Policing and Minority Communities: Bridging the Gap (Prentice Hall's Policing and ... Series) [Paperback]

The purpose of this text is to analyze the everyday interactions between the police and minority communities as well as those incidents that come to public attention. The majority of chapters focus on the plight of racial minorities (e.g., African Americans) as opposed to ethnic minorities (e.g., Hispanics, Asians, or persons from the Middle East). An important focus of the book is how the perception of differentness affects the social interaction between the police and residents of various neighborhoods. It looks at the actions that have been taken to alleviate the negative interactions that occur in these neighborhoods and why they are or are not effective at changing the attitudes of the police and the communities involved. May also be used as a supplemental reader in Introduction to Criminal Justice courses.

Attempts at developing ways in which the law can be enforced for the benefit of all, and in ways that respect the rights of all, have proved to be the greatest challenge in modern democracies. In the United States, this challenge has been particularly acute given the racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity of the population to be policed in a society where individuals are guaranteed certain freedoms in a written constitution. Policing and Minority Communities addresses complex issues related to police/community relations in a multi-cultural society where the police are expected to enforce the law, serve the public and be governed by principles of legality, fairness, and equity.

In Policing and Minority Communities, Dr. Delores Jones-Brown and Dr. Karen Terry, along with other authors, examine the everyday interactions that lead to tensions between the police and members of minority communities. Particular attention is given to the role of race, ethnicity, and gender in police encounters. Recurrent problems existing between police and minority communities are examined from historical and contemporary perspectives. Most importantly, several innovative techniques, some of which have already proved successful, are suggested for bridging the gap between the two groups.

Policing and Minority Communities is an edited work that provides a variety of perspectives on the issues surrounding the police and their interactions with minority communities, along with the impact and consequences of those interactions. The book is not one-sided. Its authors include both national and international practitioners and scholars. Among them are current and former police officers, defense attorneys, prosecutors, police managers and trainers, and individuals with many years of experience conducting policing research. Each reader is guaranteed to learn something new about this controversial topic.