Running Head: LAW ENFORCEMENT AND THE MEDIA

Law Enforcement as portrayed by the Media: A Review of Literature

LAW ENFORCEMENT AND THE MEDIA

Abstract
Law enforcement videos have become a hot topic for media reporters. The question of police
brutality and excessive force has been raised in response to these videos and many protest, as
well as riots have stemmed from these videos. This paper will first examine how law
enforcement is portrayed by the media. Secondly, it will examine how excessive force is being
defined. Thirdly, it will examine who is being effected by the way media is portraying law
enforcement. Lastly, this paper will examine what people are saying needs to be done to resolve
the issue of excessive force by law enforcement as portrayed by the media.

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Law Enforcement as Portrayed by the Media: A Review of Literature

Protection of life can be seen listed as a top priority on many U.S. police department
websites. For example, among their core goals, the El Paso Police Department list the
preservation of life at the top of their list. The following statement can be found on their website
We respect life...We hold the preservation of life as our sacred duty. Our value of human life
set our priorities, (2015). Similarly, in its organizational values, the North Charleston Police
Department (2015) lists to protect the life and property of our citizens at the top of their
organizational values. Despite their documented intentions, numerous videos have surfaced
recently that paint an entirely different picture of law enforcement. Several media types have
reported on these videos. This paper will examine law enforcement as portrayed by the media.
More specifically, this paper will address the following questions:
1. How is law enforcement portrayed by the media?
2. What is excessive force?
3. Who is being effected by the way law enforcement is being portrayed by media?
4. What is being said about what needs to be done to solve this problem?

For the purpose of this paper, the extent of different types of media will be limited to only
include news (radio, TV, written), reality programs and social media websites such as Twitter,
YouTube and Facebook. Among the different sources utilized in this paper, primary research

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will also be included. The primary research consists of a ten question survey that was handed
out at different locations around the city of El Paso, Texas. There were a total of eighteen
surveys. The majority were handed out at The University of Texas at El Paso. The questions
included in the survey pertain to experiences with U.S. law enforcement and awareness of the
portrayal of law enforcement by different media sources.
How is law enforcement portrayed in the media?

Several media types, including YouTube videos and network news media, tell us that on
March 8, 2013 Daniel Saenz died while in the custody of the El Paso police department. He was
shot by a police officer while his hands remained handcuffed behind his back (US, 2014).
Similarly, the media tells us that in July of 2012, army combat veteran James Brown also died
while in the custody of the El Paso police department. The soldier repeatedly told officers that he
could not breathe during and after a scuffle that began when the soldier became upset after he
learned that he would have to serve a longer sentence than originally told. Within minutes the
soldier was rolled over on to a stretcher with no sign of life and no attempt by police officers or
nearby medical personnel to resuscitate him. It is believed that he died of sickle cell crisis
(KFox14, 2015). In the same manor, the media tells us that on November 22, 2014, 12 year old
Tamir Rice lost his life in Cleveland Ohio when he was shot and killed by a police officer three
seconds after the officer and his partner arrived at the park where the boy was playing with a toy
gun. Despite still being alive, the two officers at the scene failed to render aid to the 12 year old
boy. He died the next day (Noticias, 2014). The list of similar reports goes on and on. These
videos as well as the commentary associated with them have raised the question of excessive
force by law enforcement.

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In contrast, Petrowski (2005), the author of When is Force Excessive?, reports that the
media erroneously portrays law enforcement as using excessive force. He describes the
commentary that often accompanies the footage described above as naive in labeling the force
used as excessive (Petrowski, 2005). The primary research conducted seems to agree with
Petrowski. Only two out of the eighteen respondents believed that excessive force is a common
practice for police officers. However the survey also presented another side to the way excessive
force is portrayed in the media. When asked how often they believed law enforcement used
excessive force, 57 % said they believed officers used excessive force when they were pushed to
the limit. Only 14 % said they believed officers rarely used excessive force and 29% said they
believed officers only used excessive force when no one was watching. None of the respondents

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believed officers never used excessive force or that officers used excessive force all the time.

How often do you believe law enforcement officers use excessive force?

14%
29%

never
rarely
when ever they are pushed
to the limit
all the time
when no one is watching

57%

How is excessive force being defined?

