Respond to a classmate whose decisions are similar to your decisions. Discuss why you believe your decisions are similar. In your response, refer to the required readings and study materials for this module/week. You must include concepts from the Biblical Principles of Criminal Justice article to support your statements.
Though not explicitly stated, the take away from the Field Training Officer was that every situation is different and it is the role of the police officer to discern the facts and respond to them in a way that benefits society. The police cannot stop all criminal activity, yet they also cannot let evil run rampant. The Field Training Officer explained that police discretion is a balance of efficiency, safety, and justice. As an example, arresting all persons involved in criminal activity would be justice, however, it would not be efficient and just overburden the justice or safety. It is the police officer's role to be the "gate-keeper" in the criminal justice system by discerning whether an incident requires efficiency or justice or whether the offense endangers public safety.
"Properly understood, police professionalism implies that brutality and corruption are symptoms of incompetent policing" (Hendrix, 2013, pg. 193). The police involved in the Michelle Jordan case did not appear to practice any kind of professionalism, let alone police professionalism. Further researching this situation, I learned that the two officers were video recorded to "fist bump" after Jordan was finally placed in the patrol car. This was utter incompetence and complete disrespect for the authority entrusted to them as police officers. A more professional way to handle the situation would be to escalate force only as much and as long as required to deescalate the situation, if force is even required. Mrs Jordan was talking on her phone while driving. She was not selling methamphetamine to children. She was not robbing people at gun point. She was driving while talking on a phone, which is illegal in California, however, that offense does not warrant an arrest. By Mrs. Jordan's own confession, she did cuss and yell at the officers, but even that barely warrants an arrest, if at all. It definitely does not warrant two violent take-downs. After the above quote, Hendrix then explains, "While the right to use force is at the core of the police role, skill in policing is revealed by the ability to avoid its use" (Hendrix, 2013, pg. 193). The police officers involved in this incident took the verbal offenses by Mrs. Jordan personally and, it appears, wanted to punish her behavior. I think a prudent professional police officer would exercise discretion and would have wrote her a citation for her crime and let her go on her way. Instead, one of them was fired and the City of Los Angles gave Mrs Jones over half a million dollars.
I have been to over 20 countries and I have seen some form of police in all of them. Most countries police gain their authority from fear and intimidation. However, these police forces are often very corrupt. In America, we all have a say in any authority over us, and for that reason, all authorities need the support of the people. Police professionalism is what feeds community support, and community support is what gives police the authority and/or ability to work. This argument does not even touch the moral or Biblical obligations to take the high road, but only that an untrustworthy police force will be incapable of policing, serving, or protecting the people it is responsible to and for.