Blog # 2

Public view on police officers.

In Police Chief Magazine researchers from Montana State University conducted a study that viewed the public view on law enforcement. The studies went on to show law enforcement is a tough and risky career choice explaining officers can go from being thanked one minute, to being spit upon few hours later. As for the public view on a police officer, the public "distrust" them, no matter the community or the agency. Miles apart from each other and the public views are very similar. Researchers asked the officers, why their views are similar? and both responded with, negative press coverage seen on television.

One example that took place back in June 2009, a black male was killed by three police officers, this example was important because the man was to be married just a few hours later, while police where investigating the incident, media had limited information on what happened to generate a story, and the information they did gather are from angry and grieving relatives. That then leads to the story being very one sided, leading the public to believe police are violent, untrustworthy and corrupt. However the article then goes to explain that studies show police officers and administrators do not give the public enough credit

Studies showed that up to 80 percent of the public actually supported and felt safe when police where around, compared to the other 10 percent who disagreed. My question, is why is this image, and why do officers still feel they are considered untrustworthy, or corrupt when the statistics show otherwise? Media I believe is the reason for this.

In a more recent article, created May 20, 2016, the National Institute of Justice studies show that minorities claim police treat them worse or even single them out because of their race or ethnicity. Is media at fault of this assumption? Perhaps so, data shows that Caucasians hold the police to a high regard compared to a minority. The studies showed when a good quality police encounter took place, no matter the neighborhood, education or income, the effects of race nearly disappeared. So again, does media ultimately hinder the reputation of law enforcement? 

Blog # 1

Does media in todays society give a negative outlook on law enforcement?

My research question is, does media in todays society give a negative outlook on law enforcement? This question intrigues me for multiple reasons, ask your self, any time when your watching the news or looking on social media, when law enforcement is brought into the picture is it negative? This question in particular is important to me because becoming a police officer is something I consider as a career choice. In order for myself to be successful in this, I must look and understand this better. Does media look at negative events as "better" news? Do they consider bringing positive situations to attention? Does media differ in different places? Does media take a different outlook on what's being shown that we are unaware of? These are questions to keep in mind. I plan to do my research online, looking in news paper articles, blogs and online library databases. What is the view of someone who is in law enforcement today? Has media changed between now and many years ago? Does this affect their image with family and friends? With all of this to consider keep in mind a police officer to some people, is one of the most hated professions out there.

  While being a police officer is a hard and stress full job, requiring making decisions in a short amount of time that could impact a persons life greatly. They are people just like all of us, ultimately to enforce the law, to serve the community, to protect our families. I am not arguing that every single officer in society has done the right thing or made the right decisions. But when one makes a bad decision, its almost as if media labels all of them the same. Is it easier for a news station to write up a story about how a police officer used police brutality compared to a story about an officer rescuing someone from an accident, or an active shooting? 
These are some of the questions I hope to answer in my research and to help better understand if media should be held accountable for bad reputations. 

     Hello my name is Andrew Hladik, this is for my Eng121 class. This is my first online coarse that i have ever took, and it was a little overwhelming at first. I am going to FRCC to get my asscioates degree for criminal justice. After that I am looking to become a police officer for the city of Westminster Co. I currently live in Colorado and work full time while going to school part time. This can be stressfull at times, but you have stay motivated and push through. I look forward to talking with you all.