What exactly is excessive force and how do most people define it? Petrowski (2005) explains
that a hazy border exists between what is clearly excessive and what is clearly constitutional in

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terms of force used by law enforcement. Petrowski (2005) further elaborates that Simply put,
only force that is clearly and plainly something no reasonable police officer could ever do
violates the Constitution. In contrary, the survey (primary source) showed that 61% of
respondents described excessive force as over use of power. In their own words they described
excessive force as providing more forceful actions than are necessary in a given situation and
force that is uncalled for or unnecessary. Miller on the other hand says that communities often
equate deadly force with excessive force. He explains that the amount of force must be
proportionate to the situation.

Who is being effected by the way law enforcement is being portrayed and defined by the
media?

How the media portrays law enforcement affects both the general public and law enforcement
officials as well as society as a whole. The author of Public perceptions of police misconduct and
discrimination: examining the impact of media consumption, found that network news media
consumption had a direct negative impact on the development of attitudes towards police officers
(Dowler, 2007). According to this study, as the consumption of network news media increased,
so did the belief that law enforcement used misconduct. In addition, exposure to even one
incident of police misconduct yielded a negative impact on attitudes towards law enforcement.
On the other hand, other studies examined in this same publication, found that confidence in
police increased with consumption of reality TV and some network news.
Media portrayal also has a negative effect on Law enforcement. According to Social
Media and law Enforcement, media portrayal of law enforcement has a serious impact on law

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enforcement officers (Waters, 2012). The author says that officers are stripped of their privacy,
because their job requires that they perform their duties out in the public where they may be
confronted by cameras. She goes on to explain that it is wrong doers who utilize videos of police
officers. She further explains that media coverage of officers opens the door for cop baiting.
What needs to be done to solve this problem?
In the article why cops kill: the psychology of police deadly force encounters, Miller says
that use of force encounters with citizens are rare and that deadly encounters are even rarer
(2015). However, he agrees that better selection, training, discipline and supervision of police
officers can decrease incidents involving use of force, excessive force and deadly force. Chermak
says that the relationship between law enforcement and the reporting media (news, newspapers
etc.) is key (2005). He explains that by cooperating and being accessible to this type of media,
law enforcement can generate support for the organization.
Conclusion/Synthesis
In conclusion, Police Department websites all over the country list life preservation as
their top priority. Despite their documented intentions, media portrays an entirely different
picture of law enforcement. The topic of excessive force often accompanies these images. The
way the media portrays law enforcement impacts the general public as well as law officers. This
paper has examined some of the different viewpoints held in regards to how the media portrays
law enforcement and how it effects everyone involved. This topic is important because the
American public depends on law enforcement to serve and protect their communities.
Maintaining trust in Law Enforcement is essential to maintaining healthy communities.

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References
(n.d.).
14, K. (2014, May 15). Assault of Fort Bliss Soldier Sgt James Brown inside El Paso
County Jail by Riot Police . El Paso , Tx, United States.
19actionnews.com. (2014, November 26). Distraught: One of Tamir's relatives is
pictured weeping on the ground after hearing of Saturday's shooting.
Cleveland , Ohio, United States.
2121, m. (n.d.). police siren [Recorded by unknown].
Band, h. C. (2002). Amazing Grace.
Charleston, C. o. (2015). About the Department. Retrieved from City of North
Charleston: http://www.northcharleston.org/Residents/Police/About-theDepartment.aspx
Chermak, S. &. (2005). Maintaining legitimacy using external communication
strategies: An analysis of police-media relations. Journal of Criminal Justice,
501-512.
Dowler, K. &. (2007). Public perceptions of police misconduct and discrimination:
Examining the impact of media consumption. Journal of Criminal Justice, 193203.
Fairbanks, C. (2015, May 18). Heartbreaking Video Shows Active Duty Soldier Slowly
Die as Riot Police Needlessly Assault Him - See more at:
http://realitieswatch.com/heartbreaking-video-shows-active-duty-soldierslowly-die-as-riot-police-needlessly-assault-him/#sthash.edWcJOMm.dpuf. El
Paso, Texas, United States.
FoxNews. (2015, April 10). Geraldo: Dashcam Video Gets Officer Michael Slager Off
His Murder Charge |Walter Scott Shooting . North Charleston , South Carolina,
United Staes.
HiphopTalkNET. (2012, July 10). Police Brutality, Rhode Island Cop Kicks
HANDCUFFED woman in head! . Providence, Rhode Island, United States.
KFox14. (2015, May 14). KFox 14. Retrieved from YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KP-ygJ2uqAA

