American policing has long been guilty of the unjust use of lethal and excessive force, yet this guilt has remained underrepresented in the criminal legal system. Despite several highly publicized wrongful on-duty shootings, and the public uproar in its wake, little has been done to bring justice to the families of these victims and even less has been done to bring down consequences on the officers who took their lives. Police officers are protected by a number of special privileges that shield them from accountability both in and out of the courtroom. Before an officer can even begin the trial process, they are protected by their fellow officers and prosecutors, who are culturally taught to ignore, and sometimes conceal, any misconduct that has occurred. They are similarly protected from the courtroom through legally recognized methods such as the Law Enforcement Officer's Bill of Rights and qualified immunity, which make it extremely difficult for citizens to take officers to court. Even if a police officer were to be formally charged with a crime, there are yet another series of protections that spare them from the repercussions of their actions. Legal provisions related to malice, good faith, self-defense and reasonableness standards allow police officers to reframe a case around their own personal thoughts and feelings rather than the harm imposed on the individual. This, paired with society's default perception of police officers as heroes and saviors, makes it significantly challenging to hold law enforcement accountable for the crimes they commit. In order to reform policing, we need to utilize consent decrees, restructure civilian pay-outs, reallocate money towards public safety alternatives, and create national standards regarding police training, certification and behavior. By doing so, we will not only lower the rates of police misconduct, but rewrite the culture of policing and reframe its role in society.
"},{"label":"Degree","value":["Bachelor of Arts with Departmental Honors"]},{"label":"Author-supplied Keywords","value":["Police accountability","Police reform","Police misconduct"]},{"label":"Administrative Note","value":"Drupal Node ID: 23717