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Limitations on freedom of speech
Police preserving law and order in society
Police preserving law and order in society
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Recommended: Limitations on freedom of speech
A free society is a society in which its people have the right to exercise unlimited choice in their own lives. They live in the manner they choose, pursue individual goals and speak their own truths so long as they do not forcibly interfere with the rights of others to live in the same manner. The role of law enforcement in a free society, and whether as society evolves it remains necessary to have law enforcement, is a topic of debate for many. The idea of enforcing the law recognizes the importance of balancing the need to protect people with the need to preserve individual rights and freedoms. While some form of law enforcement has always been required to keep the peace, maintain order and provide for stability in a free society, that …show more content…
If America were a country where our freedoms were limited, where our opinions were censored, and where without exception all people respected rules and authority without question, perhaps there would be no need, but that is not the reality. At no time in my life, has this been a more relevant conversation.
I am the son of two career law enforcement officers, and I have seen firsthand the struggle, the sacrifice, and even the personal reward that comes with their choice to be part of the group that defends and protects our society by enforcing the laws. I have also seen the impact the recent negative public perception of law enforcement has had on my parents and those around them. Never before though, have I been so profoundly aware of the need for law enforcement in a free society than after this latest presidential
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It is the same democratic process most defend that elected the current pontiff, and the same democratic society that allows the protestors to protest and speak of their discontent. Yet, many in the group find no culpability lies within themselves for their own words and behavior. This is a prime example of the lack of all persons respect and compliance with the laws in place, which inherently requires police intervention. Without laws in place, and those ready to enforcement them, these individuals expression of their freedoms within our society could easily turn to complete chaos; chaos that would infringe forcefully on the ability of others in society to live
One of the most disturbing trends in American policing in recent years has been the militarization of police weaponry and tactics. In his new book, “The Rise of the Warrior Cop”, author Radley Balko traces the roots of American law enforcement from the constables of colonial times to present day SWAT teams and special response units. With the high controversy surrounding the “war on drugs” and the “war on terrorism,” policymakers have signed off on a dangerously aggressive style of policing that too often leads to unnecessary deaths and injuries. Some people say that modern law enforcement is on a collision course with our Bill of Rights and is unconstitutional. In the book “ Rise of the Warrior Cop” the author talks about how modern day policing are adapting mostly all military tactic. These wars are more than just metaphors designed to rally public support and secure all the money they can to support these programs. They change the way we think about what the police do. Wars mean shooting first and asking questions later. Wars require military tactics and weaponry. Wars mean civilian casualties. Are we at war with our own people?
American policing originated from early English law and is profoundly influenced by its history. Early law enforcement in England took on two forms of policing, one of which heavily influenced modern policing and it is known as the watch (Potter, 2013). The watch consisted, at first, of volunteers which had to patrol the streets for any kind of disorder including crime and fire. After men attempted to get out of volunteering by paying others, it became a paid professional position (Walker & Katz, 2012). The three eras of policing in America are shaped by these early ideas and practices of law enforcement. Throughout time, sufficient improvements and advancements have been made from the political era to the professional era and finally the community era which attempts to eliminate corruption, hire qualified officers and create an overall effective law enforcement system.
The police have taken an oath to enforce the law and ensure public safety, but when criminals violate the law, citizens are at risk of living in peace and security. In 2012, McCaul authored, “ A line in the Sand: Confronting Crime, Violence and Terror at the Southwest Border” (“Congressman Michael McCaul, “2017”). As a result, there was an “increased presence of Iran and Hezollah in Latin America and their relationship with drug cartels that control smuggling routes in the United States” (McCaul, Homeland Security, 2014). For this reason, cyber security increased and this is where order and freedom conflict. Since there is an increase in surveillance such as, monitoring citizens’ movements, imprisoning suspicious people and eavesdropping on phone conversations, citizens think that there should be a limitation to how much police power there is because it is interfering with their individual freedom (Janda 14). In my opinion, McCaul emphasizes on this issue substantially. Ever since the bombing of September 11, ISIS and Al-Qaeda have become a major threat in America. Chairman Michael McCaul stated in a recent video, Meet the Press, “Their training ground, state that they are creating in Syria, and now Iraq is far surpassing what we saw before September 11. They are the number one threat to Homeland Security” (Homeland
America as a people gloat when it comes to our freedoms we think we have it better than every other country out there but the protectors of our freedom are becoming fear and hated because of the injustices committed by certain officers. Some say life of an officer is hard because they do not know if they will ever see their family again after they drive out of their house in the morning, others might say every officer knows what they were signing up for so they should not be pitied. Police officers face dangers everyday but profiling and racially motivated brutality is not justifiable and officers should be severely punished for committing these crimes.
