This quality can bridge the strengthening of ethical conduct and building ethical standards in their departments with the rigidity with which these departments are run. This indicates that raising the ethical and humanistic behavioral level of the police force is possible. Record shows that, in recent decades, police departments have gained public support in reducing corruption and of disruptive conduct to the universal rights of man by establishing and strengthening both internal and external accountability standards among their forces (O'Donnell).
. Much of harmony in society is associated with an efficient and honest police force (O'Donnell, 2011). Society still depends on the police for the perpetuation of harmony. When the police behave predictably, with restraint and according to the rule of law, ordinary people become inclined to believe in and trust in the government again. When the most disadvantaged and the poorest in society receive the same treatment as the opulent living in exclusive properties, civil society is treated to a new burst of vigor and this ennobles the police force. This may not always be the situation. This level of success may not be achieved all the time. But people are treated to a new morale each time the rule of law wins as it does at different times and circumstances. Without question, a human-dignity-centered policing presents as the only solution to the current state of disorder. It will not be a simplistic or band-aid solution to current host of problems. With its unique capability of maintaining justice, the police force becomes the guarantor of personal dignity and an equitable position before the law (O'Donnell). This will be the product of the successful oversight of the police by a civilian review board.
Civilian Review Boards and Commissions
These were among the earliest models of oversight in the United States, some developed for civil rights and free speech movements back in the 50s and 60s (Attard, 2010). Commissions ranged from appeal boards, which review complainants or officers to boards, which review evidence and come up with findings in misconduct investigations by their staff or an internal affairs bureau. Commissioners are usually elective. The problem confronted by the board and commissions is the lack of standards for appointment....
These boards and commissions greatly support community trust in a law enforcement agency; the public is empowered to hear and weigh cases on policy recommendations. This enhances public trust and offers access to those who may feel disenfranchised (Attard).
In the past, boards and commissions conducted hearings and business in public, demonstrating their transparency and accountability (Attard, 2010). Oversight boards now conduct hearings behind close doors and restrict information about the hearings. Some of them have demonstrated transparency regarding discipline and misconduct of their police officers. Oversight of law enforcement has evidently grown as a much-needed force for the desired change, accountability and transparency in the last decades. Their proliferation has been partly due to massive information and communication dissemination via the internet. Issues of police misconduct, civil rights, and unjust treatment are brought to public awareness on a daily basis. These new developments hint at a new world characterized by transparency and accountability (Attard).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Attard, B. (2010). Oversight of law enforcement is beneficial and needed -- inside and out. Vol. 30 # 5, Pace Law Review: National Association for Civilian Oversight.
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O'Connor, T. (2010). The police component of criminal justice. Megalinks in Criminal
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