Has Policing Improved Since the Time Depicted in LA Confidential?

In your opinion, has policing improved, stayed the same, or gotten worse since the time depicted in the L.A. Confidential video?

In my opinion policing has improved tremendously since the time depicted in the “L.A. Confidential” video.  The film portrayed the police as an autonomous part of the society with little regard for the public and respect for the prisoners.  Now, police departments across the country have forms of community policing available to build trust and help prevent crime with the cooperation of community members (Roth, 2005).

In one of my previous posts I mentioned that the media had an integral role in the policies changing for the better.  Human interest was always sparked in the advent of police brutality and other mistakes on the TV screen.  It was, and still is, in the best interest of the police departments to reevaluate their policies and their employee base in order to curtail corruption and crime.  Also, it would be advisable to reestablish or develop trust in the society.

Additionally, due to the lack of ‘checks and balances’ the police departments in the 1950′s were more or less a scene from the “Wild, Wild West” (as depicted in the movie).  Now, police departments take pride in professionalism and presentation.  There are more stringent rules in place to control the hierarchy of the police organization and new recruits must go through a ‘point check’ system of health, psychological, and physical tests.  On top of that, requirements for all police departments have mandated background checks and some even introduced Polygraph tests as means of attaining only the best qualified.

Resource

Roth, M. (2005). Crime and Punishment: A History of the Criminal Justice System. Belmont: Thomson-Wadsworth

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