CCJS Question Police officers and law enforcement profession

CCJS Question

Police officers and law enforcement professionals are afforded the ability to exercise significant discretion when performing their day to day duties. Unfortunately, misuse of discretion can lead to abuses. One type of discretionary abuse involves excessive use of force.

What steps can law enforcement organizations take to reduce the incidence of excessive force?

Solution

The Community Relations Service (CRS) is a U.S Department of Justice Agency and is formed in 1964 by Civil Rights act and its main work is to solve the issues arising due to police using excessive force. Communities are getting disturbed because of excessive force used by the police and this is spoiling the healthy relationship between police and communities.

To avoid this situation, provide the legitimate and sound civilian complaint process, so the whenever someone can complain about police misusing the force, the accusations can be death in a fair manner so that these type of incidents will not be repeated again.

For each police, the use of force care should be comprehensively reviewed and investigated as per the law and departmental policy, if the accusation has proved, try to take appropriate action.

If police officer is committing fatality by using excessive force, try to investigate the case in two directions, like as per the departmental policies, did he use excessive force, in another way is his offence is a criminal offense.

More importantly educate the public of their rights, so that at any condition, they should not tolerate any abuse or misuse of their right by any police.