American society has moved from a relatively simple rural life with homogenous and fixed values (over 95% identified as Christians in the 1950s vs. 75% today) to a highly involved, complex urban communities where a sense of common identification or values is difficult to find yet all groups wish to be counted and are increasingly vocal in this “Information Age.” Police decision-making used to be far less complicated by these issues, when commonly held Christian values were the standard and norm. With increasing fragmentation in community values, police are often left with the paradox of being “darned if they do, and darned if they don’t.”
Write an essay of 1,000-1,250 words highlighting the changing role of the police in the U.S. Include the following:
1. Explain what kind of approach the “distinctiveness theory” is, and how the growing U.S. immigrant population has complicated the roles of local police officers.
2.Find an example from the news that highlights a conflict of police roles and the public’s expectations; summarize the content.
3. Is it reasonable to expect local police to accommodate all cultural diversities? Explain.
4. Finally, how can officers be culturally sensitive but also on alert for potential homeland security issues in our post-9-11 era of law enforcement?
