POLS 4900 Lecture 2: 2
5 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Throughout the course of American history, local government has delegated law
enforcement to accomplish tasks outside of their traditional role as it relates to public safety and
the 7well being of the general populace. From the early 1800’s modern policing has acquired
major roles ranging from patrol, call response, security, maintaining order, and to serve local
communities. In recent times, especially since the new millennium and the emerging and
constant threat of terrorism, police work has become extensive to include homeland security
issues as well. The practical effects of the new roles in policing, however, come after a legacy of
perceived and actual racial sensitivity, especially in the perception of minorities. A legacy of
racial tension, peaking between in the 1960’s and 1990’s has made minorities, especially
Hispanic, and African Americans wary of the police and has caused a long-lasting strain on
police relations in principalities and localities where these minorities make up a sizeable portion
of the population. Traditionally, police presence in communities with a high minority population
has been negative and many minorities have formed an explicit fear of the police with the fear
that they will be unfairly targeted for criminal or suspicious activity because of the color of their
skin. While the mission of the police has been to keep peace and order, newer laws, especially
the recent legislation passed in several states allowing police to target those suspected of being
illegal immigrants, has permeated the already long-time perception that police are unfriendly,
suspicious and out to unjustly target these minorities.
Within the past ten years, states such as: Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Alabama, South Carolina and
Utah have adopted new state laws that will discourage and deter immigrants from entering the
United States illegally and have given law enforcement the jurisdiction to stop persons they
suspect to be illegal with an eventual end in deportation if the person is found to indeed be an
illegal alien. These same laws bar illegal immigrants from applying for food stamps or public
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Throughout the course of american history, local government has delegated law enforcement to accomplish tasks outside of their traditional role as it relates to public safety and the 7well being of the general populace. From the early 1800"s modern policing has acquired major roles ranging from patrol, call response, security, maintaining order, and to serve local communities. In recent times, especially since the new millennium and the emerging and constant threat of terrorism, police work has become extensive to include homeland security issues as well. The practical effects of the new roles in policing, however, come after a legacy of perceived and actual racial sensitivity, especially in the perception of minorities. A legacy of racial tension, peaking between in the 1960"s and 1990"s has made minorities, especially. Hispanic, and african americans wary of the police and has caused a long-lasting strain on police relations in principalities and localities where these minorities make up a sizeable portion of the population.
