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i. Theory of Broken windows and Packer’s two models.

The broken windows theory is about signs of disorder, check and balance, and chaos. It explains

how these signs lead the public towards panic, and how these signs of broken law and order

create an atmosphere of fear and dread among the people. When someone sees a sign of lack of

law and order whether it is the public eye or the heart of an observer, it raises suspicions as if no

one cares about their safety. This theory was introduced by the criminologist and social scientists

James Q. Wilson and George Kelling in 1982; they state that signs of disorder will lead to more

disorder. According to them if a neighborhood had a broken window, residents would break

other windows see crime would soar all because no one pushed back against their signs of the

quote-unquote disorder.

The broken windows policing is meant to reduce low-level street crimes. Broken windows

policing doesn’t mean cops will fix up poor neighborhoods, it means they’ll arrest poor people. It

only focuses on the crimes done by the powerless, and it is about controlling communities of

color and arresting people for minor and non-existent crimes then funneling them through courts

and prisons. According to this interpretation, the tendency of this theory seems to be towards the

crime control perspective of Packer’s two models. The crime control perspective emphasizes the

importance of controlling, perhaps to the detriment of civil liberties from a cost-benefit

standpoint.

The due process perspective is first and foremost concerned with people’s rights and liberties.

Due process perspective of Herbert Packer suggests that the government’s primary job is not

only to control crime but also to maximize freedom which includes protecting citizens from

undue government influence.

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ii. Challenges to police in modern times

Traditionally law enforcement demanded from the police is to take care of the people of

the city, to maintain law and order, not to let anyone break the law, to ensure the safety of the

public, and if any crime takes place, investigate it and bring accuse to the justice. But in today’s

world where various types of crimes have been invented, the responsibilities of the police have

also increased; today’s police are not limited to the people of the city.

On the contrary, now law enforcement has many expectations from the department. The

department has to deal with security threats across the country, ranging from illegal immigration

to terrorism. These types of crimes are seen and felt at the national level, which means that the

police who were supposed to take care of the city now have to broaden their horizons, and have

to fight on two fronts; security of citizens on the one hand and national security on the other.

Police have limited sources and demands are always shifting which means they have to

make some difficult choices that may affect their relationship with the public and law

enforcement. The police force is no more just a crime fighter, but the police are expected to do

more. These growing police responsibilities are creating a gap between the police and the public.

As Egon Bittner writes about the public’s expectations from the police “something is happening

that ought not to be happening and about which someone better do something now.” (Bittner)

However, according to the Rick Muir peoples’ view on what police should be doing has

not changed so far, when they are asked about the priorities they often demand the emergency

response, prevention of the crime, their safety, sustaining law and order. And in the police view,

public protection tasks are priorities over traditional crimes. (Muir, 2016)
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iii. Police’s legitimacy, militarization, and public’s view

There is no doubt that police’s shoulders are loaded with more responsibilities with time

but the legitimacy of the police has also been enhanced by law enforcement. However, the police

are always responsible for the actions taken by them. Police legitimacy extends to which

members of the public view the police as legitimate often measured in terms of the public

willingness to obey and co-operate with the police.

Law enforcement has tried to make the police more powerful and legitimate by

militarizing them so that more work can be done to maintain law and order, but it seems that

militarizing the police has had some negative effects on the views of the public. The public is

beginning more threatened than safe. Such views were more strengthened when George Floyd

was recently killed by an officer of the militarized police force of the United States.

Police legitimacy is linked to the degree of public support for, and co-operation with the

police’s efforts to find the crime. If police lose their legitimacy it can comprise their ability and

authority to work effectively. People who experience more procedure on justice and police

encounters view the police as more legitimate. In contrast, order, maintenance, policing, and

widespread street stops appear to reduce police legitimacy among young people.

In Tom R. Tyler's views public trust, support, and cooperation make the police more

confident in doing their job properly. When the public sees them as an authority to obey, and not

to play with the law, it is tantamount to enhancing their legitimacy. (Tyler, 2004)
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iv. Different steps an officer must go through

In the United States, is part of the regular judiciary system and it works together. The

police act as the bridge between the criminal justice system and the people so that the people and

judiciary can reach each other. The police force acts as a representative of a legal system that

enforces its laws. On the other hand, it is the police that represents the public to reach the judicial

process and get justice.

