POLITICS AND THE POLICE
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Politicization of the Police

If a police agency operates within a corrupt political system, it is almost impossible to eliminate the corruption within the police agency. It has been recognized that since police departments are the enforcement arm of government, the relationship between the police department and the supervising executive branch of government must maintain a balance of political responsibility and operational independence. As a result, police reform has focused on eliminating, or at least minimizing the influence that politicians have over police agencies. However, the fragmented or decentralized model of policing in the United States emphasizes local concerns and local control of the police. While the reform era of policing replaced the political patronage system with the civil service and merit systems, the decentralized nature of policing does not allow for complete elimination of political influence over the police. Furthermore, crime fighting and the current community policing model have been popular exploits by politicians.

Politics — both informal (community groups, ethnic minorities, and special interests of the community) and formal (elected public officials and representatives of political groups)—continues to pressure police chiefs and managers to answer to the community. Police leadership has fought to maintain independence of action from politics based on the premise that politicians and community groups do not understand the responsibilities of good practical policing. On the other hand, mayors(Town Supervisors) are given the right and responsibility of hiring, firing, and supervising police chiefs. To protect police chiefs from political interference, many states have legislated civil service protection for police chiefs, while simultaneously requiring that police chiefs be held accountable for the actions of their departments by developing service contracts (usually a specific term of appointment) rather than by legislating tenure. Other large cities have established a director of public safety position, which is accountable to the mayor, to manage the police department rather than a police chief.


Police Involvement in Politics

Along with being highly influenced by politics, police have become successful participants in politics, influencing local elections and policy. Police have been influential in legislation on pay increase and benefits, as well as the death penalty and gambling laws. An increasingly popular method of police political involvement has been through the use of political action committees (PACs). PACs have mustered support for political candidates through financial contributions to campaigns. It is believed that in certain large cities, such as New York City, a candidate running for mayor does not go far without the support of the New York Police Department. However, the concerns social scientists have posed regarding the involvement of police in politics is that the police have access to information that ordinary citizens and politicians do not have and that the police may discriminate in their enforcement of the law in their political battles.


Conclusion

The issue of politics and the police speaks to the integrity and legitimacy of the police as a law enforcement institution in society. The police institution possesses symbolic power that is taken for granted in a democratic society. This symbolic power gives the police institution a legitimacy that is often unquestioned. Furthermore, when there is a decrease of public trust and confidence in the police, during most eras in the history of the police in the United States this trust and confidence has remained relatively high. However, this symbolic power is not guaranteed to last when politics become too pronounced in the operations of the police organization. The police are required to appease the needs of the community while they engage in the powers legislated to them. In the wake of past political corruption, to ensure the civil rights of citizens and democratic government, police powers have been limited. The judiciary is the constitutional guardian and is often deferred to in order to provide guidance and direction when police action is questioned. The civilian review boards and the courts will continue to act as a venue for debating and establishing standards of police conduct and accountability. Interested parties on both sides of the argument will continue the debate on politics and the police.