American Policing Class

Every Monday from 5:30p.m. to 8:00p.m., I have to attend my Issues in American Policing class. Though it may sound like a long time to be in class, it really doesn't feel so. The issues are always interesting and my professor, Mr. Williams never fails to have a fascinating session. He also works with the Metropolitan Police Department and still manages to come into class at American University every Monday with a smile on his face. What I like most is that int he middle of the session, he gives us a 15 minute break to use the bathroom, buy snacks, or to simply socialize. Almost every Monday, he brings in a guest speaker who has been working in the field of Criminal Justice for years. Often times, these guest speakers teach us things that can be used in the work field after graduation. Whenever there is a speaker present during our class session, I try my best to always take notes because my professor usually takes some of what that speaker says and uses it on a test.

One of my favorite topics in my Issues in American Policing class is the issue of police discretion. The bottom line is that some police officers use to while others just abuse it. I strongly feel that in most cases, police officers should utilize discretion. My professor showed a video once of two random police officers on patrol who spotted a homeless man with a knife. One of the officers got out of the patrol car and walked behind the man. The officer then asked the man to drop the knife in which he didn't. The officer then shot the homeless man several times killing him. How did the police officer know if this man was deaf or not? How can he murder a man after telling him to drop a weapon once or twice? Why did he feel like he needed to take the situation into his own hands without calling for backup? Why couldn't he shoot the man in his leg or somewhere that wouldn't immediately kill him? These are all the questions that I want answered because I don't understand how that police officer can just murder someone in cold blood because he didn't drop the knife when he wanted him to. Police discretion to me is a necessity for all police officers.