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Another important dimension of our free society and the role the police play in it is that officers are accountable for their actions through a system of elected government. Citizens have the power of the vote and the power to organize and protest. If citizens are not satisfied with the leaders of the government, those leaders can lose their jobs by not being reelected. In many communities, mayors hire and fire police chiefs. Mayors have expectations of police chiefs, who, in turn, have expectations of their officers. If officers behave improperly, it reflects on the chief. In turn, the chief is a reflection on the mayor. There is a long list of chiefs, and even mayors, who have lost their jobs because of officer misconduct or other unsatisfactory police department performance. In spite of this process, how best to ensure police accountability is a continuing concern and objective.

Exhibit 1.2 Governmental Power Versus Citizens’ Rights

Many countries severely restrict the rights of their citizens. For example, consider the cases of Saudi Arabia, Russia, and North Korea. For a more complete discussion of this issue, visit the website of Amnesty International.⁶

In Saudi Arabia, all females require male guardianship. Further, governmental authorities severely repress religious freedoms and freedom to express views against the government. Authorities are responsible for arbitrary arrests, and torture, and other ill-treatment of detainees.⁷

In Russia, laws restrict lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) individuals and supporters of LGBTI rights from holding peaceful demonstrations to fight for equal rights. Officials have said that such demonstrations violate rules against “propaganda of homosexuality.” In addition, human rights proponents who have complained about law enforcement misconduct have been subject to harassment, death threats, and murder, or they have simply disappeared.⁸

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) is arguably one of the least free countries on Earth and is often referred to as a police state. The government severely restricts rights to freedom of expression, and travel outside the country is largely prohibited. It is estimated that 120,000 people are incarcerated in political prison camps, detained only for being related to individuals who are viewed as threatening to the government. All media and telecommunications systems are owned by the government. There is no access to the Internet or international phone service for the vast majority of North Koreans. Police agencies operate in such ways as to ensure that privacy among citizens does not exist. Surveillance is constant. It is not an exaggeration to say that North Korean citizens have no rights.⁹

Besides accountability through elected government, another way to provide accountability of the police is through organizational transparency. Law enforcement agencies are transparent when the operations, policy, and the decisions made by officers and police leaders are visible to citizens. The most recent attempt at increasing transparency is the deployment of police body-worn cameras¹⁰ (BWCs; see Technology on the Job). Other mechanisms of transparency and accountability include increasing citizen input and involvement in police operations, such as through public meetings and hearings, and citizen involvement in the process of investigating citizen complaints of officer conduct. Police sharing information with citizens, even through social media,¹¹ has also been represented as way by which to increase organizational transparency. The media, through independent investigations and reports on the police, may provide increased transparency and accountability of the police.¹² Law enforcement agencies and officers today are expected to be accountable for their actions; however, this often proves to be a hard-to-attain goal.