COM-FPX 3700_GrayCourtneyAssessment3
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FPX-3700
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Feb 20, 2024
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Conflict and Power
Courtney Gray
Capella University COM-FPX3700 & Assessment 3
Professor Holly Teuber
January 15, 2024
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Conflict and Power
There are disagreements between law enforcement and the community they serve for a number of reasons. The following elements—miscommunication, riots, killings, politics, and racism—might be known to you. When law enforcement personnel use excessive force on members of the community, issues may arise. One thing you might not have thought about is the influence of geological regions on police responses to law enforcement and vice versa. In Nigeria, for example, there is a population that is rural; they primarily make their living from farming, hunting, and the cultivation of illegal forest crops. These people are resistant to being arrested because of their lifestyle (Atuo and others, 2020).
When approached by the police, members of the public fabricate evidence, and in the age
of social media, people are increasingly hostile to the police. The violence they depict and recent incidents and crimes. There will be more strife and violence between the two parties if the populace is already hostile to the police, resists arrest, or does not cooperate with them. They might be more open to cooperating with you on your case if you work with the police.
Law enforcement and the judicial system are two examples of different institutions with power over specific decisions. Although law enforcement exists to safeguard and assist the people in their community or state, regrettably, there have been fatalities because of decisions made by law enforcement that spark hostilities.
Power can have a significant impact on conflicts between the community and law enforcement. Law enforcement uses its authority to uphold social order, sometimes even resorting to violence. When law enforcement officers enter someone’s property—a car, house, place of business—without their consent and using force, the other person, the citizen, gets agitated and initiates a conflict.
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Additionally, when a person is pulled over by the police for a moving violation while intoxicated, they have the authority to make an arrest. The community is agitated when police question suspects without their consent and conduct interrogations. There will then be a conflict between the police and the community they are defending because of the citizens' desire to protest and seeing this as a violation of their rights. When it comes to law enforcement, a lot of factors contribute to conflict, but the main one that causes it is community mistrust. It is a problem if individuals are reluctant to contract law enforcement for a disagreement or other serious matter because of the relationship that exists
between that community and the police. It is possible for a single, isolated incident to dissuade community members rather than an entire police force. The former mayor of New York City instituted the stop and frisk policy, which allows police to violate the rights of young men living in primarily urban areas by pulling them over without a warrant or any good reason at all. Despite the program’s goal of lowering the crime rate, the law in question caused a great deal of unrest among the local population by openly discriminating against young men, which in turn made them feel even more alienated. While I have not personally experienced conflict, I have seen instances of it both in person and on social media where someone’s rights were being violated. Given the circumstances, mistrust, and negative experiences, whether they occur to them directly or to someone they know, are the primary causes of conflict between citizens and law enforcement.
People have the impression that when law enforcement pulls you over, or you call them, they will be rude or difficult to deal with. There is a fine line between contacting law enforcement, when necessary, in an emergency and passing them on the road in the hopes of avoiding a traffic stop. You are picturing the worst because you have no idea what might occur
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or what an officer’s thoughts might be. Law enforcement is always on guard because they do not know what they are going to walk into. The community wants to know how an officer who has been trained for this kind of work can allow fear to lead them to make a snap decision, even though there are regrettable instances in which an officer claims they had to shoot and kill someone out of fear for their lives. It turns people against those who should be helping them when you hear about unarmed men being shot down all the time. One of the most common methods used against individuals when they interact with law enforcement is intimidation. When
it comes to police officers getting what they want or getting away with acting unprofessionally, it
is because some people are unaware of their rights or the laws. The theory of relational power begins with the assertion that one party has more power than the other, so how does this relate to the relationship between law enforcement and the community? Law enforcement is powerful, but in the end, people misinterpret one another. The theory of relational identity (RIT) offers a methodical way to comprehend the identity-based and emotional aspects of conflict. According to this theory, the conflict between us and them is removed, and instead, we have more dynamic interpersonal relationships. A relationship can be closed, open, distant, or troubled, according to Shapiro (2010). When considering relational theory, it is more crucial to remember that both parties are approaching and interpreting one another in relation to one another. Academics have noted that individuals with autonomy and affiliation are central to relational theory. Autonomy is the freedom that is enjoyed by both parties, such as the right to feel and think as they please. The term “affiliation” describes how close or distant, positive, or negative, the relationship is. Although the community and the police have different goals, they both have feelings and a plan to get there. When it comes to safeguarding the sentiments and emotions of the public,
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police are there to protect the town they live in and ensure that everyone abides by the laws that are in place. Law enforcement must keep in mind why they entered the field when they witness people at their worst over time. They could attempt to adhere to the relational theory; they can still feel a connection, but since they are going through challenging circumstances, it might not be beneficial. The public should try to imagine themselves in the position of law enforcement. They must realize that working as a police officer is challenging and fraught with difficulties.
As in any relationship, communication is essential. Communication and conflict resolution strategies will help the police department and the community work together. In the community, large gatherings can also be beneficial when interacting with law enforcement.
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References
Atuo, F. A., Fu, J., Timothy John O'Connell, Agida, J. A., & Agaldo, J. A. (2020). Coupling law enforcement and community-based regulations in support of compliance with biodiversity conservation regulations. Environmental Conservation,47(2), 104-
112.http://dx.doi.org.library.capella.edu/10.1017/S0376892920000107
Shapiro, D. L. (2010). Relational identity theory: A systematic approach for transforming the emotional dimension of conflict. American Psychologist
, 65
(7), 634–645. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0020004
Wilfred Lauriel University. (2016). The Importance of Communication Skills for Police Officers.
Para 3. Retrieved from: http://online.wlu.ca/news/2016//08/16/why-earn-ba-policing.
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