasks of mitigating crimes and carrying out investigations. Police in recent decades has realized the need for improving the quality of life for people with special needs like the homeless and mentally ill persons, where they direct outreach and services rather than arresting them. Police have also been involved in reducing violence in schools, workplaces, and homes.

Sources

Crimesolutions.gov. n.d. Law enforcement: Policing Strategies. https://www.crimesolutions.gov/TopicDetails.aspx?ID=84Deloitte. n.d. Perspectives: The future of policing. https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/public-sector/articles/future-of-policing-and-law-enforcement-technology-innovations.html

Purdue University Global. 2018. The Growing Role of Technology in the criminal justice field. https://www.purdueglobal.edu/blog/criminal-justice/growing-role-technology-criminal-justice/

Nola Joyce. n.d. Technology and Police Operations. National police foundation. https://www.policefoundation.org/technology-and-police-operations/

McQuerrey Lisa. 2018. Police Patrol goals and Objectives. https://work.chron.com/police-patrol-goals-objectives-27986.html.

Wexler Chuck. 2018. Critical Issues in Policing Series: The Police Response to Homelessness. https://www.policeforum.org/assets/PoliceResponsetoHomelessness.pdf

Teplin, Linda. 2000. Keeping the Peace: Police Discretion and Mentally ill Persons. https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/jr000244c.pdf

ICAP. n.d. Guide for Preventing and Responding to School Violence. International Association of Chiefs of Police. 2nd Edition. p.1-41. https://bja.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh186/files/Publications/IACP_School_Violence.pdf

Howard Timm and Callie Chandler. Combating Workplace Violence: Guidelines for Employers and Law Enforcement. http://www.ncdsv.org/images/IACP_Combating-workplace-violence-guidelines-for-employers-and-LE_4-2002.pdf

Les Neuhaus, Lindsey Bever, and Mark Berman. June 6, 2017. Disgruntled' ex-employee fatally shot five at Orlando Business, then killed himself, police say. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/06/05/multiple-people-killed-in-shooting-at-florida-business/

Amnesty International. October 24, 2019. These Women survived domestic violence. Now they're taking a stand to help others. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/10/gun-violence-report/