Stop and Frisk
Abstract
The Significance of Stop-and-Frisk Program to the Improvement of Policing Outcomes and the Challenges Inconsistent/improper capitalization towards its Successful Implementation Stop-and-frisk Inconsistent/improper capitalization is an approach used by the security forces to prevent crime by stopping questioning, and even detaining civilians on the streets. The nature of the strategy has led to several controversies including its legality, the role in encouraging discrimination and its effectiveness. The study will utilize an exploratory approach using the mixed method. Different populations of study will be utilized with the sample reached by using systematic sampling. The population of study will be classified according to the research questions to ensure that the findings cater to every need of the study. The data will be collected using interviews and surveys. Good I can see what you intend to do and how you intend to get there.
Introduction
Background
The stop-and-frisk strategy where the police detain, question, and search civilians on the street to identify if they are involved in any criminal activity such as carrying contraband or weapons (Abrams, 2014). Stop-and-frisk is one of the many strategies used by the police department in the contemporary world to make the streets and the country safe. This comes at a time when the country is under several criminal and terrorist threats even within the country. In the past, the police had to deal with the common criminals in the country. However, as the threat of terrorism intensified, the responsibilities of the police department increased. The nature of terrorism, which uses its agents inside the targeted country coupled with increased cases of radicalization means that the department has their hands completely full (Avdija, 2014). The police need additional ways of preventing crime. The streets offer this new perspective because of the nature of most crimes. For instance, seldom do criminals commit crimes near their homes. For this reason, vehicles have become their primary aid in committing these crimes whether small or big.
The stop-and-frisk strategy is founded on the notion that criminals use their vehicles to perform their criminal activities. The cars serve as transport agents, as well as, places used for hiding illegal items (Keenan & Thomas, 2017). Stop-and-frisk can also be used on pedestrians, especially when the police officers sense that their intentions are wrong. As much as this strategy is founded on the premise of keeping the country safe, the fact that the majority of those who are searched are innocent have brought about numerous controversies. Cries about violation of personal freedom and racial profiling have littered the process bringing its essence to disrepute (Reid, 2011). True, stop-and-frisk may lead to interception of criminals before, during, and after the crime but if it violates personal rights and the constitution while advancing social evils such as racism, and it loses its essence. However, there is no doubt that the stop-and-frisk strategy offers a new dimension in crime fighting, especially when used appropriately (Legewie, 2016).
Frisking and stopping have grown to be a controversial issue in the global sector. The general effects of this conduct affect millions of individuals and particularly those from the minority groups and those with low socio-economic status (Reid, 2011). This act usually occurs in the quest of stopping crimes occurrence. However, the method has been classified by most as inappropriate stating that it is only purposed at harassing those from the minority groups and particularly blacks. Based on research it is apparent that the operation has resulted in the decline of crime in the recent years in the city of New York. However, the issue is that most of those that have been labeled as guilty are from the Hispanic and the African-American minority groups (Reid, 2011). The program was implemented after the rate of crime in major cities had increased rapidly. The program was thus purposed at ensuring some of the crimes were decreased through frisking individuals who are perceived to be suspicious in the cities.
In the society today police officers are deemed to be the sources of protection and help every time that it is required. However, it has become apparent that the officers utilize this privilege in violating the civilian’s constitutional privileges. The stop-and-frisk program was mainly developed with the intention of fighting crime occurred within the city streets but it has resulted in racial profiling (Legewie, 2016). With the abuse of the program, individuals have acquired fear and most of the youths are even afraid to appear in the streets because they understand that they might be subjected to harassment with no justified rationale. This has resulted in the loss of trust amid the citizens and the officers as most believe that instead of being protected they have been subjected to more torture. Based on the recent statistics it is apparent that from the year 2002 up to 2011 90 percent of the individuals who have been stopped and frisked are from the black and Latino communities and approximately 88 percent of the general populace that had been stopped which accounts at about 3.8 million persons were found innocent New York residents (Legewie, 2016).
