Cognitive Dissonance and the Police

Cognitive Dissonance and the Police

Law enforcement is one of those fields that are characterized by profound tension and conflict between what is expected of professionals (by the public) and what their profession requires them to do. In other words, police officers regularly find themselves confronted by situations that involve inconsistent beliefs, values, and attitudes. This kind of dissonance creates huge challenges for police officers as they are torn between what to do. According to Rahr and Rice (2015, p.1), police officers are to serve the role of guardians in a democratic nation. Unfortunately, there has been a drift “toward a culture and mind-set [that police officers are] more like warriors at war with the people [they] are sworn to protect and serve”. Because of the conflicting attitudes regarding the warrior versus guardian role, many police officers now prioritize the responsibility of upholding national security over the crucial responsibility of protecting citizens’ constitutional rights.

For the officers that are drawn strongly to the warrior mind-set, they are likely to be more aggressive in the way they execute their duties. Guided by the thought that it is impossible to protect public safety when one gets too close to citizens, such officers will tend to view the people they serve with suspicion. Instead of interacting with the people in order to find out the problems and issues, the ‘warrior’ officers will prefer relying on technologies such as closed circuit television systems to spy on the people. More importantly, such officers are likely to use excessive force on suspected offenders without first seeking to establish whether or not they are guilty.

            Further, the ‘warrior’ view of the police officer is one of the reasons for the increased equipmentization in the police force. Shantz (2016) notes that the police force in the contemporary era has been highly militarized. The author reports that “police services have been acquiring more and more military toys” (Shantz, 2016 p.5). There has been a significant increase in the number of assault rifles and armored vehicles that are procured for use by the police force. All these equipment are not useful in protecting the people; they are used to show authority and the force that the state.

            In modern policing, the dissonance that characterizes the law enforcement profession has also affected the way in which police officers discharge their duties. The so-called warrior rhetoric has taken over, making police officers perceive themselves as soldiers who are on a never-ending mission of preserving order in a chaotic society (Stoughton, 2016). As a result, police officers tend to regard the citizens as their adversaries. With such an attitude, it is highly likely that police officers will discharge their duties with uncalled for brutality and aggressiveness.

On the other side are police officers who consider themselves the people’s guardians. Understanding the importance of engaging the community and earning the trust of the citizens, these officers work towards forming genuine partnerships with the people (Rahr & Rice, 2015). What this implies for modern policing is that there is going to be a visible shift towards community policing, where law enforcers work very closely with the community in fighting crime in the society. Instead of having police officers coming to the ground only when they want to arrest someone, they might want to be more involved in community activities and initiatives.

References

Rahr, S., & Rice, S. K. (2015). From warriors to guardians: Recommitting American police culture to democratic ideals. US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice.

Shantz, J. (2016). They have always been military: On so-called militarized policing in Canada. Journal of Social Justice, 6, 1-26.

Stoughton, S. W. (2016). Principled policing: Warrior cops and guardian officers. Wake Forest Law Review, 51, 611.