Running head: POLICE SCIENCE

Police Science

Institution

Name

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Police Science

The police, being members of the executive vested with the responsibility and authority

to enforce the laws, take a major place in government. They enforce the laws in a society, which

is set democratically. Police leaders helped the media in their creation of the police as a popular

culture. The media was instrumental in popularizing the police services provided to the people.

Although some of the services may not be what the public prefers, police is a crucial component

of the society. In some instances, however, the police may infringe on the freedom of the public

(Lovell, 2003).

Police leaders made it possible for the media to access some of the information within the

police force. It allowed the media to air some of the basic information about the police service

such as the structure of the police, contact, mandate, responsibilities as well as their authority.

Therefore, media has been mandated to teach the public about the police service, hence making it

easier for the media to popularize the police services.

Police leaders have also made it possible for the media to access crime scene in various

instances. Although the media heavily depend on the police to get important information

especially those concerning crime, it is due to the efforts and support of the police leadership that

they get the access to the crime scenes. The media get to air out the information obtained from

the various scenes where the police operate and in so doing, they make the public aware of what

is happening and especially the duties that the police play in the society. The media enable the

public to appreciate the presence of the police within the society (Lovell, 2003).

Community policing is a popular culture that has been established in the society. The

culture has developed as a result of the continuous popularizing of the good work that the police

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does within the society. Police leaders help the media in making the public realize the

importance of interacting with the police and working together to achieve a common goal of

maintaining law and order and also enforcing the law, which is applicable to every citizen,

including the police. “It was not through interpersonal correspondence but through the use of

mass media that Hoover truly achieved his mastery over public opinion. Indeed, it was through

the mass media that he was able to repair the tarnished image of the federal government and

make the case for an expanded federal bureau of investigation” Lovell (2003).

The media make the police part of a popular culture by encouraging community policing

which entails the working together of the public with the police to ensure an harmonious

existence in the society. Popularizing community policing reduces the gap, which exist between

the police and the public. By helping the media in their creation of the police as part of popular

culture, the leaders help to bridge the distance that exist between police and the community. The

leaders achieve this through the use of mutual understanding and communication. Through

community policing, the police hold that they ought to consult with the public and take account

of the wishes of the citizens while evaluating and determining operational policing practices and

policy. It is also intended to facilitate the collaboration between the police and the public when

necessary while solving the problems locally. It’s a quest to establish close community

relationships. Police hence, become part of the popular culture as the public become part of the

entire system of policing of communications about security and risk in the late modern society

(Lovell, 2003).

However, police leaders hindered the media in some way in their move to make the

police a part of the popular culture. The police at times withhold some very important

information, which the public could be wishing to obtain. Such information is perceived by the

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police as confidential and important in their operations. The information is that which the police

deem it sensitive and should not reach the public as it could interfere with investigations. The

leaders of police would always not allow the media to access such information as it is taken as

confidential. In such situations, the public feel that their right to access information has been

infringed. They feel that the police are working against them and that the operations are intended

to oppress them. It hence became difficult and challenging for the media to make the police part

of the popular culture. There were resistances among the public as the media tried to explain and

demonstrate to the public the importance of the police. The police leaders on the other hand,

were so rigid in releasing such information to the public (Surette, 2011).

There were a lot of bureaucracies in reaching various levels within the police. Before any

information or article was obtained from the police, there were several stages, which required to

be followed. This, somehow, caused inefficiency and ineffectiveness as there were delays and

time consumption.

In some situations where conflict between the police leaders and the civilian crime

fighters, Police leaders did not like the civilian to be portrayed by the media to the public as of

much help to the society than them. “In the media, crime is fought by either criminal justice

professionals or private citizens. When civilian crime fighters are portrayed as the primary crime

fighters, the police and the criminal justice system are downplayed and often disparaged”

(Surette, 2011).

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References

Lovell, S. (2003). Good Cop/Bad Cop: Mass Media and the Cycle of Police Reform. Monsey:

Willow Tress Press, Inc.

Surette, R. (2011). Media, Crime, and Criminal Justice: Images, Realities, and Policies, 4th ed.

Florence, Wadsworth: Cengage Learning.