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Kucharski, R. &. (2014, November 26). An undated photo of Tamir Rice. Cleveland ,
Ohio, United States.
Kvia. (2013, October 7). EPPD Graduation. El Paso , Texas, United States.
Miller, L. (2015). Why cops kill: The psychology of police deadly force encounters.
Agression and Violent Behavior, 97-111.
net, H. h. (2012, July 10). Walsh, S. (2012, June 12). Headstones at Arlington .
Providence, Rhode Island, United States.
News, F. (2015, April 10). Geraldo: Dashcam Video Gets Officer Michael Slager Off
His Murder Charge |Walter Scott Shooting . North Charleston, South Carolina,
United States.
Noticias, Y. (2014, November 26). Full Tamir Rice Shooting video:Tamir Rice shooting
video Cleveland Police Tamir Rice Shooting video. Retrieved from YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhVewrqGFRw
Paso, C. o. (2015). Home: Police Department. Retrieved from City of El Paso:
https://www.elpasotexas.gov/police-department
Petrowski, T. (2005). When is force excessive? FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, 74(9),
27-32.
Prenzler, T. P. (2013). Reducing police use of force: Case studies and prospects.
Agression and Violent Behavior, 18(2), 343-356. doi:http://0dx.doi.org.lib.utep.edu/10.1016/j.avb.2012.12.004
Press, A. (2014, December 3). Uncle of Tamir Rice, 12-year old shot by officer, calls
for change . Cleveland , Ohio, United States.
Unite, L. (2015, May 14). Video of Fort Bliss soldier shows moments before his death
while in custody. El Paso, Texas, United States.
US, T. (2014, June 19). Handcuffed man executed by El paso cop:Daniel Saenz video
shooting released. Retrieved from YouTube:
http://www.northcharleston.org/Residents/Police/About-the-Department.aspx
Walsh, S. (2012, June 12). Headstones at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
Arlington, Virginia, United States.
Waters, G. (2012). Social media and law enforcement. FBI Law Enforcement
Bulletin, 81(11), 1-5.
Woman, C. (2005). You Raise me Up.

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Appendix A
Survey
Hello, my name is Olga Rubio. I am enrolled in RWS 1302 with Professor Gomez. I am
conducting primary research on the subject of law enforcement as portrayed by the media. I
intend to use the findings of this survey in my literature review. By agreeing to take this survey

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you are also giving me permission to use your responses in my literature review paper. In an
attempt to keep this survey confidential, I ask that you do not include your name on this survey.
Thank you for agreeing to participate in this survey.

*Please select the answer/answers that best matches your response to the questions or statements
below.
*Please fill out both sides of this sheet.

1.

Have you ever been involved in a situation where U.S. law enforcement was called in?
[ ] yes
[ ] No
2.

During the situation mentioned above, would you say that U.S. law enforcement
[ ] handled the situation appropriately
[ ] Handled the situation appropriately but they were rude
[ ] did not handle the situation appropriately
[ ] made a bad situation worse
[ ] Not Applicable

3. Are you aware of the recent attention that has been brought to the issue of excessive
force by U.S. law enforcement?
[ ]Yes
[ ] No

4. How did you become aware of the issue of excessive force by U.S. law enforcement?
[ ] It was on the news.
[ ] I watched a video on social media
[ ] Someone told me about it.

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[ ] I am a victim of excessive force by law enforcement.

5. What is the message that you take away from the media in regards to excessive
force by law enforcement?
[ ] Law enforcement has a difficult job that sometimes requires extreme measures.
[ ] Excessive force is a common practice that can now be proven by the use of
cameras.
[ ] Most law enforcement officers are good guys but like any profession it has some
rotten apples.
[ ] Excessive force by law enforcement is increasing.
[ ] There are many examples of law enforcement tending to treat black people and
white people
[ ] Fear inhibits people, including law enforcement from acting with care and
Consideration.
[ ] None of the above
6. How often do you watch the News?
[ ] daily
[ ] once or twice a week
[ ] sometimes
[ ] rarely
[ ] never

7. In your own words and in one sentence please define the term excessive force.

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__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

8. How often do you believe U.S. Law enforcement officers use excessive force as you
described it above?
Choose all that apply.
[ ] Never
[ ] rarely
[ ] Whenever they are pushed to the limit
[ ] all the time, it is part of their job.
[ ] especially when no one is watching

9. Please choose the answer that best describes you.

10. What is your race?

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[ ] Hispanic or Latino
[ ] American Indian
[ ] Alaska Native
[ ] White

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