An individual’s freedom based on the constitutional privileges cannot be traded for security reasons despite the fact that security is of the essence. The street searches in most cases have emerged to be unsuccessful since those that are guilty cannot expose themselves to the program (Avdija, 2014). However, it is believed by the program’s proponents that despite the fact that majority of those frisked being found innocent the success of the program has been acquired in its general ability to stop the occurrence of potential crimes and restraining crime. Despite the controversy, amid this issue, it is clear that the program is a requirement in ensuring that the rate of criminal offenses in the urban locations is reduced. However, certain policies are highly required in ensuring that the program does not continue to violate the civilian’s privileges and promoting racial profiling which might affect coexistence in the society that is characterized by cultural diversity (Avdija, 2014).
Restrictions placing on the officers conducting the operations can be accounted as the only strategy through which the rights of the public can be secured from the officer’s authority. The fact that the program has continued for an extended run and not much of success has been acquired demonstrates that reform is of necessity in achieving security and ensuring that protection is maintained (Hanink, 2013). With the violation of the citizens’ rights New York residents have continued to express their dissatisfaction with state’s policies and law enforcement. This is because most of the affected groups have acquired an oppression feeling which has resulted in poor relations with the police. Community policing effectiveness cannot be achieved without good relations because the public also plays part in assisting the officers to curb crimes (Fagan & Davies, 2000). The ineffective of the program can be acquired from the period when the individuals demonstrated in the streets stating that the program is based on racial prejudice which is a violation of not only the constitution but individual’s wellness as well.
Literature Review
In their line of duty, police officers have a range of tactics geared at ensuring public safety. One -of these methods is termed stop-and-frisk, where a police officer stops an individual after suspecting criminal activity and proceeds to search him or her (Abrams, 2014). This strategy was aimed at crime prevention because of its nature (Keenan & Thomas, 2013). Abrams (2014) reports that Terry v. Ohio initiated the legal basis of the program where the Supreme Court established a new standard, reasonable suspicion standard. This case took place in 1968 and ever since then, the police had the right to stop people on the street for questioning and possible frisking. However, its use was minimal until the mid-1990s when the police department in New York decided to adopt the strategy. Incorrect as it was used in agencies across the country since the SC ruling. Using the "order-maintenance policing" concept earlier developed by Wilson and Kelling, the departments adopted a strategy that classified any type of crime as punishable (Keenan & Thomas, 2013). In New York's model, all crimes including the ones considered by many as "quality of life" crimes call for the application of the stop-and-frisk strategy (Keenan & Thomas, 2013). The idea behind this application is that even the smallest of crimes have a potential of creating a criminal and hence should be dissuaded as early as possible. The idea behind the strategy is never neglected by any crime or anything that seems to indicate that it will lead to a crime – a redefinition of crime prevention strategies. According to Abrams (2014), the police departments are claiming that the strategy is working because it has led to the reduction of crime in places where they are applied. Long paragraph - need to break up the information into smaller paragraphs.
The perception that the strategy is effective has led to the rise of its usage in the country, especially in New York City (Abrams, 2014). However, Abrams (2014) reports that the effectiveness of the practice is yet to be quantified. As much as the effectiveness of the strategy is yet to be measured, the motivations and nature of these operations are known. The foundation of the stop-and-frisk strategy, the "Broken Windows," suggests that the program should emphasize on the behavior and not the people. This is where several complaints emanate. Several authors and researchers claim that the factors that motivate police officers to conduct the stop-and-frisk exercise are further away from the Broken Windows mandate (Fagan & Davies, 2000). Even though the program has the ingredients to reduce crime rates in the country, its application has led to its inefficiency. According to Hanink (2013), the major influence of the program is race and poverty. Fagan and Davies (2000) echo this finding stating that these programs are majorly carried out on the poor and in poor neighborhoods. The basis of the program was on fairness, and yet its application has led to the victimization of the poor and individuals from certain backgrounds.
