This week during class we discussed power and authority and the difference between the two. Many people think that power and authority are the same thing but they are different. We learned that authority is the ability of having power of someone and telling them what to do. Power is the domination over something. We see here that when you have authority you also have the power that comes with it.
One of the biggest places we see authority and power is in law enforcement. Law enforcement or more commonly police have a lot of authority and power that comes along with their job. They have the authority over anyone doing this wrong and have the power to arrest them or write them a citation. This power that comes along with this authority can be very controlling and tempting. When this authority and power is used correctly it can be very rewarding and beneficial but we are seeing more and more police officers these days using the power they get to benefit themselves or using it in ways it is not intended to be use. The authority that comes along with a police officer is suppose to be special and not be abused. Below i have posted an article talking about police "power" and how it is growing these days. The article brings up the points of how police "power" is taking away the citizens rights given to them by the constitution. The article is very interesting and if you get a chance to read it please leave some feedback on what you think is the right thing here.
http://www.davekopel.org/CJ/LawRev/EvolvingPolicePower.htm
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