Introduction
It is true that the “will of the people” and the “law” at times conflict and this presents a tough decision to make for those whose responsibility is to enforce the law of the land. This conflict is experienced in various angles. It is a requirement for those in governing boards to recognize that people’s will is a necessary law of free government. The will of the people assumes that public employees and elected officials are people’s servants meaning that citizens are not their servants. Therefore, it is a requirement for these public employees and elected officials to ascertain the “will of the people” before they make any decisions which affect the people (Friedman 2009).
The police should selectively enforce only the laws that the citizens want to be enforced. This is so because any statutory law enacted by people or the representatives that they elect should actually take precedence over the previous legislations and in addition will be subjected to the constitutionality. The prosecutor or police should also follow what the statutory law passed by the people dictates in deciding against charging a certain offender. Thus, a police or a prosecutor lacks the power to make a decision against charging any offender if local population have passed a law prohibiting such a charge. For example, if a person commits a certain offence and the law does not clearly provide the judgment for that offense, the police or the prosecutor will actually be forced to follow the will of the people of not charging that offender.
I agree that any community should actually have oversight or an influence over local police. This can be achieved through embracing the community policing philosophy. This is because, the community and police will share the responsibility for identifying, eliminating, reducing, and preventing the problems, which impact the community safety and order (Friedman 2009). One police agency that practice community policing strategy is Los Angeles Police Department. Sheriffs on their part need to be extra concerned with people’s will even when this will is in conflict with the law because they interact with community members daily and when they form a partnership the overall safety and order of the community will be maintained. As a result of this, the entire nation will have safety and order since all the communities will cooperate with grassroots law enforcement officials in preventing offences.
References
Friedman, B. (2009). The will of the people: How public opinion has influenced the Supreme Court and shaped the meaning of the Constitution. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
