Our team of sheriffs and police chiefs is against any form of bias-based policing. The success of our criminal justice system depends on the ethical conduct and responsiveness of every police officer. We have encountered numerous concerns and issues associated with bias-based policing. Past studies have assessed the implications of bias-based policing in various societies. Over “21 percent of citizens believe that our police departments support bias-based policing” (Ioimo et al., 2013, p. 28). Most of these malpractices are usually unreported. Such behaviours range from coercion, rudeness, and racial bias. Bias-based policing occurs in many traffic stops across the country.
Such malpractices and misbehaviors are common in different departments. The criminal justice system “also incorporates unfair judgments based on sexual orientation, religion, gender, sex, economic status, race, and ethnicity” (Ioimo et al., 2013, p. 29). Racial profiling remains a major challenge in this country. Our police officers rely on racial profiling whenever executing their duties. This practice explains why bias-based policing remains a major challenge in this country. A “police officer might decide to stop an African American citizen in an all-White society” (Ioimo et al., 2013, p. 32). This practice is a good example of bias-based policing or racial profiling. Such malpractices explain why racial profiling is one of the major challenges affecting many police departments in this country.
Our team has encountered numerous public concerns from Civil Rights Organizations (CROs). These groups have accused our police departments for using unfair policing practices. Some of the major accusations include disproportionate arrests and minority traffic stops (Ioimo et al., 2013). Some groups have also accused us for coerced or illegal searches. Some aggressive policing practices and tactics are also common in different states across the country. Such policing strategies “are motivated by ethnic or racial bias” (Ioimo et al., 2013, p. 28).
The above issues and practices of bias-based policing will definitely affect the nature of police work. The public will be dissatisfied with our police departments. The malpractice might result in discrimination in every society. Discrimination has always been a major challenge affecting our country. Our duty is to ensure every police officer is responsible. The approach will reduce the level of bias-based policing in this country. Every citizen will also lose his or her trust with our police departments. Bias-based policing discourages individuals from reporting different criminal practices or insecurity concerns (Ioimo et al., 2013). This situation explains why the level of crime has increased in many states across the nation.
The police will not address the issues affecting the society in a proper manner. Our police departments will not get the required support from its surrounding community. Many police departments will encounter numerous concerns and pressures from local civil rights and human-interest organizations (Ioimo et al., 2013). The wider community will also be against our police departments. These malpractices can result in cultural conflicts in different communities. These communities will not communicate with their respective police departments.
The above situation explains why many African Americans in this country have lost their trust with our country’s criminal justice system. The rate of bias-based policing in this country has resulted in this situation. The above malpractices can make our police departments less effective. The levels of discrimination and crime might rise in our societies. We should consider “the best legal frameworks and codes of conduct in order to deal with the above challenge” (Ioimo et al., 2013, p. 24). Such measures will ensure our police officers engage in good policing activities. The practice will reduce discrimination and enmity in our societies.
Reference List
Ioimo, R., Pelfrey, T., Kaur, P., Chon, D., Smith, F., Younker, B., & Zanglin, L. (2013). Bias-Based Policing: Voices Scott Within. Global Journal of Human Social Science Economics, 13(4), 26-36. Web.