Racism in U.S. Law Enforcement: Challenges and Solutions

Introduction: Race and the Criminal Justice System

There is much controversy with regard to race and the Criminal Justice System, as many people are inclined to believe that individuals belonging to particular racial groups are more likely to suffer from discrimination as a result of their skin color. Police officers receive instruction designed to give them a complex understanding of moral values and ethics, which makes it possible for them to learn about differentiation and the degree to which discriminating against a person can affect that individual and society as a whole. Many believe that, in some cases, stereotypes are people's only means of distinguishing between a potential criminal and an innocent person. However, the chances of going wrong are particularly high, and it is therefore essential for every police officer to refrain from targeting particular groups simply because they share the same skin color as a known criminal.

Officer Octavio Villalobos of the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department offered perhaps the most succinct response to the discussion involving policing and racism: "You don't have to look like the people you police, you just have to care" (Keesee & Nila). Taking this into account, one can understand the pressure that police officers face as a result of their role in society. These individuals must constantly consider their own backgrounds, their obligation to impartiality, and the backgrounds of the people they interact with.

General Discrimination in Policing

Although stereotypes are often the cause of tragedies, the discussion of policing institutions struggling with the way they treat particular minorities is not a new one. Belonging to a minority automatically exposes an individual to discrimination from a wide range of people. While discrimination is somewhat common in certain social circles, matters become far more complicated when police officers are involved, as their very jobs require them to approach all individuals with objective attitudes.

While people traditionally assume that employing different techniques when dealing with different communities constitutes discrimination, things can actually be more nuanced. In some cases it is in a police officer's best interest to be well-acquainted with the cultural values prevalent in the areas he or she is policing. This understanding allows the officer to use the correct channels when dealing with residents of those areas and to perform their duties as effectively as possible.

Officer Villalobos and his partner, Officer Matthew Tomasic, regularly interact with a Hispanic community in Kansas and must ensure the safety of those residents. Over the years, the two officers built strong connections with that community and earned people's trust by demonstrating their focus on apprehending criminals and discouraging criminal behavior, rather than judging people on the basis of their skin color. As one account describes it, "The result of their work is unusual and worthy of study, but the astounding part of the story is the personal transformation the officers experienced that changed their attitude toward the community they police; their role as police officers in a diverse society; and, most fundamentally, how they view themselves personally and professionally" (Keesee & Nila).

Earning the trust of particular minority communities in the U.S. can be especially difficult from a police officer's perspective. The public has grown accustomed to media coverage of officers labeling individuals on the basis of race. As a consequence, people are hesitant to cooperate with police — making effective policing even harder in certain regions. In order to earn a community's trust, a police officer must concentrate on helping people identify with his or her goals. Residents need to reach a point where they perceive policing as something that makes their world safer, rather than as a constant risk of falling victim to racial discrimination.

The United States is an extraordinarily diverse nation, and travelers across the country are likely to encounter individuals from all parts of the world. Although this diversity offers many advantages, it also makes it increasingly difficult for law enforcement officers to connect with each group on an individual level. "Law enforcement officials — those whose professional ideal is to protect and serve people equally from all backgrounds — must face the challenges and complexities of a diverse society" (Shusta et al. 3). When officers are unacquainted with the cultural particularities of a given community, they risk being unable to provide proper assistance to members of that community — and may themselves be placed at greater risk in interactions with that group.

Bias as Something Inherently Human

As much as people like to believe they are impartial, it would be impossible for anyone to claim that he or she never judges others based on their characteristics. The way people are raised means they will always make judgments in order to try to understand those around them. When a person is a police officer, however, judging others becomes a far more complex process. A law enforcement officer must analyze all aspects of a person in an attempt to determine whether that individual poses a criminal threat. This is especially true when an officer is working in an area where crimes occur with increased frequency — under those conditions, the officer must employ diverse means of identifying and apprehending criminals while still respecting the rights and dignity of innocent residents.

Police Officer Philosophy and Cultural Competence

Being a U.S. police officer means becoming comfortable when interacting with people from all backgrounds. Similarly, officers must maintain a high level of professionalism when dealing with diverse individuals, so that those individuals come to see them as someone they can rely on.

By becoming aware of the environment in which they work, and by developing attitudes that make them more effective, law enforcement officers can build trust within communities and perform at their best. Cultural competence is a central factor in this process and represents one of the principal qualities a police officer in the U.S. must cultivate.

Although the U.S. is a place where numerous cultures have come together — where minorities gradually become majorities and vice versa — hate crimes remain common, and racism persists as one of the country's principal problems. While working to prevent such crimes, officers themselves must refrain from displaying attitudes that could be perceived as racist.

It would be a mistake to generalize about any group of people; there will always be individuals who act in ways that diverge from patterns typically associated with their group. A clear example involves four police officers in Florida who were filmed engaging in activities that could be classified as racist. Although those activities did not rise to the level of crimes, the Fort Lauderdale Police Department made its position unmistakable by firing all four officers (Campbell). Such action demonstrates that the Criminal Justice System is particularly sensitive to such occurrences and that there is zero tolerance for racist conduct by law enforcement officers. It is equally clear that the justice system broadly wishes to distance itself from any association with racism.

Conclusion

All things considered, conditions are critical in the U.S. today when examining law enforcement agencies and the way they interact with the general public. People have yet to develop widespread trust in police officers, and ongoing media coverage of misconduct makes matters worse. The public is practically encouraged to believe that police officers are inherently racist and that distrust is the only reasonable response. In a time when many people fear law enforcement, it is essential for the government, the public, and police officers themselves to recognize the difference that education and genuine reform can make.

Works Cited

Campbell, A. "Florida Cops Fired Over Racist Texts, KKK Video." Huffington Post, 22 Mar. 2015.

Keesee, T., and M.J. Nila. "Fairness and Neutrality: Addressing the Issue of Race in Policing." Police Chief Magazine.

Shusta, R.M., D.R. Levine, H.Z. Wong, and P.R. Harris. "Impact of Cultural Diversity on Law Enforcement." Pearson Custom.

"Obama says other police departments are racist in first remarks on Ferguson." Daily Mail, 2015.

"Special Issue: Policing a Multicultural Society." Journal of Police & Society: An Interdisciplinary Israeli Journal of Law Enforcement & Criminology. National Criminal Justice Reference Service.