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U. S. Government and Policing ? The relationship between the U. S. government and policing throughout the United States lies within the governments control over instituting new laws that states must follow. Although Congress and the Supreme Court establish “minimum national standards” and enact laws that police must follow there is often a limit to how much of an affect it has on policing. The law passed by the government, or verdicts passed by the Supreme Court in particular often set guidelines and can be interpreted differently.
Basically the government pushes policing in the direction that it feels that it needs to be going. There are also government provisions or funds given to certain agencies to turn them in the direction desired. Most of these funds come with the stipulation that certain goals must be achieved for them to obtain or keep the funding. The government also can regulate and discipline police that are being unethical or lawful in their duties. The influence this has on the public can often be frustration, especially in a bad area that sees police acting on government agendas.
On the other side of the coin, ideally the government is an extension of the U. S. society. Therefore the government should be pushing for police to provide a better service to and for the people. It is America’s society that creates a need for policing and their actions affect the decision made by the government, which in turn is represented in the courts system and in laws. It is a circle of influence, each having both a positive and negative affect on the other.
Lastly, a big influence on society from the relationship between policing and the U. S. government is the laws passed to protect citizen rights from abuse by the police. The government holding a higher authority than officers helps to make sure those that uphold the morals and laws of American society are subjected to those same laws and in some cases even higher standard than an ordinary citizen. References Walker, S. , ; Katz, C. M. (2011). The police in America: An introduction??(7th ed. ). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.