American Police: Race - Essay Example

Friendships between fellow police officers of the same race start in the police academy and continue during work. Both Black and White officers believe that administrative and departmental discipline processes are biased against their respective races and that members of their race are disproportionately punished by the system. Black officers perceive their White counterparts as racist, while the White officers accuse their Black counterparts of reverse racism. Winerip (2000) also emphasizes the role of race in police departments. In his article, the race is not limited to Black and White but extends to Hispanics, Puerto Ricans, and Dominicans. However, a smart officer knows how to use race to catch criminals. 

Views also vary about the high-crime areas in Black neighborhoods or "ghettos", suggests Moskos. While many Whites perceive a ghetto as a miasma where everyone is bad, Blacks believe that there are many decent people in those areas and that ghetto is an attitude. White officers were also unsympathetic to high-crime areas in White neighborhoods. Winerip brings to light a common police opinion: a group of nonwhites, Black, Puerto Rican, or Dominicans, in a street corner, is likely to be involved in drugs.

When it comes to shootings, all police officers fear shooting at unarmed nonwhites, suspects or not, says Winerip. Winerip also mentions another fear among black officers: the fear of being shot at by their white counterparts during undercover operations.