TERRORISM AND POLICE

Terrorism and Police

Terrorism and Police

Q1: How has Terrorism impacted the Police mission in the U.S?

What Disagreements exist regarding the appropriate Law Enforcement Behavior which fights Terrorism but maintains personal Liberties?

Ans: From the perspective of law enforcement in the United States, little embodies public fears of the erosion of civil rights and liberties more than the enactment of the USA PATRIOT Act on October 26, 2001. The Act passed with nearly unanimous bipartisan support in the days following the terrorist attacks and sought to enhance law enforcement's ability to investigate terrorist activity by allowing surveillance against the full range of terrorist-related crimes, from financing to the use of weapons of mass destruction. Other provisions allowed for the use of “roving wiretaps” and an ability to obtain a search warrant anywhere a terrorist activity occurred rather than having to obtain multiple warrants in multiple jurisdictions (Roleff, 2006). The Act also increased penalties for the harboring of terrorists and/or involvement in terrorist activities both within the United States and abroad.

Q2: What role does social stigma plays in Police Ethics? Give specific examples from your reading or Your Experiences where Social Stigma played a Role in either furthering Police Corruption or reducing it.

Ans: Police corruption is to a significant extent a product of other forces in society. Factors generating police corruption include economic conditions, politicians' control of the police, corrupt social systems, the proliferation of organized crime syndicates, the drug war, greed, power, and differential association.

In capitalist societies, where the accumulation of wealth is most people's ultimate goal, the police are employed by society to maintain civil order. But when an economic boom enriches many and leads to very obvious income inequalities, some police officers will use corruption as a means to increase their own wealth (Palmiotto, 2008). For example, when police salaries are stagnant for decades in the wave of an economic boom—as in Nigeria, Zaire, and some other developing countries—some police officers will try alternative means, however illegal, to make ends meet.

The police in some nations and communities are the pawns of the politicians who may manipulate them. The police operate under the orders of the head of state, the governor, or the mayor, and they comply with those authorities' wishes—including those regarding their illegal activities. Some states and cities in the United States have had such politicians.

Where corruption is rampant, as in a predatory state, the police are drawn into corrupt activities. In such a system, the ruling class, the civil service, and the business sector engage in all kinds of criminal activities. The ruling class uses the police to accomplish their criminal operations, so police officers have no reason to arrest and prosecute petty criminals, and they are more inclined to take bribes from poor offenders and release them .

The result is a socially disorganized society. When organized crime syndicates make campaign contributions directly to a political candidate, they corrupt the political process. When organized crime syndicates bribe the chief of police and his subordinates, they corrupt the ...