While walking down the street and seeing a police officer, I suddenly try to act as normal as possible and get nervous, fearing that the officer will stop me just because I'm suspicious. Many of my fears about the police stem from the media's portrayal of them as harsh, book enforcers, and brutal users of force. Although law enforcement receives a negative image that is not always true, they serve a vital role in our community. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay As a nation, we choose to have laws that regulate the limits of our behavior. However, if these laws are not enforced, they are ineffective. As a way to deter crime, we create punishments that individuals risk if they violate a law. Part of a policeman's job involves law enforcement: he or she may issue a penalty, such as a fine, to someone who runs a red light. This duty of a policeman contributes to the negative view that American society gives to the police as they are associated with punishing and arresting people to enforce the law. To counter our view that the police are only there to mete out punishments, Inciardi states that their peacekeeping activities also include “public service areas such as directing traffic, resolving disputes… and delivering babies” (Inciardi 182) . Therefore, it is safe to say that we elect our law enforcement officers for tasks that go far beyond simply reducing crime. Bringing the police into service is not without costs to our civil liberties. For example, a police officer's surveillance activity intrudes on my privacy as I walk on the sidewalk. It gives the judiciary authority over private individuals who may or may not appreciate the loss of their autonomy. This is demonstrated when Inciardi quotes a police observer who gives an example demonstrating this loss of autonomy: the person in the example would call the police instead of shooting the individual who is trying to cut down his tree, thus losing the right to use force and hands her over to the police (Inciardi 184-185). Through methods of bias, the media can distort our view of the police towards a more negative view of lack of control over the use of force. A clear example of this is found in an article written by Michael Snyder in which he states: “Just this week, there have been stories of police killing a baby deer at an animal shelter, of police killing a 95-year-old veteran years of the Second World War in a retirement home..." (Snyder). This bias by omission is intended to result in a public that ignores the many other positive contributions, such as street safety, made by the police during the week. Another key factor in media coverage of law enforcement is that it distorts law enforcement to benefit profits. With the George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin case, according to Jaime Ortega, the media "turned the entire case into a solitary prosecution, based on racial prejudice, to promote his guilt and sponsor an anti-Zimmerman campaign that would last more than a year" (Ortega). This focus distorts the case through spin and omission of facts such as Trayvon Martin's past, favoring a one-sided view that Zimmerman should be punished. That way, the issue can become a much hotter topic that raises money for news outlets and activist groups that support Trayvon. Relating this to application situations.