Police Influence on Society

If you watch the nightly news, read the paper, or look on the Internet, you are bound to see or read a report that involves a clash between the police and a suspect or suspects. This often involves a high speed chase or the police taking a suspect down. These events are increasingly captured on video, especially with the advances in smart phones and portable video devices. Very often what you see is a white police officer or officers in some sort of violent struggle with an African-American or Hispanic male. Immediately, calls of excessive force or race enter the discussion. This is a serious issue in this country that only seems to be growing. Surely, the media plays a large role in this portrayal. Even though the media may feed into this perception, the fact remains a great deal of Americans perceive police treat non-whites differently and enforce the law differently based on race.

Brief History

The police have an influence with society due to numerous different reasons. These factors that influence the way people look at the police in society have a positive and a negative effect. The police duties are to protect and serve those in society. The purpose of any law enforcement is to maintain order as well as investigate any reported or non-reported suspected criminal activity in the country. The start of law enforcement began in 1626 when the New York City Sheriff’s Office was founded. When the New York City Sheriff’s Office opened, Boston had begun its own “Night Watch” in 1635. Over the years since 1626 policing has drastically changed. Obviously even on a technological development has increased throughout even the last year let alone a few centuries. Policing has been done on foot, horse, cars, vans, SUV’s, motorcycles, boats, bicycles, or helicopters. Since the beginning of the policing field, there have been major transformations such as going from a predominantly white male career, to females, as well as other minorities.

Popular example

When discussing more recent historical events that have impacted policing in the United States as it relates to different ethnic groups and social classes’ one can’t help but remember the infamous Rodney King beating. The Rodney King beating was a critical period in United States history. On March 3, 1991 following a high speed chase through a rough area of Los Angeles California five Los Angeles Police Officers brutally beat King in the middle of a roadway offering no mercy as he lay in the fetal position soaking up each hit that was delivered from the various officers. From a nearby balcony a witness caught the beating of King. Whether or not Mr. King resisted the officers following the chase, the violence that followed was most certainly unwarranted. Many officers also stood near where the unfortunate event was taking place, but offered no assistance to King; this footage was aired on national television.