Students should be able to elaborate on the need for a federal consent decree and its impact on law enforcement. From Chicago to Ferguson, federal consent decrees have been put in place because of identified errors due to a lack of law enforcement accountability. Although the target of consent decrees is to help correct a wrong due to violations of federal or state law, some departments are resistant to change. Students should be able to identify 3 law enforcement agencies that were under a federal consent decree and the implemented changes that were recommended.
Write an interoffice memo in which you discuss new guidelines established by a federal consent decree, detailing how local law enforcement officers will track race, number of stops, complaints, and body cam usage to enhance their relationship with the community and focus on de-escalating situations. Please discuss how the data will be stored and tracked via technology to ensure full compliance.
In addition, write a 750–1,000-word essay discussing the rationale for a consent decree and its impact on the community and law enforcement. Students should be able to provide references to validate their claims.
Deliverable:
- Interoffice memo
- 750–1,000-word essay
- Search the university library for law enforcement agencies under a federal consent decree
- Some examples of federal consent decrees that have produced changes for law enforcement
- Discussion on why some law enforcement agencies are not keen on accepting federal consent decrees
- Explore ways in which law enforcement can make changes without needing the government to initiate a federal consent decre