In such a situation a police officer has to go through various stages which are difficult but

have to be done to carry out his duties and maintain this bridge. As Mr. Reiss states “they do this

primarily through their right to exercise discretion in determining whether or not violations of the

law have taken place and whether citizens shall be arrested and charged with particular criminal

offenses. Moreover, the police department, as an organization, adapts itself to meeting the

demands of citizens for them to provide a variety of service, some unrelated to their law

enforcement role.” (Reiss, 1971)

The policemen have to take into account the definition of the people so their reputation is

not affected. And in case of any violation, if the people confront them, then their duty may have

to bear the loss. Reiss talks about some examples in the book when the police had to face while

enforcing some laws. Some of these incidents occurred in 1960 when traffic laws had to be

enforced to handle the public disorder, though they were doing the legal job, citizens objected

not to being in police cars and their uniforms.

Reiss’s writing highlights such incidents and considers it necessary to look at such

incidents and actions in every context so it can be understood from each point of view.
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v. Role of racial disparities, cooperation of public, and policies that may help to ameliorate

policing

Racial disparities in government departments are a fact that affects every institution and

how it is possible for the police and rest of the judiciary to be safe from this as a government

organization; it also affects the policing and the other justice system. The police have a long

history of taking action based on different disparities. Whether it is the beating of Rodney King

in 1991 or the fatal shooting of Michael Brown in 2014, this was followed by the recent cases of

Brianna Tyler and George Floyd.

According to information provided in a blog by Colleen Walsh a Harvard staff writer that

researchers, historians, and scholars see this issue in the stories related to our culture which are

based on slavery and racial disparities; these problems are so old and ingrained in our culture that

we have to find new ways to solve them, new paths have to be made, and new thinking has to be

awakened.

As he states “any solution clearly will require myriad new approaches to law

enforcement, courts, and community involvement, and comprehensive social change is driven

from the bottom up and the top down.” (Walsh, 2021)

Similarly, public co-operation not only ensures the safety of the people but also promotes

social connectivity which can bridge the gap and as the result, we can see the reduction of crime

rate, happiness in public and even building up the state’s economy. The community’s response

against crime is a solution in itself. Law enforcement can help the people in this step, and they

should motivate each other and support each other in this regard.
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We can achieve a lot by adopting some simple strategies at the grassroots level. Such as

being aware of your neighbors’ movements, being able to understand any suspicious behavior,

report it to the police by protecting yourself, and being involved in it as if it is your own

business.
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vi. Importance of reciprocity in the relationship between the police and the public

The police department has to live among the people to ensure their safety. In such a case,

if the balance of their relationship is not right or they do not respect their boundaries, then there

will be a lot of difficulties that will lead to impossibilities. Reiss describes the role of American

Local police in that they have a broad mandate to enforce criminal law and preserve peace

among people.

To fulfill the requirements of the duty, they have to keep an eye on the affairs of peoples’

everyday life without violating their privacy for matters that may affect the community and if the

public would not understand the nature and respect their work, there will be consequences. As he

states “the police acquire information by intervening in the lives of the citizens on their initiative.

In this capacity, they serve as a proactive organization, pursuing matters through investigative

activities, privative patrol, and direct intervention in the lives of citizens.” (Reiss, 1971)

Dan M. Kahan finds the relationship between the public and police relaxing when he says

“Recent years have witnessed the emergence of a diverse array of crime-fighting strategies –

from ‘order maintenance policing to church police alliances to highly participatory forms of law

enforcement.” (Kahan, 2002). He finds these alliances in a better light, according to which a lot

of street crimes in the last decade were eliminated.

But in contrast new community policing is failed to some extent in understanding and

solving crimes. It seems that the police failed to solve some of the recent crimes due to a lack of

understanding and good relations between them and people.

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Bibliography

Bittner, E. (n.d.).

Kahan, D. M. (2002). Reciprocity, Collective Action, and Community Policing. California Law
Review.

Muir, R. (2016, September 23). great expectations. Retrieved from Police-foundation.org.uk:

https://www.police-foundation.org.uk/2016/09/great-expectations-what-do-the-public-
want-from-the-police/

Reiss, A. J. (n.d.). The Police and the Public.

Tyler, T. R. (2004). Enhancing Police Legitimacy.

Walsh, C. (2021, February 23). Solving racial disparities in policing. Retrieved from The
Harward Gazette: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/02/solving-racial-
disparities-in-policing/