The Rapid Deployment Unit (RDU)

The Rapid Deployment Unit (RDU) is portrayed by other police officers as the “Dirty Harrys” or “very serious bad-ass individuals” (Chambliss, pg. 177). The RDU is a force not to reckon with; These police officers will do whatever it takes to remove illegal weapons and drugs from the hands of criminals. This elite unit mainly patrols poor African American areas, where crime rates are significantly higher. The RDU deals with crime control in three distinct ways: going undercover to bust drug dealers, vehicular stops, and serving warrants. Crime control allows the RDU to play an important role in policing. However, these officers and their methods can create tension between the communities/juveniles and they respond to moral panics. At times,

the Rapid Deployment Unit uses unconventional methods, or in other words they “rewrite the constitution every day” (Chambliss, pg. 179).
According to Chambliss (1994) while doing a ride-along with the RDU, he observed the impact law enforcement had on the public.

In certain cases, the police officers would speak disrespectfully towards juvenile criminals where at other times, point their weapons in the face of the criminal’s relatives. When the RDU raided a home without a search warrant to arrest a 16-year-old boy for dealing crack cocaine, the officer replied: “the supreme court has little regard for little shit like busting in on someone who just committed a crime involving drugs. . . Who will argue for the juvenile in this? No one can and no one will” (Chambliss, pg. 178). It may seem like the cops were disrespectfully treating this juvenile, where in reality, they were treating him like an adult criminal. By the age of 13, you can be tried as an adult for serious crimes. If a juvenile delinquent, is going to commit a serious crime, the RDU has no problem treating them as an

adult.
In another case observed by Chambliss (1994), he explained how an elderly woman was threatened and forced to the ground by an officer for pointing his gun in her face. People would argue that America’s police force is too militarized and can instill fear in the public with their high powered weapons and authority. The RDU and other units carry rifles and hand guns to help control crime, because criminals can use the same weaponry to protect themselves. A police officer has two main objectives: to protect and serve the community and to make it home to their families at the end of their shift. Even though the RDU’s methods can create tensions between the community, they are dealing with dangerous criminals and are trying to safety complete the job at hand.
In the late 20th century, The Bush and Nixon Administration formed the “war on drugs” campaign to gain popularity in the Presidential election.

To their surprise, instead of becoming popular, chaos emerged, creating a moral panic. Concern is a major factor with moral panic. “There must be a heightened level of concern over the behavior (or supposed behavior) of a certain group or category and the consequences that that behavior presumably causes for the rest of society” (Ben-Yehuda and Goode, pg. 156). Throughout the 80’s and 90’s, drugs were a major problem so the media was heavily relied on to project this issue to the public, resulting in a moral panic. Chambliss (1994), stated that it was easier to arrest a poor black male rather than a white middle class male for illegal narcotics. The RDU is basically like a response team to the “war on drugs” and will arrest all the

offenders.
The Rapid Deployment Unit plays a crucial role in crime control. At times, this elite unit can deal with drug dealers or violent criminals where other times, they deal with armed suspects.
Their methods, such as being unjust, can be viewed as unorthodox, eventually creating tension between them and the community.
In the end however, constitutional or not, the RDU is just doing their job. They serve to protect the people from harm by fighting crime and keeping illegal drugs and weapons out of the hands of violent criminals.