Despite multiple intentions to reduce the impact of racial biases and discrimination in law enforcement agencies, some races still experience unfair treatments and prejudiced behaviors. After reading the letter to the US Department of Justice and Civil Rights Division, in particular, the findings from the investigation of the Maricopa County (AZ) Sheriff’s Office are defined as compelling and credible sources of information. There are several reasons to approve the chosen positions.
Firstly, the author used statistical data to demonstrate how biased traffic stop activities are. For example, Latino drivers are usually four to nine times more likely to be stopped compared to the drivers with other colors of their skin (“United States’ investigation of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office,” 2011). Secondly, documentary evidence was used to prove that Latino inmates are not always able to understand their rights and duties because all the documents are written in English only. No translations and interpreters are offered to Latino citizens during their communication with the police.
Communication with direct participants who witnessed unfair treatments served as another portion of evidence to prove how compelling the allegations of misconduct were. Disproportionate use of force in regards to black people and Latinos was thoroughly discussed by Novich and Hunt (2017) and proved to be the main source of such negative results as fear and police distrust. In the letter, factual findings included not only discriminatory police practices and limited language access but also the comparison and analysis of the correctional standards and procedures and retaliatory actions.
Therefore, the problem of discrimination in police remains an open topic for discussion. The following question may be used to continue this dispute: “Why do modern police departments fail to create multilingual policies for inmates regarding the already developed globalization and migration outcomes?”
References
Novich, M., & Hunt, G. (2017). “Get off me”: Perceptions of disrespectful police behaviour among ethnic minority youth gang members. Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy, 24(3), 248-255.
United States’ investigation of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. (2011). Web.