Indeed, the program may although have enormous potential. It has been used to advance societal evils, and the concept of class and race has manifested itself in the program. By developing the program to it is responsible for how the police officers operate. In his article, Avdija (2014) posits that high-delinquency zones, fugitive movements, whereabouts of victims, nearness to a crime scene, and time of day influence the decision of the security apparatus to conduct a stop-and-frisk program. From the description of the strategy, the police officer acts after suspecting that someone may have participated in a delinquent act or is on his way to commit a crime (Evans, Maragh & Porter, 2014). These explanations indicate that the police have the prerogative to choose the individual to be stopped or the area in which the stop-and-frisk programs is to be applied. Inbau and Thompson (1999) indicate that the Terry v. Ohio decision gives the police the power to do as they please as long as it is within the restrictions of the reasonable suspicion standard. This nature of stop-and-frisk strategy gives the police officers the audacity to participate in unethical practices including racial profiling (Evans, Maragh & Porter, 2014). Legewie (2016) completes this argument stating that these strategies increase the level of discrimination in the society.
The constitutionality of the stop-and-frisk strategy has also been a point of contention considering that the searches go against individual privacy and human rights. According to Legewie (2016), the crime prevention approach leads to racial profiling where individuals are stopped based on their race. Certain races are perceived to being the source of criminals, which informs the motivation for using the strategy. According to Legewie (2016), racial profiling goes against a person's human rights and hence public institutions are required to steer away from such occurrences. The concept of rights violations presents itself when privacy rights are reviewed vis-à-vis the stop-and-frisk approach. According to Ross (2016), the approach goes against personal privacy rights enshrined in the Fourth Amendment and hence it should never be conducted. Ross (2016) claims that verdict the case from where the whole idea was coined, Terry v. Ohio, was also unconstitutional because it went against the rights of U.S. residents. From the author, it is clear that whenever individual rights are trampled by the higher powers in the country, the courts allow it. However, she notes that two wrongs do not make a right and that constitutionalism should be ensured by outlawing the stop-and-frisk police program. Keenan and Thomas (2013) weigh in on the discussion about the constitutionality of the stop-and-frisk program asserting its unlawful nature. The authors indicate that the NYPD model where every crime is suspected is a clear indication of privacy violations. However, the authors note that the program can be used lawfully if only severe crimes become the primary motivations. The program can only be constitutional if the police use it after suspecting serious felonies.
Concerning the effectiveness of the program, the police department in New York is claiming that the program has led to the reduction of crime incidence (Abrams, 2014). However, that claim is not substantive. In fact, MacDonald, Fagan, and Geller (2016) assert that the presence of the program has no impact on crime incidence. On his part, Johnson (2015) uses the school system to explain the consequences of the stop-and-frisk program on crime incidence. According to Johnson (2015), the adoption of search strategies on students leads to an increase in cases of delinquency. By applying a similar model to the police approach, there is a higher likelihood that the number of criminals and crimes will increase. MacDonald, Fagan, and Geller (2016) indicate that the stops do not have any substantive impact on the reduction of crime. The authors note that increased and through investigations have more impact that is positive on crime reduction.
The New York’s City stop-and-frisk program is one that infringes upon the individual's privileges. This is because the operation of the program has turned to be a race based. Back in 2011 over 680, 075 persons were stopped and frisked by patrolling officers. The record stood to be the highest among the population that had been frisked previously by over 50,000 persons (Chu et al., 2016). Particularly in the city of New York, about 88 percent of the populace that had been stopped were either African Americans or Latinos. This raised the question on whether the conduct can be accounted as one that is right morally given that the individuals were suspected based on their race. This worked against the purpose of the program whose intention was not to frisk individuals without any justifiable cause or being discriminative on the grounds of race. Frisking with no justifiable cause can be considered to be a racist act given that the individuals are being profiled on the grounds of the color. This is wrong on ethical grounds and therefore develops the impression that crime is conducted mainly by colored persons (Chu et al., 2016).
