Law Enforcement Scandal Paper

Introduction

Law enforcement scandals have caused a lot of fear and shock to the public conscience hence diminishing the public confidence in those who look for protection. Furthermore, it has produced a lot of public outcries. In most places experiencing law enforcement scandals, law enforcers have failed to accept and perform their responsibilities due to the lack of management ability, failure to safeguard the interest of the public, and failure to control personnel. Generally, poor leadership in law enforcement has led to a lot of failures and incompetence that lead to the rise of many scandals. With the rise in the rate of law enforcement scandals, this law enforcement scandal paper provides an analysis of the law enforcement scandals.

Main body

Summary of the law enforcement scandal

The scandals in law enforcement have led to the rise in the number of police officers such as law enforcers such as police officers who are involved in illegal acts such as corruption. Factually, corruption is the root cause of all the illegal acts and law enforcement scandals. For instance, one of the worst police corruption scandal in the world involved a police officer called Eric Snell (LUCY, 2018). The court found Snell guilty of selling drugs with other corrupt law enforcers of the Baltimore police task force. According to the prosecutor, Snell abused his power by engaging in drug trafficking by facilitating the distribution of illegal drugs in the streets of Philadelphia.

Main players

The main players in the drug trafficking scandal in Philadelphia are Erick Snell, the Baltimore police force, and the community. Erick Snell is the main player in the scandal since he is the main facilitator and coordinator of the drug trafficking processes and activities. The court found him guilty and prosecuted him since he was the main player behind the scandal. The Baltimore police force is another player since each police department has the responsibility to ensure that all their workers work legally as expected of the law. Lastly, the Philadelphia community is another player since it provides the market for illegal drugs.

Effects of the scandal

One of how scandals such as the one under discussion affect the relationship between the law enforcers and the community is that it leads to the loss of trust in the law enforcement agency by the community. The community expects law enforcers to protect them from such illegal acts such as drug trafficking but if the public realizes that police uphold such activities, they lose trust in law enforcement agencies hence affecting the relationship between law enforcers and the public. Another way is that it undermines the law enforcers’ ability to collaborate with the public through public engagement and participation. Thus, it undermines the effectiveness and efficiency of the activities carried out by the law enforcers in the community.

The contribution of police discretion

Police discretion gives the police the ability and power to make certain decisions that impact the people they are policing (Tyler, 2016). With this power and ability, Erick Snell was able to successfully distribute the drugs around Philadephia since he cannot be questioned on where to travel or what to do around Philadephia. Additionally, he was able to effectively coordinate the process since he is a police officer hence proving how police discretion can lead to illegal acts by the police.

Changes

First, Snell was prosecuted in court and lost his jobs. A reshuffle of the Baltimore police department was conducted through transfers. Lastly, the rules and regulations regarding law enforcement scandals were strengthened after the scandal to prevent further occurrence.

Conclusion

In conclusion, all law enforcers are expected to perform their duties legally and lawfully. Finally, all law enforcers should be trained and educated on the negative impacts associated with scandals such as corruption and drug trafficking.

References

LUCY PAPACHRISTOU. US: Ex-cop Pleads Guilty in Police Corruption Scandal [online]. 2018. Retrieved from: https://www.occrp.org/en/daily/8847-us-ex-cop-pleads-guilty-in-police-corruption-scandal

Tyler, T. (2016). Police discretion in the 21st-century surveillance state. U. Chi. Legal F., 579.