It is easy for police to get caught up in the idea that it is them against the rest of society (Barkan, 2012). Many citizens in today’s democratic society have a negative or fearful view of our law enforcement. Think back to grade school, who was that one kid in class that everyone was annoyed by or despised? Most people would answer the teacher’s pet or the tattletale. We have grown up from a young age to have a negative view towards those that get us into trouble when we think we can get away with something we know is wrong. In the adult world, the police force can equate to those tattletales.
The individuals within our society have allowed we the people to assess and measure the level of focus and implementation of our justice system to remedy the modern day crime which conflict with the very existence of our social order. Enlightening us to the devices that will further, establish the order of our society, resides in our ability to observe the Individual’s rights for public order.
The basis of criminal justice in the United States is one founded on both the rights of the individual and the democratic order of the people. Evinced through the myriad forms whereby liberty and equity marry into the mores of society to form the ethos of a people. However, these two systems of justice are rife with conflicts too. With the challenges of determining prevailing worth in public order and individual rights coming down to the best service of justice for society. Bearing a perpetual eye to their manifestations by the truth of how "the trade-off between freedom and security, so often proposed so seductively, very often leads to the loss of both" (Hitchens, 2003, para. 5).
It is impossible to maintain social order without the existence of law enforcement. The expectation of uniformity is unrealistic among everyone in any given society. The mixing of various nationalities, culture, religion, and especially socioeconomic backgrounds generate conflict. Conflict can only be remedied by a neutral entity. The current trends in the impact law enforcement has on minimizing crime globally and domestically proves law enforcement is necessary. Social order is integral in order to generate an environment free from terror and unpredictable chaos. We have learned from historical events that citizens, of any given society, to police themselves, results in constant violence among parties with incompatibilities in their relations with one another. Roufa, T. (2012)
America is looked upon by other countries as the land of the free. However, it is disappointing that the people who is responsible for protecting our freedom, are now feared and despised because of the discriminatory crimes they have committed. Instead of protecting our society, police are abusing their power. In order to put a stop to this; the government needs to create restrictions, provide more training for officers, and set forth more consequences when they take someone’s life.
At some point in our lives, everybody eventually comes in contact with a law enforcement officer, some people for different reasons. Law enforcement officers work around the clock to keep citizens safe. Many people do not know a lot of things about law enforcement, some of those will be discussed. Those topics are agency administration, issues with law enforcement in today’s society, and law enforcement history.
The origins of law enforcement can be traced back to English roots. The first incorporated stages of policing involved kin policing which “involved families, clans, and tribes enforcing informal rules and customs,” in the community in order to keep the peace. Law enforcement refers to any system by which some members of society act in an organized manner to enforce the law by “preventing, detecting, and investigating.”(Worrall & Schmalleger, 2013, p. 2) People who violated the rules and normal behaviors of the governing system, would be prosecuted in a court of law. The evolution of policing developed into watches, constables, and sheriffs, who took care of their communities. This method of policing eventually changed, when the Greek and Roman Empire took over.
The definition of justice and the means by which it must be distributed differ depending on an individual’s background, culture, and own personal morals. As a country of many individualistic citizens, the United States has always tried its best to protect, but not coddle, its people in this area. Therefore, the criminal justice history of the United States is quite extensive and diverse; with each introduction of a new era, more modern technologies and ideals are incorporated into government, all with American citizens’ best interests in mind.
In most cases, law enforcement involves investigation of all forms of suspected, potential or actual criminal activities and presenting evidence arising from investigation to the courts for determination of criminal culpability and subsequent punishment. Law enforcement is also concerned with detaining criminal suspects pending further investigation or judicial action. These, however, are not the only responsibilities or functions of law enforcement. Law enforcement is also concerned with deterrence and prevention of crime as well as enforcement of all the orders given by the law courts such as writs or warrants. In addition, law enforcement play an important role in ensuring public safety, maintaining public order, operating c...
There has always been a love-hate relationship between the public and the police. When called upon to help, they can be something sent from God, but when they are writing tickets, or taking a friend to jail, the view changes from a savior to a presence that is unwanted and often hated. An effort to improve the public view of law enforcement is being attempted by many departments. Using different styles of policing techniques, mainly community based policing, has proved to be the best way to improve the image of law enforcement.
The criminal justice system plays a crucial role in encouraging compliance and resolving non-compliance. The majority of individuals within society will obey the law, however, the law will enforce compliance and sanction violations on behalf of society where individuals do not comply. This is evident in the areas of police powers, the purposes of punishment, alternative methods to sentencing and the International Criminal Court. The police play a major role in ensuring people comply with the law and the powers afforded to them enable them to do so. Police are responsible for the prevention and detection of crime and for the maintenance of public order and they play a crucial role in the investigation of crime.