Latinos and the African Americans cannot be grounded to be the sole criminals who commit most violent offenses or crimes that are severe as compared to the larger society. Therefore the colored persons should never raise more criminal concerns as opposed to others (Long, 2014). Given that the stop-and-frisk program laws state that everyone can be frisked as crime has no appearance it is therefore right for the searching of persons equally rather than predominating the colored persons in the society. After all, it should be noted that even the white individuals are involved in committing a number of crimes thus they should be treated as equal threats to the security of the nation (Long, 2014).
Racial profiling is mainly influenced by the fact that most of the minority groups are from the low socio-economic status and thus their condition is considered vulnerable to committing crimes (Walrond, 2012). This is the persons that are heavily affected by racial profiling despite the fact that most of them are literate but without employment. Their residents are the most known areas where the program is exercised in particular. The prime scenario of the poor neighborhoods that is exploited by abuse of the police demonstrates the ineffectiveness of the program that is mainly conducted specifically on the grounds of race and socio-economic backgrounds. It is apparent that racial profiling should be put to a stop through restructuring the complete system so that the authority held by the officers can be minimized (Frazier, 2012).
According to The Constitutionality of Stop-and-Frisk in New York City (2014), the state has the duty of offering protection to the public in general and those that are accountable for any of the violation should not be exempted on the grounds of their roles. The government should not just focus on the extremes of creating security rather it should also take account of the individual’s rights. The lack of this attention has resulted in the injustice of the system in all the cities within the United States. For the longest period, colored individuals have normally felt hunted by officers since they are usually the target. The program effectiveness will only be acquired when it begins to focus on the creation of actual changes. The program should also incorporate morals behind all its implemented laws. It is apparent that in offering full protection of the individual's rights as provided by the American constitution reform is of necessity (Johnson, 2013). This is given that the prime objective of the constitution is to offer protection to the citizens. Therefore the prime objective of America’s colonization is to create better living for all the individuals by offering privileges protection without depriving them liberty or any other privilege.
Based on Slobogin (2016) it should be acknowledged that despite the fact that the program has been effective in ensuring that crimes occurrences have been prevented it has promoted rights violation by creating racial profiling (Johnson, 2013). So that the operations of the officers can be assessed a reform should occur. This will help in ensuring that they adhere to ethics and principles on which the nation is founded. The law's changes are being supported highly but the effectiveness lacks on the grounds that officers are entitled to more power and this results in wrong judgments. Those that are involved in placing punishments on the offenders should also be engaged in ensuring that their privileges are secured particularly the colored persons. For instance, the Center for Constitutional Rights is also in the support of the policies implementation transformation within the system (Johnson, 2013). On the grounds of statistics which shows that most of those involved in frisking are from the minority groups, it is apparent that the initiative lacks efficiency due to the existence of policies that fails to create a balance amid authority and efficiency.
According to Nordberg et al., (2016) with the kind of support to ensure that the program’s implementation laws are amended is essential as it demonstrates that the issue is being accounted as a severe one. It is argued that despite the fact that the program has resulted in effectiveness by ensuring that a significant level of crime has been curbed this cannot be utilized as the excuse to why the enforcers profile and also permits the justice system to mainly prosecute individuals after they were searched and deemed as guilty without justifiable causes. According to probable cause, it is stated that the officers must present adequate reasons that are based upon well-elaborated facts so that it can be believed that there is a crime that should have been committed or that some details are connected with a specific crime (Reamey, 2016). This, therefore, implies that a justified cause should be in existence for the enforcers to conduct arrests after conducting the search even without having a warranty. This should be on the ground that the items established are the evidence to crime’s occurrence. When performing stop-and-frisk laws the justifiable causes cancels out and this permits the officers in conducting random searches on individuals even without the existence of clear rationale and evidence on why the individuals are being searched. The laws that support the running of the initiatives needs to be involved inconsistent reforms on the grounds that individual’s privileges are equally crucial as the general security (Reamey, 2016).
