Police Officers example essay topic

The general assumption that people make of the role that police officers play is that they are there to "Protect and Serve" the community. What people many times do not realize is that in reality a large percentage of police officers in Los Angels, including the Chiefs of Police, do their jobs with a different intention in mind. Police officers as well as politicians claim to be working hard on keeping drugs off the streets when in reality they are bringing on the violence themselves by instigating problems that are not really there. Bringing violence to the community is to their convenience because when crimes are solved and people are arrested police officers are portrayed by the media as the "heroes".

Not only is the LAPD committing a large number of acts of corruption but they are all set toward youth of color. The ideal role of a police officer is to help and protect the people of the community for which they work to create a safe environment but when members of the LAPD are biased and only interested in their own refinement, innocent youth are left to pay the consequences. Police officers mainly target their corruption scandals toward groups of young males of color because they find it easier to arrest them strictly because of their physical appearance and use probable cause as their excuse. From there, "Kids are humiliatingly forced to 'kiss the sidewalk' or spread eagle against police cruisers while officers check their names against computerized files of gang members". (Davis, 81) If their names and addresses are not yet entered they are added to the roster as well. ".. for future surveillance". (Davis, 81) There are two major Black gangs in Los Angeles, which are known universally as the "Bloods" and the "Crips", they are most known for their "organization of the sale of crack and out shooting the police with huge arsenals of Uzi and Mac-10 automatics".

(Davis, 81) Because they distinguish themselves by the Bloods color-coding their clothes in red and the Crips in blue, police officers have used this against many black males wearing the color of these gang rivals. Many times the Chief of Police gives orders for the officers to "stop and interrogate anyone who they suspect is a gang member, basing their assumptions on their dress or their use of gang hand signals". (Davis, 83) Law enforcement has also been found to be deliberately provoking gang violence by writing over Crip graffiti with red, which is the Bloods color, or Blood graffiti with the Crip color. The Southwest Division of the LAPD was also accused of destroying an apartment building in Los Angeles, "Residents reported the officers spray painted walls with slogans, such as 'LAPD Rules' and they also accused officers of throwing washing machines into bathtubs, and ripping a stairwell away from a building". (Davis, 85) Chief of Police Daryl Gates, like many others, victimized youths of color to gain power and fame. Since Gates was interested in becoming governor, he was always made sure that the media reported all of the crimes and arrest that were made by his police officers so that people would believe in his great interest in helping the community and that would gain him recognition from voters.

There are many other politicians who are also involved in these kinds of acts of corruption to accommodate themselves. Former first lady Nancy Regan is included in this group of people. The former first lady was known for her involvement in organizations to keep children off drugs yet she was quoted by the Times to saying "These people in here are beyond the point of rehabilitation" (Davis, 80) when commenting about a major drug bust in the streets of Southcentral Los Angeles. Gates also had Black politicians supporting him even though that meant that they were applauding his undermining the civil rights of Black youth. People such as Senator Diane Watson's press secretary commented, .".. when you have a state of war, civil rights are suspended for the duration of the conflict". (Davis, 84) There are many other people out there who share the same feelings as Nancy Regan and Diane Watson about young drug addicts.

Many of these people say that no matter who the person is, if they are involved so deeply in narcotics, it is best to keep them isolated from society. Chief Daryl Gates believes that gang members should be put in "narcotic enforcement zones" (Davis, 85) where they will be put in institutions in "abandoned military bases with landmines planted behind barbed wire fences". (Davis, 85) Much like Gates, when Harry Edwards, a supposed Black power activist, was asked what he would do with a 13 year old who was selling crack in the street, he replied: You gotta realize that they " re not gonna make it. The cities, the culture and Black people in particular have to begin or move to get that garbage off the street. It means that we have to realize that there are criminals among us and we are to take a very hard line against them... even if they are our children. Turn him in, lock him up.

Get rid of him. Lock him up for a long time. As long as the law will allow. (Davis, 90) Some people agree with Gates and Edwards's ideas about keeping criminals in isolation and others believe that Blacks should have curfews to minimize the disarray in the community. But how are we to know now who is really speaking out of concern for the people, young or old, that are entangled in narcotics or if they are just doing or saying what works best for them?