Logical and rational exchange Essay Example for Free

Logical and rational exchange Essay In the 1990’s police officers employed the â€Å"stop and frisk† technique (World Socialist Website) to apprehend possible and alleged street criminals or suspects. However, it is disconcerting that a new development has evolved. Police officers are now using unnecessary force on students, old people, children and almost any body. There are several incidents in 2007 where students were Tasered by police officers for very insignificant reasons. A student from UCLA was repeatedly stunned after having been caught studying in the library without his University ID. In Warren Ohio a University woman was harassed and Tasered by a police officer outside a bar without provocation. The stories go on and on. What is even more alarming is that these stories are increasingly becoming more common. This dysfunction in the United States today has ignited a fear among the public. Terrorism has a face and its face is of a police officer with a badge, a nightstick, mace and Taser (Roberts). The very people who promise to uphold the law are the very ones who abuse it. In many instances the public is fighting back. One such person is Larry Neill White who in 2007 shot and killed three police officers in his home in Odessa Texas (Johnson). The police officers responded to a domestic disturbance call and found themselves facing the barrel of White’s gun. Asked why he did not hesitate to shoot the police who were trying to apprehend him, his reply â€Å"You got these guys coming to your door, what would you do? (Johnson)† This is the most vicious attack on police officers of Odessa in 73 years. Sadly this event has been happening in other parts of the United States as well. In the first 10 months of 2007 at least 60 police officers have been shot and killed. Between the years of 2006 and 2007, there has been a 54% increase (Johnson) in recorded incidents of police officers’ killings. With criminality becoming more rampant, police officers are tasked to be more aggressive in apprehension. The public in response is becoming more mistrustful. The situation is steadily becoming more serious. The need to address this problem is becoming more urgent. Steps have been taken by the United States Government to address this problem. The Clinton Administration made the boldest effort to address the situation by increasing the training budget of law enforcement in ethics and integrity. An additional US$20 million budget (Amnesty International) was allotted to programs that would better equip police officers when interacting with their public. Michael Quinn, a 23-year veteran of the Minneapolis Police Department was interviewed by Lydia Howell in 2004 about his then newly released book, â€Å"Walking with the Devil: What Bad Cops Don’t Want You To Know and What Good Cops Won’t Tell You†, Mr. Quinn acknowledged that development of communication skills is of key importance in law enforcement. He said that acquiring proper communication skills is as vital as learning how to handle guns. It should be an integral part of law enforcement training. Many agree that the relationship between communication and nonviolence is fundamental (Martin). Furthermore, development of communication skills must be regarded with importance more so in police academies and rookie training. Young police officers who are not properly equipped in communication are more likely to commit misjudgments in the field. A great number of documented cases on police brutality and the use of unnecessary force involve racial and ethnic minorities. It is easy to assume that in these instances there is a huge break in communication. The Clinton Administration further addressed the issue by encouraging law enforcement agencies to increase their number of minorities’ employment. However experience would attest that even among people of the same racial background, communication may prove difficult, particularly in highly stressful situations. Arrests, â€Å"stop and frisk† situations, and even just the flagging down of vehicles by police officers in many cases are viewed as stressful events by the public. During this situations control is always with the police officers. They have the ability to dictate ensuing events. Therefore they need to be fully prepared to handle any eventuality. Most times, force and violence are not the answers to these situations. Most times, the logical and rational exchange of information is enough to achieve resolution of the matter at hand.