Policing and Inequality essay

Recent years have seen an upsurge in a negative perception of the police force as a racially biased entity. Through these observations, it has been seen that the victims of any form of brutality have been both the citizens as well as the police force. This is a situation encapsulated in inequality. Again, gender-wise, it has been noted that the institution has endured decades of masculinity. In itself, this phenomenon has led to the permeation of policies subsuming the interests of women in the force (Mooney et al. In this, it explores the diverse portfolio of affairs that eventually explain why social groups behave and react as they do. As scholars have noted, social inequality is a term used in reference to opportunities and reward systems being unequally distributed within a social unit.

Within the scope of policing, this is an element that is evident in the manner through which enforcement is carried out. Though there are procedures with regards to the assessment of threats, research work has shown that there are several occurrences of poor or hasty situational assessment. In this, both police officers and member of the community have faced the unfortunate through fatal shootings. This is in an observation made between 1981 and 2009. On the other hand, over this period, fifteen police officers were shot while on undercover duty or in plainclothes. Amongst these, 12 were White, 1 Hispanic, and 2 Black (Charbonneau et al. In this, the officers were carrying out team operations. As such, the racial distribution of the victims relates closely to that of distribution of race within the police force in the United States.

In 2014, the McClatchy-Marist Poll showed that about 76% of African Americans perceived a systemic problem within the American justice system. Following this statement, it emerges that, both within and without the force, a race is significant in personal identity. Psychological analysis conducted shows that officers involved in racially charged shootings based their decisions on stereotypes, implicit or automatic (Charbonneau et al. Policing and Gender In modern organizations, there are stipulations requiring gender equality. This is with respect to the decades-long campaign for women’s right to equal treatment with their male counterparts. Some of the officers engaged in public duty may be required to refrain from donning their police attire. In Concord, California, the policy states that three months into a pregnancy, all women officers ought not to operate in a uniformed capacity (Schulze, 2010: 180).

As such, this is a situation observed to exacerbate inequality within the police force. Policing and Inequality Policing is an essential function of the society. As per its foundation, it is a governmental function aimed at ensuring safe and secure living. From functionalist’s perspective, this is predictive (Mooney et al. As such, this perpetuates directed efforts at enforcement along the racial divide. In addition, the institutionalization of masculinity within the police force has significantly dictated the direction policymakers assume. In a 2007-2008 survey, it was observed that most police departments deal with pregnancies ad hoc (Schulze, 2010: 189). Through this, women with familial roles have a lesser likelihood for career advancement. As such, observations made indicate biased decision making. Again, inequality within the police force affects its female officers.