Paramilitarism Within Police Organizations and Term Paper

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Finally, the use of military authority and dress, and the adherence to a set of rules that is not observed by the public the police serves can contribute to an 'us vs. them' mentality that is not conducive to creating positive relations between the police and community the police are supposed to serve. (O'Connor, 2004) final contributor to a hostile police and community relations is the development, as a result of this paramilitary emphasis on 'us' (the police) versus 'them' (the civilians who presumably do not understand the dangers and stresses of policing), of what Jerome Skolnick called "the policeman's working personality." A sense of constant professional danger reinforced by one's fellow officers and through the paramilitary, formalized training all policeman face. The policeman becomes a continually suspicious person, constantly aware that persons he or she deals with outside of the ranks of his or her fellow officers may break the law. ("Historical Context within Jerome Skolnick," 2006, Crime Theory) The sense of brotherhood fostered within the organization has also given rise to a "blue wall of silence," whereby policemen are unwilling to inform upon fellow officers, even if those officers are engaged in official misconduct. Transgressions are seen as a result of the stresses of combat (policing) and as necessary, exceptional behavior even if it is in violation of civilian rights to administer justice in a lawless, almost warlike society.

The problem with adapting a military model for policing is that "the mindset of the soldier is simply not appropriate for the civilian police officer.

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" (Weber, 1999, p.1) Police officers are supposed to protect the community, as well as punish offenders, and rather than combatants, the police more often than not confront individuals who are protected by the Bill of Rights, not hostile enemies in the field of battle. Diana Celia Weber writes that unnecessary shootings and violations of civilian rights are a direct result of such an attitude. The job of a police officer is to keep the peace, not to win a war by any means necessary. The police must enforce community standards rather than feel a license to transgress them, unlike a solider that is primarily an instrument of war. (Weber, 1999, pp.2-3) Focusing on the problems affecting a community, whether these problems relate to drug-dealing or simply violent crime, rather than a focus upon catching, or worse yet, destroying the 'enemy' invaders should be the primary goal of policing, not adopting a hostile, win-at-all costs military mindset. Unfortunately, to see this attitudinal shift, the police departments of the nation as they currently stand may have to undergo a radical restructuring so that they become more communicative organizations, and so that the training of officers in the field does not perpetuate a hostile relationship between the police and the public the police officers are supposed to serve.

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