Police Roles: Media Perceptions and Treatment - Essay Example

Police Roles: Media Perceptions and Treatment Crime Fighter Role: Heavily Dramatized The crime fighter role seems to be the most popular in the media. In the entertainment media the crime fighter role is more exciting and more interesting than other police roles. Dirty Harry is hardly the social servant. The news media is similarly attracted to the crime fighter role. A shoot-out or a public car chase garner far more news time than crime prevention or order maintenance roles. That the crime fighter role is grossly exaggerated by the media is fairly evident. They report stories with these types of roles emphasized; more, their reporting time is longer, they use more adjectives to describe the role, and they often report such police roles as breaking events. In this first story, Police charge 5 for string of robberies, sex assaults on Washington's National Mall since May (2006), the crime fighter role is embellished immediately. The headline employ's colorful adjectives such as "string" and "sex". This headline is much stronger than stories involving the other police roles. The police in this case were reacting to a series of crimes against tourists. These crimes occurred over a period of five days and primarily involved the theft of cell phones, cash, and other valuables. There was one rape of a seventeen year old girl. The crime fighter role is depicted quite strongly. In the lead paragraph of the story, it is mentioned that "a citywide criminal emergency was declared" (2006). The U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Kenneth Wainstain is quoted as saying that the Washington Mall had become a "hunting grounds for victims" (2006). The media depiction of the crime fighter role is almost romanticized by the choice of language made to tell a simple news story. One might see the same type of language and imagery used in a crime fighter police movie or drama. In short, a careful analysis of this story demonstrates how a news story involving the crime fighter role is treated in very dramatic terms. Even the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia contributed colorful quotes. The police, in this case, seem almost excited by the crime fighting role, and by declaring a citywide crime emergency they sought to sooth what they perceived to be public expectations of fear. In the final analysis, however, the language and the actions seem a bit beyond reasonable. The depiction is greater than reality. There are, for instance, no "hunting grounds." Social Servant Role: A Breach of Trust A police officer is, to be sure, a member of the community in which he lives and works. He is vested with the same duties and the same obligations as any other member of the community. In addition, as a police officer he is also seen as the community's Good Samaritan. There is a distinct social servant role implied in the larger role of a police officer. He is more than a good neighbor. He is a good neighbor who can help give advice and help resolve problems and disputes. He can help people with drug abuse problems and make recommendations regarding social welfare. The social servant role is a vital one in terms of the police relationship with the community which it serves. In the second story, Officers suspended over video parody sue San Francisco (2006), there is a controversy over a breach of ethics by a group of police officers. This story is about the violation of the social servant role. More than two dozen police officers were suspended for making a "28-minute Christmas party video, which contained depictions of a white officer driving over a black homeless woman and a traffic cop pulling over a woman and ogling her" (2006). The police officers were suspended. They did not violate the criminal law; however they did damage their status as social servants. The story depicts these police officers as being members of their community, in this case San Francisco, and therefore subject to a certain ethical code of conduct. In justifying the suspension, the San Francisco Mayor, Gary Newsome, labeled their conduct "racist, sexist, and even homophobic" (2006). This story depicts police officers as social servants. The video parody was done on city time, and this was considered an affront to many people and groups. The police force was offended, the San Francisco government was very upset, and people in the community were disappointed. This disappointment was shared by both the police and the public. Police officers, in short, are expected to treat people neutrally, fairly, and with respect. This type of behavior, laughing at a black woman being crushed by a car, hardly meets public expectations of the social servant role of police. Order Maintainer Role: A Factual Account It is well known by police officers that a substantial amount of their work is concerned with maintaining order. This can be done in many ways. It may involve a simple police presence in certain neighborhoods. It may involve formal and informal relationships between a community and the police force. This police role is rarely portrayed