Minorities are the most affected by the program gave that they feel threatened while they are supposed to feel secure. It is evident that the main approach utilized in conducting the search is via racial profiling given that the minority groups are the ones that are accounted be criminals (Frazier, 2013). The initiative validity is to create wellness within the society as the communities which are abandoned in the search of the minorities where their privileges are stripped by being labeled as offenders. Making such operations works against the 4th amendment because it instills insecurity fears among the general public and works as the prime discrimination against the minorities (Featherstone, 2017). This is a comprehensive right disregarding as it fails to encourage quality policing and also fails in facilitating the provision of protection services to the citizens. Effectiveness can only be acquired while the citizens trust the police which is not the case (Dunn, 2016). These studies seem to suggest that stop-and-frisk programs are yet to show any effectiveness in crime prevention. However, this may be blamed on how the program is being run currently.
Statement of the Problem
Despite the knowledge that the stop-and-frisk strategy has the potential to improve security in American cities and many people argue that its use violates the constitution while others claim that its operations advance the concept of ethnicity in the country. Truly, the constitution advocates for individual privacy rights (Legewie, 2016). This is the reason the police have to obtain search warrants whenever they need to search people's belongings. However, the stop-and-frisk does not take any of these requirements into consideration, especially since it is done on the streets. The issue about privacy provides a credible argument. The police may have the right to conduct searches, especially when a crime is in progress (Reid, 2011). This may be the foundation for this program. However, the fact that many of those who are searched are innocent civilians means that the police's foundation on continuing crimes does not stand. Whenever the process is considered, the legal issues of social discrimination and profiling come to the fore.
The reports that stop-and-frisk has been used majorly on residents belonging to certain ethnicities brings about the notion that the whole process has been designed to advance social evils such as racism and gender discrimination (Wikstrom, 2014). Through the stop-and-frisk program, the police are not required to follow a certain pattern. Their actions are their prerogative, which means that they can stop pedestrians and vehicles that follow one another or even stop one and wait for an hour before stopping another. In fact, the police are set to initiate the program whenever they feel that the person or the vehicle is suspicious (Reid, 2011). This lack of structure and rules to govern the process leads to its abuse by unethical police officers. Lastly, issues of its effectiveness have always plighted this process. With nine out of ten stops exhibiting innocence, the process seems ineffective considering its inconveniencing nature (Wikstrom, 2014). However, considering that it leads to arrests and possible crime-stopping moves, the processes' effectiveness may not be so low.
In essence, the issues of constitutionalism, effectiveness in fighting crime, and its role in advancing police misconduct affect the successful implementation (Reid, 2011). The study strives to research these issues in singularity and in connection to one another with the aim of coming up with a recommendation of how the police can use the stop-and-frisk program appropriately to improve policing outcomes in the country.
Research Questions and Hypotheses
The study is designed to investigate the essence of the stop-and-frisk strategy as used widely by the police department in the city of New York. The main variables of study include the effectiveness of the strategy, its constitutionalism of stop-and-frisk, and lastly, its role in advancing police misconduct. The opponents of this process claim that the process violates the rights within the constitution yet it is claimed by others that it leads to racial profiling, particularly when members of a single community are targeted (Evans, Maragh & Porter, 2014). Contrariwise, others claim that it lacks its essence because it is ineffective in fighting or preventing crime (Wikstrom, 2014). The program relies on the perception of the police officer on the vehicles, the drivers, the passengers, and the pedestrians. Reports suggest that nine out of the ten stop-and-frisk searches are innocent people going about their activities (Evans, Maragh & Porter, 2014). For this reason, the study will be conducting a thorough investigation based on three questions which are;
Research Questions
- Does the process violate the constitution, especially the privacy rights or does it abide by the rules of constitutionalism?
