Preview

Color Of Law Research Paper

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
219 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Color Of Law Research Paper
A law enforcement officer acts under “color of law” even if he is exceeding his or her rightful power. Enforcement of these provisions does not require that any racial, religious, or other discriminatory motive existed. Color of Law abuses is investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) federal agency. This law is a failure for the reason that unethical police officers continue to violate the law, as if the Color of Law doesn’t exist. This law is indeed necessary however lacking strict consequences for police who abuse their powers.
Abuses under the Color of Law
Presently, several federal laws enacted to address police misconduct, protect citizens from unethical law enforcement practices, and enforce police misconduct. The

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Richard Banks wrote this law review which was published in 2001. Mr. Banks is a law professor at Stanford Law School and has published several articles on the subject of racial injustice. This article discusses how the use of race-based suspect descriptions disparately impacts innocent members of society that happen to share the same race as suspects. The author discusses how racial profiling has been condemned but law enforcement is using the practice of race-based suspect description without any scrutiny. This article specifically focuses on the impacts this practice is having on African Americans. Mr. Banks calls into question the colorblindness of the equal protection doctrine. He asserts that race-based suspect descriptions lead law enforcement…

    • 179 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    One of the main conflicts occurring in the United States today deals with police brutality and the relationship between police officers and their communities. Two Books Argue the Case for Police Reform From Within, an article in the New York Times, stated that approximately one-thousand people in America are killed annually at the expense of police officers. This number is shocking to many due to the fact that the amount of violent crime and deaths of on-duty police officers has decreased greatly and continues to do so. This article talks about how police enforcement abuses their powers and how they are thought to have too much power which leads to this abuse. It discusses cases that deal with the Fourth Amendment right of American Citizens and where police have used deadly force in instances that it was not necessary, leading to a movement known as Black Lives Matter.…

    • 572 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Law enforcement in the United States have three levels of law enforcement that are local, state, and federal who have tasks every day , but their functions are somewhat distinct. Their main purpose of their daily objective is to serve and protect all citizens from any harm, and they also enforce all laws to people violating them as well. Because each agency has their distinct aspects in their work, this paper will provide a detailed summary of the local, state, and federal law enforcement, and a summary of possible future changes in laws and the impact these changes will have on policing.…

    • 1102 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    When defining ethical behavior, often the relationship between police officers and minorities comes to mind. There have been many incidents that have led to minorities feeling there is a lack of ethics being upheld in the police department (Glover, 2007). Recently Michael Brown lost his life as well as Travon martin; in both cases, the people taking the lives of these young men were white males. No wrong doing has been found in…

    • 1727 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    No matter what the law or what the scenario every human citizen of the United States of America is entitled to their constitutional rights regardless of employments, social status, race/ethnicity, or religion. This is no different for any person in the law enforcement field or in the criminal justice field in general. The most important amendment to look at when talking about law enforcement, especially with the uprising use of body cameras, which will be discussed later in this document, is the first amendment which has aspects of it that allow for freedom of speech. Although police officers are scrutinized and put in the public eye so often it is important to understand that these officers are still humans and they are still citizens of The United States and thus are fully entitled to their rights. Although an acting police officer is held to different standards they are citizens and must be treated as such in the core sense according to the First Amendment of The Constitution. (Legal Information Institute. CRS Annotated Constitution: First…

    • 910 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Racial Profiling is a controversial law enforcement practice that brings about numerous complex ethical and policy considerations. As defined by report for the Department of Justice (Tamir 2009), racial profiling is “any police-initiated action that relies on the race, ethnicity, or national origin rather than the behavior of an individual or information that leads police to a particular individual who has been identified as being, or having been, engaged in criminal activity.” Generally, the use of race in conjunction with other evidence has been a common method of investigation for law enforcement officials. However, the use of race in targeting potential suspects has been the center of a complex legal and ethical debate. Specifically, the debate surrounding racial profiling offers the issue of the proper use of race in targeting a suspect in a criminal investigation. Though the use of race can be important in investigative and law enforcement tactics, the practice of racial profiling leads to the potential of abusive actions by law enforcement in the pursuit of apprehending criminal suspects.…

    • 1414 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    With times changing and individuals obtaining more powerful mobile, almost every move a person makes can be recorded or looked back on in some sort of way. With this great power, comes great scrutiny for not only everyday individuals, but for the individuals that protect us day in and day out. Law enforcement has suffered more scrutiny, and has obtained a substantial amount of media coverage over the past few years. This coverage has not been positive, and often highlights the mistakes, and aggressive actions taken by the officers of the law. With the framing of police officers changing from being outstanding citizens who uphold the law, to vicious animals who abuse their power, one begins to question the reasoning for all the brutality.…