prominently in the media. More, this order maintainer role is often described briefly and without much elaboration. It is, however, a vital and substantial police role. This story, Police boost security at Ind. state fair after spate of killings in Indianapolis (2006), is in sharp contrast to the crime fighter story. In this case, there have been thirteen killings compared to the single killing in the crime fighter story. Despite this, there is no mention of a "hunting ground" or a "citywide criminal emergency." The nature of the police role being addressed may provide an explanation. This story is about an order maintainer role. There have been no arrests and the story merely discusses that police are boosting their security presence at the Indianapolis State Fair. The language in the story is objective and neutral. "About 300 officers or security guards will be posted at the fair each day, including about 130 state troopers, 40 state conservation officers, and some 50 private security guards" (2006) the story reports. The order maintainer role is about making the community feel protected and safe. It is about a sense of security. The police are satisfying their order maintainer role by posting many police officers at the fair. The public expects this, and will presumably feel safer. This story is depicting the police role in a very realistic way. There are not many adjectives used to embellish the nature of the police work and role. Instead, the story relies heavily on factual information. It tells us how many officers will join the security team, how many people are expected to attend the Indianapolis State Fair, and what types of security shifts the police will be working. The killings are mentioned almost as an afterthought in the final paragraph of the story. This story, the depiction of it by the media, is in sharp contrast to the crime fighter story. The order maintainer story is reported factually and objectively. It is a realistic depiction of the police role whereas the crime fighter role story was filled with drama and colorful language. The police role does seem to affect the nature of the media coverage. Crime Preventer Role: A Guide The crime prevention role of police officers, though important, seems to be portrayed by the media only when a high-profile issue is involved. It is the nature of the criminal issue, for example terrorism or cocaine, which tends to compel the media to focus on the crime prevention role. There also seems to be a disproportionate emphasis on the criminal issue, terrorists or cocaine smugglers, rather than the particulars of the crime prevention role. In short, the crime prevention role of the police is often subordinated to the sexier criminal issue. In this way, it can be argued that the media doesn't do enough to portray the hard work and creative efforts that go into crime prevention. This story, Terrorist plot busted: 7 ways police can learn from the incident (2006), almost assumes the form of a scholarly journal article. It is dealing with a highly emotional issue, international terrorism, and yet the story proceeds in a very orderly and objective fashion. Seven tips or suggestions are set forth in order to help police officers fulfill their crime preventer roles. There is nothing too dramatic or overly-stated. Instead, police officers are advised to do such things as being aware of suspicious people and taking advantage of intelligence opportunities. None of this is unusual or extraordinary. This seems to be a fairly realistic portrayal of a police role. Conclusions The most imagery is associated with the news story involving the crime fighter role. Although its facts relate fewer killings than the order maintainer story, it employs such terms as "hunting grounds" and "citywide criminal emergency." The order maintainer story seems the most realistic depiction of a police role. This is because this story simply relates a plan, some factual information, and refers to the goals of the police effort. It would appear that the media do, in fact, depict police roles differently, depending on the particular police role being addressed. This is particularly true of the crime fighter role which seems to be unduly dramatize References Buhrmaster, S. (2006, August 11). "PoliceOne Exclusive: Terrorist plot busted: 7 ways police can learn from the incident." Retrieved August 14, 2006. http://www.policeone.com/terrorism/articles/509381/ Callahan, R. (2006, August 10). "Police boost security at Ind. state fair after spate of killings in Indianapolis." Retrieved August 14, 2006. http://www.policeone.com/investigations/articles/509241/ Dantzker, M. L. (2003). The Police Role in Our Society: Understanding Today's Police (Chapter 1). Prentice Hall, Inc. Leff, L. (2006, August 11) "Officers suspended over video parody sue San Francisco." Retrieved August 14, 2006. http://www.policeone.com/legal/articles/509376/ Manning, S. (2006, August 12). "Police charge 5 for string of robberies, sex assaults on Washington's National Mall since May." Retrieved August 14, 2006. http://www.policeone.com/investigations/articles/509401/ Read More