- What is the effectiveness of the process in improving policing outcomes?
- Does the stop-and-frisk process follow any of the set-down rules on the process of obtaining evidence from a suspect such as obtaining a search warrant?
The nature and objective of this study champion is to continue the use of the stop-and-frisk strategy in policing. For this reason, the following are the possible hypotheses taking into consideration the questions.
Hypothesis
- When the stop-and-frisk programs are only constitutional when conducted in ethical standards in all the search points such as the streets for effectiveness of the procedures to be acquired.
- I hypothesis that police who are well educated in regard to the ethical and constitutional stop-and-frisking processes are less likely to engage in unethical practices that are biased thus creating effectiveness unlike when compared to police officers without adequate training of the procedures.
Relevance of the Study
The presence and effectiveness of a security apparatus in a country of United States stature cannot be understated. The residents rely on the police for their safety, as well as the safety of their property. In an environment where the levels of security threats are ever increasing, the police are required to be ready to counter them (Inbau & Thompson, 1999). As criminals become increasingly intelligent, the police need to match and even surpass that intelligence. Security in a country affects several things one of them being the economy.
In a secure neighborhood, business is bound to flourish because people have no concern about their security. For this reason, the police need to add new crime fighting strategies while improving the existing ones to ensure that the environment is unconducive for the perpetration of the crime. The stop-and-frisk program initiated in the 1990s by NYPD offers an additional method of crime deterrence (Hanink, 2013). However, the strategy is under a huge scrutiny because of several factors including its nature of the operation. Currently, the program targets any crime, even minor ones, bringing about the controversy about its constitutionality. Moreover, some people have reported that the program spreads racial profiling. These issues reduce the essence of the program.
The research will help in identifying issues that challenge the successful adoption of the program while cementing its effectiveness in improving security in the country. Identification of these issues will inform the improvement strategies targeted at the program to make it appropriate for use in the current U.S. streets (Hanink, 2013). These strategies will be aimed at increasing the effectiveness of the program in crime fighting while getting rid of negative issues that surround it currently.
Conceptual Framework
The stop-and-frisk program was developed with the foundation that even the smallest crime had the potential of creating a criminal if left unchecked (Keenan & Thomas, 2013). Ever since then, the NYPD has utilized the program on all types of street users without consideration of the threat they pose. Indeed, the program uses the "order-maintenance policing" where the police manage all types of crimes notwithstanding their nature (Fagan & Davies, 2000). This study will take the same approach stating that all crimes are punishable by law no matter their sizes. Also, the study will utilize situational action theory, especially the part where it states that an individual is responsible for his or her decision to join crime.
The theory also notes that a person is likely to partake in criminal activities if the environment provides conducive conditions (Wikstrom, 2009). For instance, lack of police presence in some areas and police action in other areas leads to high incidence of criminal activities. According to situational action theory, criminal activity is a moral action in that a person decides to participate according to his or her situation (Wikstrom, 2009). More so, an individual does not consider other but himself before committing a crime. Selfishness is a huge part of crime-related activities because the perpetrator only considers how he or she will benefit from the act. Analyzing the situational action theory seems to indicate that everyone is susceptible to committing a crime.
To become a criminal, one needs two things: selfishness and a conducive environment for crime. Taking this as a consideration in designing crime-fighting policies and strategies, the order-maintenance policing used in the creation of stop-and-frisk program seems appropriate (Abrams, 2014). The society has several existing criminals some in jails and others running the streets. There is no need to continue creating additional criminals, but there is need to reform and reduce the number of criminals in the country. Prevention one before committing a crime and deterring others by making the path towards participating in a crime challenging are some of the most effective ways of reducing the number of criminals (Abrams, 2014). This concept will be used throughout the study as the constitutionalism, need, and effectiveness of the stop-and-frisk strategy is investigated in this paper.
