Introduction
The main reason why United States Congress passed the Equal Employment Opportunity Act in1972 was to promote justice and equality in all federal employment departments. This act brought sanity in many departments including the police. For a number of years, the police department was a symbol of many cases of abuse and segregation related to color, race, ethnicity, and sex. Hiring people to the police force was another predicament marred with a couple of discriminations. For example, few women worked in the police force. Therefore, this act is geared towards the realization of affirmative action during hiring processes. Moreover, the act stipulated the remedies to any discriminatory form in terms of employment. The Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972 covered all employees including police officers, former employees, managers, and supervisors of companies and government institutions. The paper examines the changes realized in police after the equal employment opportunity act of 1972 became law.
Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972 on Police
Since its inception in 1972, Equal Employment Opportunity Act (EEOA) opened a new era of human rights under the Public Laws of America. The legislation emphasized the respect for human rights, especially on employment discriminati that had skyrocketed. Therefore, the act restricted local governments, states, police departments, government, and noon-governmental organizations from discriminating against people against their race, color, sex, or nationality. This was an extension of the provisions of the 1964 Civil Rights Act thus protecting employees from employer discriminati. To this far, the police had been empowered to conduct EEOC cases under directions from senior counsels for further litigation. The act made a revolutionary in the manner the police bureaucrats conducted investigations. Moreover, the act demanded all courts and the Department of Justice to instigate any upcoming suit to any authority that went contrary. (Lenneal, 2005, p.234).
The major reason for instituting the EEOA act in 1972 was to give women an opportunity to seek employment in all sectors of the government and any other field. Previously, less number of women worked as police officers due to warring discrimination. Tonhese women had the potential to exercise police responsibilities. Nevertheless, the act as an amendment of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, allowed women to work freely in the force. This was the first chance in the police structure. Not only was the recruitment of women into police the only change resulting from the EEOA act, but the act also displayed procedural recruiting mechanisms. To realize discriminatory free societies, the EEOA act allowed the institution of a special monitoring unit to assess the whole workforce of the United States. As expected, compiled statistics showed that the number of women and minorities was low as compared to men. (Lenneal, 2005, pp.236-239).
The police force is a sensitive area especially for the safety of the citizens. Therefore, the act accorded it a greater priority in order to secure a police force free of any discrimination. Consequently, due to the EEOA act of 1972, police had to suffer some changes. The act had brought women and minorities into the force where male counterparts dominated. On the other hand, a sequence of court cases during the 1970s and 1980s suggested that proper recruitment of police officers is essential for faster completion of cases filed. Instead of civil recruiting, the act denounced a method whereby an applicant has to fill in the forms available in newspapers, internet sites, and flyers. As a result, the applicants will have to attend programs on criminal justice in colleges or universities. The main reason for doing this was to hire potential and educated applicants who will serve citizens on humane grounds and testify exclusively against court cases. (Rendell, (n.d.), pp.409-410).
The Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972 further made profound suggestions apart from the manner of recruiting officers bringing more changes in the police. For example, the act spelled out the creation of training curriculums to improve police personnel qualities. Previously, before Congress passed the act and became a law, many police officers of that time did not have many skills in court cases and the majority never wanted anything to do with police training. Police officers were now liable to three types of training namely field, basic and in-service training. Newly recruited police officers do basic training in colleges or universities established under the act. Here, police officers took courses like criminal law beneficial in conducting criminal investigations. Other modules introduced included, the interaction with citizens, how to handle emerging situations, and the use of force accordingly. Consequently, field raining is next to where; there is the real application of the skills learned during basic training. (Police Organization and Management, (n.d), Para. 1-6).
Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972 requires police officers to oversee the whole hiring standards. Any form of discrimination on employment matters is unlawful. Therefore, police officers kept proper records about employee employment, and in case of any form of discrimination from an employer, they testified in a court of law.
Conclusion
The equal employment opportunity act of 1972 brought many changes in the police force. It provided a platform of equality in the hiring of police officers just like any other government department of private institutions. Under these acts, police had to accept affirmative action and perform investigatory duties associated with discrimination complaints. Discriminations based on sex, social background, physical abilities, religion, political inclinations, pregnancies, and previous positions held are unlawful. These unlawful acts lead to a court case to redress justice. The past police force mainly constituted male persons who were untrained. The inception of the law meant police officers must undergo three pieces of training under fair hiring grounds free from any form of discrimination. The Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972 ensured fair treatment of every citizen on employment matters right from recruitment to responsibilities.
References
Lenneal, H. (2005).The Impact of the Equal Employment Act of 1972 on Employment for Women and Minorities in Municipal Government. Journal of Policy Studies, 7(2), pp.234-239.
Police: Organization and Management-Police Recruitment and Training. (2010). Web.
Rendell, E. (n.d).Personnel Management and Labor Relations. Web.