One of the recent occasions illustrating the current relationship between the police and the community is the dismissed charges against the Detroit officer. The event itself happened in 2020 when three journalists reported the protest against police brutality (Charges dismissed against Detroit officer who fired at media, 2021). After they showed their identity and raised their hands, the officer shot them with three bullets. The recent court session decided that the accusation was invalid because the protest at the suggested time and place had to be over.
In the case example, the absence of dialogue and communication between the police and the people becomes a noticeable problem related to the topic. It works not only when the officers take physical measures toward citizens instead of clarifying the situation; it also happens vice versa. Residents are unwilling to address the police or cooperate with them, for they do not trust it and see the lack of understanding (Peyton et al., 2019). Those types of miscommunications eventually lead to the fight over power and dominance that results in massive protests and force brutality (Peyton et al., 2019). After observing the relationship between the police and the population, the image that appears is that both sides perceive each other as enemies.
Police seem to view regular people more as a threat they should eliminate than those they should protect. In turn, people perceive officers as the aggressors rather than saviors and social structures they can rely on and trust. When the gap in comprehension is too big, it contributes to mutual antipathy and keeps destroying the connection, which is already unstable (Peyton et al., 2019). The situation between the three journalists only confirms that statement, especially the fact that after the burst of brutality, police often stay justified. At the same time, the citizens get punished for lesser offenses.
References
Charges dismissed against Detroit officer who fired at media. (2021). AP News. Web.
Peyton, K., Sierra-Arévalo, M., & Rand, D. G. (2019). A field experiment on community policing and police legitimacy. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(40), 19894-19898. Web.