Methodology
Research Design
The design has three facets: the investigation on constitutionalism, effectiveness, and the role of the stop-and-frisk program. That would imply that the study investigates the fundamental reasons, attitudes, motivations, and viewpoints concerning the program and statistical data that explains the nature of the program. Denzin and Lincoln (2011) define mixed method research as a method that combines the elements of both quantitative and qualitative designs with the aim of reaching a conclusive outcome. This is the research design that will be utilized in this study because it will gather to the three research questions appropriately. The qualitative part of conception will be responsible for gathering the opinions and perceptions of the stakeholders on the program. Conversely, the quantitative part will handle the statistical section of the research such as the proportion of white people who have experienced the stop-and-frisk process. According to Denzin and Lincoln (2011), the design also incorporates both inductive and deductive reasoning giving the researcher a chance to tackle the inquiry questions from every possible perspective. This exploratory study will be conducted through interviews and surveys.
Population of Study
The population of study will reflect the three research questions and hypotheses. The process will utilize a systematic sampling scheme to ensure the methodology caters for all the research needs. To cater to the question on constitutionalism, the study will seek the help of constitutional lawyers from the university and law practices within the city. The mixture of lawyers from the university and law practices is to ensure the removal of bias. The school will provide five law professors to provide information and additional ten lawyers from the practices in New York City. The study will mainly focus on a low participant’s population so that flexibility and effectiveness can be achieved.
Sampling Strategy
The research will utilize a purposive sampling approach in developing a suitable research sample to get answers for all the research queries. Based on this strategy which belongs directly to the sampling technique referred as a non-probability sampling method, the sample participants are chosen on the grounds of their relationships, knowledge as well as expertise in reference to the Study subject (Vogt, Gardner, & Haeffele, 2012). In this study, the sample populace that will be selected holds unique relations with the subject of stop-and-frisk that is being investigated. In addition, they should possess adequate and applicable working experience with the police departments within New York, active in a number of Stop-and-Frisking programs and a clear understanding of information regarding the subject. In this context, the participants will mainly be 5 policing executives, 5 police staffs from five different New York’s precincts and 100 civilians all from the study’s setting which is New York City. The low sample populace was selected on the grounds of flexibility, convenience, reliability, time and cost convenience as well as the capability to generate reliable as well as accurate information.
Research Approach
The study will follow an inductive research strategy in ensuring that the investigation purpose is achieved. Based on the approach, the researcher is supposed to begin the general investigation by drawing particular observations which should then be utilized in the creation of general concepts as well as conclusions which should be derived from the investigation. The main rationale as to why an inductive method was selected is because it considers the study’s context where more efforts are required and it is highly suitable for the small populations that generate qualitative information (Vogt, Gardner, & Haeffele, 2012). However, the inductive strategy will be applied with caution to ensure that they derived concepts are not grounded on major assumptions which might result in the questioning of the study’s reliability.
Research Strategy
The research that will be conducted with respect to the study’s thesis will be an applied one rather than a fresh one. This, therefore, implies that a systematic review of a number of peer-reviewed journals that have been published in the recent years will be conducted. In addition, this will be incorporated into a qualitative study that will be useful in providing justifications to the study’s concepts thus leading to a more dependable conclusion.
Research Method
The study will utilize a mixed investigation study that will incorporate both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Qualitative research will be utilized in creating new concepts that will facilitate in justification of the theories derived from the reviewed literature. The prime qualitative research characteristics are that it is highly appropriate and can also be utilized for small samples (Tavakoli, 2013). However given that its results cannot be measured or quantified a quantities research will, therefore, be a necessity. This is the basic benefit of utilizing a mixed strategy in that qualitative data will provide comprehensive descriptions and study subject analysis without having to limit the study scope and the general participant's response nature. The outcomes of the study will, therefore, be reliable as the nature of the findings will not be grounded in any form of judgment but an actual investigation (Tavakoli, 2013).
