Media Depiction of the Police

    Throughout the years, the study of media has had its influence on crimes. As people continue to interact with the mass media, they are often offered with crime images and information. It is asserted by many that this bombardment of criminal images on pour media, can lead to a higher degree of fear of crime amongst people. This is because most of these images are violent and they often include violence and hence they can cause people to make an overestimation of how much crime exists. People often associate with what they see on their television with real-life situations. Hence if the media shows an increased crime rates, real life must also exhibit the same. The growth of the mass media both in numbers and size results to panic due to the violent crime images are seen in the media causes an increase in violent behaviors. It is therefore evident that there is a strong correlation between excessive media and fear of crime.

    The media plays a major role in public attitudes towards police effectiveness. It may have a strong effect on the public criminal justice attitudes. Reenactment of crimes often misleads viewers into believing that such crimes actually happened. Though police strongly believe that reenactments usually help investigators in visualizing the crime, legal experts challenge this idea as they assert that this goes against the suspects’ rights and therefore should be abolished. People view these crimes in real life since they are able to get the details as close to the old crime. Thus people are able to make a thorough engagement of an old crime so as to clearly understand the crime in the present (Dowler 2003).

    Law enforcers have a hard task ahead of them as they have to ensure that all the information that they offer to the media is true and that deception of the media is evaded at all costs.  However, most of the law enforcers often use deception as a major part of their duty in conducting criminal investigations especially those that are within the undercover jurisdiction. Some of these practices are morally permissible for as long as they are carried out within a given legal parameter, for instance, the restraints on setup. However, the law enforcer should publicize the media deception after concluding the case so as to prove that the deception was ethical. The outcome that the deception might have on the integrity of the police officers with the media as well as with the public signifies a significant consequence that law enforcers must consider. Police officers are expected to act with integrity where they must be honest at all times. They ought to be truthful to their colleagues and to the general public in all their dealings so as to foster, maintain and secure confidence in the police service. Thus they are expected by law to be keen on making sure that they do not compromise their position through carrying out unlawful and corrupted dealings. They should refrain from knowingly making false and inaccurate statements whether written or oral.

    In conclusion, the role of media in the democracy is crucial. Policing strategies as well as law enforcement plans can only be achieved through the support and the consent of the general public being policed. Crime continues to exist and thus the media, as well as the public and the law enforcers, should work together in ensuring that fear of crime is reduced.

   

 

 

 

 

References

Dowler, K. (2003). Media consumption and public attitudes toward crime and justice: The           relationship between fear of crime, punitive attitudes, and perceived police effectiveness.         Journal of criminal justice and popular culture, 10(2), 109-126.