Should Police Forces Be Combined In America
September 11, 2001 is a day that Americans will never forget. It is a day that has changed the way our criminal justice system, and our country as a whole, functions on a daily basis. The terrorism threat has been at an all time high in the years since the attacks and as a result, law enforcement and government officials are struggling daily to find a design to prevent future attacks from claiming more innocent lives. One question that has been asked is whether or not we should combine our police forces into one large agency. Many people feel this would have a positive outcome, while others feel the effects would be negative. Arguments for both sides can be extremely persuasive. However, one particular saying stands out in my mind: never put all your eggs in one basket.
Combining police forces is, in theory, a superb idea. Information sharing would be less hectic. In fact, President Bush believes so strongly in this that on March 9, 2006 he signed the USA Patriot USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act, which he says "allows our intelligence and law enforcement officials to use continue to share information" (2006). Also, a larger group of employees would be available if a large threat came into play. Another major benefit would be smaller cities would have access to larger labs and databases than they are used to, increasing the turnaround time when processing evidence and also increasing their chances of preventing criminals from committing another crime before they are caught.
While combining police forces can be a good belief in theory, there are many possible downfalls that can arrive with having all of our resources under one system. In fact, there are many theories suggesting that high-ranking government officials had warning of September 11. According to Propaganda Matrix, the NSA intercepted calls the evening of September 10 suggesting that something was going to happen the following day. Unfortunately, the calls could not be translated until September 12, even with all the resources of the FBI and CIA. If a grand threat on national security could not be investigated in time to prevent an attack on our own soil, who is to say that having all the agencies under the control of one system could help?
Another cause of worry with combining the police forces is the opportunity for police corruption. Imagine that the police officers are working together and some are living lavish lifestyles, way beyond the means of a police officer's salary. Other officers may resolve that they want a "piece of the pie" as well and choose to participate in the illegal acts going on behind closed doors. Having all officers working together opens up the possibility that officers from what used to be different agencies now have access to each other's personal lives through working together, as well as evidence that used to be off limits due to differing departments.
One example of police corruption on a tall scale is the Rampart Scandal with the LAPD, stretching from as early as 1997 until 2000 involving members of the LAPD's anti-gang unit CRASH. This scandal involved things as small as drinking on the job, false arrests, police brutality, individuals being framed for crimes they didn't commit, police involvement in bank robberies and wrongful shootings. The scandal had a breaking point when, in 1998, officer Rafael Perez was arrested for stealing nearly $1 million worth of cocaine from the LAPD's evidence, which his girlfriend later sold on the streets. Perez later pled guilty to cocaine theft and provided investigators with more than 70 instances of officer misconduct, which has lead to over 100 convictions being overturned. In fact, "the Los Angeles City Attorney agreed to pay $10.9 million to settle lawsuits stemming from the corruption scandal, although pending cases may eventually raise that figure to $125 million" (Schmallger, 2005, p.331).
Another possible downfall of combining police forces would be the fact that in the event of a large threat on a particular city, most of the resources and manpower would be used to concentrate on preventing the attack. This could easily lead to smaller cities and their crimes/treats going unnoticed. For example, terrorists could pass along information suggesting that simultaneous attacks on two separate cities, one large like New York City and the other smaller, like Nashville, TN. Obviously, intelligence will be focused on both cities, but the larger of the two where more people would be in danger would possibly salvage more attention. Knowing the agencies are working together instead of separately, terrorists could easily use the threat on the larger city as a cover-up for their real intentions, which could be attacking the smaller city or even another expansive city that was not even mentioned. With all of our authorities' focus on the threats made on national security, terrorists could easily have a second plan, catching everyone completely off guard and causing another horrific experience.
If the police forces were combined, it would be impossible not to combine the court system. Once again, there are downfalls that come along with doing this. The time an individual is required to wait for trial has steadily increased over the years due to the increase in crime in original years. In 2002, the average wait for a criminal trial in Clark Co., Nevada was 9 months. In just one year, that figure increased by 33%, with individuals waiting nearly a year for their trial. While combining the courts would increase the amount of attorneys available for trials, it would also increase their workload as well. In doing this, the wait time for a trial could easily continue to rise. The Sixth Amendment gives individuals the right to a speedy trial. Combining the courts could very easily lead to many violations of this right.
September 11 changed our lives forever. Our country was turned upside down, our troops have found themselves sent into war zones, and many lives were shattered. In the aftermath, we have to find a scheme to protect our citizens from the everyday crimes as well as prevent another terror attack as horrific as 9/11. In doing that, compromises will have to be made. The question is where should those compromises be made? Should we pool all our resources into one tall agency? Or should we continue to operate as we have, as individual units with one common goal: the protection of United States citizens? Each side has its pros as well as its cons. However, putting all of our "eggs in one basket" while appealing in the short terms, could prove to be more harmful than good, which goes against what we are attempting to execute in the long run.
Reference:
USA Patriot Act, Retrieved June 13, 2006 from http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/patriotact/
Warnings on the Eve of the Attack, Retrieved June 14, 2006 from http://www.propagandamatrix.com/archiveprior_knowledge.html#eve
Rampart Scandal Timeline, Retrieved June 14, 2006 from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/lapd/scandal/cron.html
Schmalleger, F (2005) Criminal Justice Today. Prentiss Hall Publishing N.J.
Wheels of Justice Grind Slowly in Clark County, Retrieved June 15, 2006 from http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2004/Jul-11-Sun-2004/news/24284799.html
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