Data Collection Strategies and Instruments
In achieving the study’s objective depth interviews and questionnaires will be utilized. The interviews will be semi-structured which will seek to acquire reliable responses, opinions, and emotions regarding the subject. The primary benefit of utilizing this kind of tools is that they help in the acquisition of maximized information which is necessary for generating conclusions (Tavakoli, 2013). Interviews are beneficial since they engage direct contacts amid the investigators and the respondents which allow better relations to be created so that biases can be eliminated as well as eliminating any occurrence of being unresponsive. This, therefore, means that the researchers are required to develop the necessary investigation skills for efficiency to be acquired.
The questionnaire will act as the interviewer’s guide during the investigation. Both the questionnaires and the interviews will incorporate open and closed-ended queries to ensure that data maximization is accomplished. In addition, this will help in ensuring that the respondents do not divert from the study subject which might create uncertainties (Tavakoli, 2013). Semi-structured interviews will be effective because they create more flexibility in reference to interview’s flow which creates more room in creating more justified conclusions which were primarily intended for the study. They also ensure that fixed objectives and purposes are achieved thus preventing the research from being deviated.
Questionnaires will be distributed via the respondent's email address a week prior to conducting interviews. The respondents will be required to make returns of the filled questionnaires after completion prior to the interviews. Consent forms will also be signed prior to their participation. This is to ensure that the respondents understand that the study is scholarly and their responses will not be utilized for any commercial operations. In addition, they will be informed that their participation is confidential and voluntary and they have the freedom of making withdraws without offering any justified reasons at any state of the study. The researcher will participate in the summarization and analysis of the acquired data with a selected group which will provide the assistance. This will ensure that the privacy and confidentiality of the research are sustained (Lim, 2013).
Data Analysis
Since the nature of the study will be exploratory, the data analysis will take a similar form. First, the quantitative data will be analyzed using the statistical tools such as mean, median, and standard deviation. To make the whole process less messy and more organized, a computer program, SPSS, will be used. Qualitative data will be analyzed by reviewing their connection to the three research questions. Most of this data will emanate from the opinions of the police officers, the civilians, and the lawyers. The rest of the data will be acquired from a systematic evaluation of the existing data. Therefore, exploration will become the main technique of data analysis. All the results will be categorized, tabulated, and, if need be, graphed appropriately. This will occur on the criteria of accuracy, dependability and relevance in relation to the study subject. This will ensure that credibility is created (Antonisamy, Solomon, & Prasanna, 2010). Data analysis methods will also be flexible to ensure that all the data obtained from the study are analyzed properly.
Timeline
The nature of the research and the volume of activities show that it needs time for preparation, conduction, analysis, and lastly, presentation of the findings. The study will take four months with the first month involving preparation by obtaining the correct population of study and obtaining consent from relevant areas. The second and third month will involve conducting the study and the last month will deal with analysis and presentation of the findings.
Limitations
Since the study relies on the opinions from the public and the police officers, the results might not be truthful. Also, some participants may decide to withhold information in fear of victimization. The respondents might provide generalized data that will not be adequate in supporting the objective of the study. In addition, accuracy and reliability might be the major issues given that the study will seek to acquire actual findings from the respondents. Time and cost are also the other anticipated limitations. In that the collection of data and the investigation will require more time because given that the study population will be past a hundred more period will also be spent in summarizing and analyzing to draw dependable conclusions.
Future Research
Concerning the opportunities for future research, the present research will not be able to measure the impact of negative perceptions and unethical police conduct on the effectiveness of the stop-and-frisk. Future research may take this path to establish the essence of the stop-and-frisk strategy in police work finally. Future researchers can attempt to acquire more data from the executive members based on their ability to respond effectively to the given queries.
References
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