    • 1999 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the United States of America racial discrimination still exists to this day. Minorities in our country are not seen as equal people. When a person is deprived of their human rights it makes them feel degraded and troubled. In order to become a more civilized country, we must forget the color of our own skin and live with each other as one. In the article “Why Racial Profiling is a Bad Idea” by Tom Head, discusses the way cops pay more attention to those of minority races and how they usually find them guilty of crimes they didn’t commit. Even though many officers will deny their participation in this type of profiling, a lot use this tactic to pull over and arrest Minority races. The article “Racial Profiling Lives On” by Devon Carbado, Cheryl Harris and Kimberle Crenshaw, also displays examples of how racial profiling continues to this day. There are many ways cops can search/arrest African Americans or other Minorities for no reason and still keep from breaking the Fourth Amendment and the authors of “Racial Profiling Lives On” supports there claims with emotional examples that appeal to a pathological type of audience.…

    • 1254 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    stop and frisk policy

    • 761 Words
    • 4 Pages

    1. BIAS IN POLICE STOPS? In the late 1990s, popular, legal, and political concerns were raised across the United States about police harassment of minority groups in their everyday encounters with law enforcement. These concerns focused on the extent to which police were stopping people on the highways for “driving while black” (seeWeitzer 2000; Harris 2002; Lundman and Kaufman 2003). Additional concerns were raised about racial bias in pedestrian stops of citizens by police predicated on “zero-tolerance” policies to control quality-of-life crimes and policing strategies concentrated in minority communities that targeted illegal gun possession and drug trafficking (see Fagan, Zimring, and Kim 1998; Greene 1999; Skolnick and Caplovitz 2001; Fagan and Davies 2000, 2003; Fagan 2002; Gould and Mastrofski 2004).…

    • 761 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The United States Department of Justice requires that “…federal law enforcement personnel must use every legitimate tool to prevent future attacks, protect our Nation’s borders, and deter those who would cause devastating harm to our nation and its people…” (“Should Racial”). One of these tools in police work includes racial profiling, which helps to protect and prevent crime in our nation. It is logical to agree that “If an officer sees someone acting in a manner that suggests a crime is afoot; he or she has an obligation to stop and question that person” (Bloomberg). Preventing crime is a police officer’s job, which is why the nation uses this strategy. They are here to keep the nation’s citizens safe. “Without the use of profiling and FBI informants, they would have never succeeded” (“Should Racial”) in their attack on the United States. Racial profiling by law enforcement is strictly for the benefit of society so that they can effectively protect and provide security. The nation’s citizens need to understand that without measures like racial profiling, people are not going to be…

    • 1072 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In any field where your job is to provide a service to the public, it is important to have a basic understanding of the people you serve. The same is true for those who work in law enforcement, but because of the nature of their duties, it is an issue for serious concern. The multicultural shift in America means that there is more representation of various minority groups, all of whom have differing historic relations with those in law enforcement, and often times an unfavorable one. Whether these groups are newly represented in American society or have been part of the society for generations, most often there is a history of unfair or unequal treatment under the law that is difficult for parties on both sides of the issue to overcome. This lies at the core of the problems with police-community relations (PCR). In order to serve the public to the best of their abilities, those who 've taken the oath to do so need involvement from the community they represent, a community that seems to be ever…

    • 961 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The judging of an individual’s character by their race did not become relevant because of the Rodney King beating, the attacks on the World Trade Center, or the illegal aliens crossing the Mexican border. Racial Discrimination has been a reoccurring issue for centuries. Throughout time, these judgments and discriminations have led to unwarranted searches, racial riots and unjust prosecutions. Racial Profiling not only adds to this overwhelming issue but is upheld by the U.S. government and prominent leaders. Racial profiling has caused divisions between black men and the police, negative effects on immigration and race relations, and false imprisonment, further proving that racial profiling is not defensible public policy.…

    • 1356 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    The relationship of police officers and different races in the community have caused a breakdown of abuse against their bodies and their human rights. In addition it is equally important for police officers to know the rights of people and not violate them by making unreasonable…

    • 2028 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Racial profiling and law enforcement subculture have always been issues within the community. “Racial profiling refers to “any action that results in the heightened racial scrutiny of minorities—justified or not” (Russell-Brown, 2004, pp. 98–99). This definition recognizes racial discrimination by store clerks, governmental officials, and police.” (Gabbidon, Greene 2013) Law enforcement subculture refers to specific beliefs, behaviors, and attitudes in which police officers tend to follow or show. This refers to acts of violence, biased assumptions or conclusions, or acting in an unprofessional manner.…

    • 543 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Police Brutality

    • 1572 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Throughout history, efforts to police society have been flawed by brutality in one way or another. Police Brutality exists in many countries and is only one of several forms of police misconduct. Abuse by law enforcement officers in the United States is one of the most serious human rights violations in the country. Police officers have engaged in unjustified shootings, severe beatings, fatal chokings, and unnecessarily rough treatment. The history of police brutality is cyclical, going through phases of violence, corruption, and reform.…

    • 1572 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays